The D&AD Awards competition for 2025 has set its lineup of jury presidents and launched a Creator Content category.
The 2025 Jury presidents are a global mix of leading creative experts from international brands and agencies including TikTok, Saatchi & Saatchi, The New York Times Magazine, VML, Framestore, Common People Films, Ogilvy Health, and Publicis Groupe Germany.
Here’s a category-by-category rundown of jury presidents for D&AD Awards 2025:
Animation: Melody Sylvester, global managing director & EP commercials, Common People Films
Art Direction: Saulo Rocha, chief creative officer, DAVID Madrid
Book Design: Johanna Neurath, chair, Thames & Hudson Publishing Ltd.
New Brand Identity: Johanna Roca, creative venture partner, Accept & Proceed
Brand Identity Refresh: Frederico Gelli, founder & CEO, Tátil Design
Casting: Selma Nicholls, casting director, Looks Like Me Casting
Cinematography: Sally Campbell, co-founder & CEO, Somesuch
Commerce: Ben Coulson, chief creative officer ANZ, Dentsu Creative
Creator Content: Karl Haddad, head of Global Creative Lab, TikTok
Digital Marketing: Marco Giannelli (Pernil), chief creative officer, AlmapBBDO
Digital Design: Akae Wang, head of creative, Banana Balloon
Direct: Stéphane Xiberras, president & chief creative officer, BETC, head of Havas Global Creative Council
Direction: Justyna Obasi, director, Lovesong/Anorak
Editing: Fouad Gaber, editor; Cabin Edit
Entertainment: Debbi Vandeven, global chief creative officer, VML
Experiential: Activation & Experience: Dennis May, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe Germany
Film: Pelle Sjoenell, worldwide chief creative officer, Droga5
Gaming & Virtual Worlds: Joey David Tiempo, founder & CEO, Octopus&Whale
Graphic Design: Pum Lefebure, chief creative officer, Design Army
Health: Renata Maia, chief creative officer, NA, Ogilvy Health
Illustration: Helen Parker, founder & director/co-founder, EVERYONE Agency Ltd/Something for Everyone
Impact: Paco Conde, co-founder & executive creative director, Activista
Integrated: Keith Cartwright, founder & chief creative officer, Cartwright
Luxury: Boyoung Lee, EVP | brand experience & digital innovation, Shinsegae
Magazine & Newspaper Design: Gail Bichler, cre4ative director, The New York Times Magazine
Media: Joaquin Cubria, chief creative officer & global partner, GUT
Music Videos: François Rousselet, director, DIVISION
Packaging Design: Neha Tulsian, founder & executive creative director, NH1Design
Photography: Shima Green, director & photographer, Craft WW, McCann Worldgroup
PR: Gail Heimann, CEO, The Weber Shandwick Collective
Press & Outdoor: Kalpesh Patankar, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett UAE
Product Design: Kinya Tagawa, CEO, Takram
Production Design: Charlotte Marmion, managing director & executive producer, Iconoclast
Radio & Audio: Neo Mashigo, chief creative officer, The Up&Up Group
Sound Design & Use of Music: Claudia Incio, music director, Agosto Music
Spatial Design: Thomas Hundt, CEO, architect & professor, jangled nerves
Type Design & Lettering: Vaishnavi Murthy, creative type director, Monotype
Typography: Samar Maakaroun, partner & creative director, Pentagram
Visual Effects: Mike McGee, chief creative officer, Framestore
Writing for Advertising: Avish Gordhan, chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia
Writing for Design: Maia Swift, freelance writer, namer & thinker.
Creator Content
Reflecting the dynamic nature of the industry, the 2025 Awards introduce a dedicated Creator Content category. This new category will award the strategic use of the creativity of influencers and creators to deliver success for brands.
Further evolving the awards, the branding category has been divided into two distinct categories: New Brand Identity and Brand Identity Refresh. This change addresses the significant volume of entries received in previous years (over 900+ in 2024), ensuring each submission receives the focused attention it deserves by the jury.
Disciplines for 2025 include advertising, branding, craft, design, engagement & experience, entertainment, health, and impact. There will also be special awards for Companies of the Year and Presidents Awards.
Dara Lynch, D&AD CEO said, “We’re excited to announce our 2025 Awards with new changes which reflect the evolving creative landscape. As we continue to embrace new technologies which drive forward the art and craft of creativity, we have introduced for the first time a new Creator Content category. We are committed to celebrating all forms of creativity and the D&AD’s awards continue to be recognised globally as the ultimate creative prize. Each year, they are entered and respected by the best creatives from around the world, and we’re proud to continue to drive this forward.”
Karl Haddad, 2025 Jury president for the Creator Content category and head of Global Creative Lab at TikTok, commented, “We’re in the midst of a marketing shift we’ve all been waiting for. More than ever, creators are crafting unique storytelling for brands, connecting with audiences in fresh, engaging ways. I’m honored to serve as the inaugural Jury president for the brand-new Creator Content category, which recognizes this new wave of creativity.”
D&AD also recently announced the briefs for its 2025 New Blood Awards, which champion, educate and nurture aspiring creatives from around the world as they enter the workforce, giving them the opportunity to develop their skills and bolster their portfolios by working on client briefs.
This year’s briefs span disciplines such as UX/UI, animation, advertising, typography and PR, and have been set by brands including Depop, On, giffgaff, Xbox, Yahoo!, Google Cloud, Suntory Global Spirits, Hellmann’s, HSBC and more.
New Blood Award entrants will also have the chance to showcase their work and have it judged by leading industry figures, alongside the chance of winning a prestigious Pencil, a place in the D&AD New Blood Academy, and being featured in the iconic D&AD Annual.
Key D&AD Awards 2025 Dates:
Super Early Bird 30% Off Entry Fee Deadline: December 4, 2024
Early Bird 20% Off Entry Fee Deadline: February 5, 2025
Final Entry Deadline: March 12, 2025
Judging: May 18–21, 2025 (County Hall, London)
D&AD Festival & Awards Ceremony: May 21–22, 2025 (Southbank Centre, London)
