LONDON --

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)

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