NEW YORK -- (SPW) --

The One Club for Creativity, the world's foremost non-profit organization recognizing creative excellence in advertising and design formed from the merger of the Art Directors Club (ADC) and The One Club, has opened the call for entries for Young Guns 15, celebrating international creative professionals age 30 or younger.

Young Guns, open to both members and nonmembers of The One Club and ADC, is the industry’s only international, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates today’s vanguard of young creatives.  Young Guns competitions regularly attract entries from upwards of 70 countries, with about half of the entries coming from outside the US.  Winners are selected by a jury of past Young Guns and other creative leaders, to be announced shortly. 

The program is open to creatives age 30 and under who have been working for at least two years, full-time or freelance.  Eligible entrants can submit a combination of professional and personal work in graphic design; advertising art direction and copywriting; architectural, environmental and interior design; industrial and product design; digital (UX/UI, experiential design, interactive, web design, apps, game development): film and animation (motion design, television, video); fashion; typography and lettering; illustration and photography.

The online entry system is open now at http://www.youngguns.org, with a deadline of July 31, 2017, 11:59 pm EST.  Entry fee is $100 for The One Club and ADC members, $150 for nonmembers.  This year’s winners will be recognized at the Young Guns 15 celebration and party on November 17, 2017 in New York.

Past Young Guns include rising stars who went on to become leaders in their chosen fields, including graphic designers James Victore (YG1), Stefan Sagmeister (YG1) and Jessica Walsh (YG8); advertising creatives Rei Inamoto (YG4) and Menno Kluin (YG6); illustrators Christoph Niemann (YG2) and Deanne Cheuk (YG4); photographers Ryan McGuinness (YG2) and Jeremy Floto/Cassandra Warner (aka floto+warner, YG5); typographers Alex Trochut (YG6) and Gemma O’Brien (YG13); film and video director Mike Mills, animation artist Todd St. John (YG1) and others.

All Young Guns 15 winners will receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this year’s incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website.  Winners also receive a complimentary one-year ADC/One Club membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, a chance to be featured in Young Guns events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from Young Guns sponsors.

“Young Guns has established a strong and unique place in the creative world for considering a body of both professional and personal work from an individual, not just a single ad or design,” said Michael O’Rourke, executive director, ADC.  “Winning is special because we’re celebrating a creative person’s individuality.  For young talent who usually don’t get the spotlight, Young Guns provides a global stage on which they can be recognized.”

Established by the Art Directors Club in 1996, this represents the first year Young Guns is part of The One Club for Creativity (TOCC).  Formed last fall from the merger of The One Club and ADC, TOCC serves as the umbrella organization for The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Young Guns, Creative Week, One Screen, Hall of Fame and nearly two dozen other successful global programs that fall under four key pillars: education, inclusion and diversity, professional development and gender equality.

“One objective of The One Club for Creativity is to offer recognition and support for creatives throughout every phase of their careers,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club.  “Young Guns is a perfect fit in our programming because it celebrates and elevates the next generation of creative leaders.  It also serves as a lifelong network for winners who often reconnect over the years to refer work, collaborate on projects and help advance each other’s careers.”

Branding for Young Guns 15 was provided by Roanne Adams (YG9), founder and creative director at RoAndCo (https://www.roandcostudio.com), an award-winning creative studio bringing thought, relevance and style to forward-thinking fashion, beauty, technology and lifestyle brands.

Young Guns 15 and other TOCC activities are made possible in part through the generous support of sponsors including Shutterstock and Levine/Leavitt. 

"We are excited to be involved in the Young Guns program for the fourth consecutive year," said Liz Leavitt, cofounder, Levine/Leavitt (http://www.llreps.com), a leading international artists management agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles.  "The level of talent amongst the winners each year is incredible and inspiring, and we're honored to help guide the careers of young creatives."

To enter or see more information, please visit http://www.youngguns.org.

The One Club for Creativity (www.oneclub.org), producer of the prestigious One Show, ADC Annual Awards and Creative Week, is the world's foremost non-profit organization recognizing creative excellence in advertising and design.  The ADC Annual Awards honors the best work in terms of craft, design and innovation across all disciplines, including Advertising, Digital, Design and Motion. Creative Week takes place in New York City every May and is the preeminent festival celebrating the intersection of advertising and the arts.

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