The One Show: Who Are You to Judge?

Over the past few years the ad industry has become saturated with award shows, leaving agency professionals jaded as to the most valuable place to spend their awards budget. There are few awards which hold universal esteem across the globe but after 44 years The One Show remains one of them. Since it was founded in the 1970s, The One Show has been attracting the world’s top creatives and creative work to its non-profit show based in New York.

Maintaining such a high reputation for almost half a century is pretty much unheard of. Priding themselves on the consistent high standards, global reach and unique judging process, Kevin Swanepoel, CEO of The One Club, José Mollá, Board Chairman of The One Club and Founder & CCO of The Community, and board members Ted Royer, CCO of Droga5 and Pum Lefebure, Co-Founder & CCO of Design Army reveal the unique process which has seen The One Show remain one of the most highly respected global award shows in advertising.

‘The Best Work Needs the Best Judges’

“When we ask for creatives from around the world to send us their best work, to be judged in The One Show, we owe them the best creative minds in the business,” explains Kevin Swanepoel. “After all – if the best are not on the panel, then who are they to Judge?”

The process of building the perfect jury starts back with the board members. Each summer nominations start, with past jurors and present board members putting forward their suggestions. Past jury members of the last three years can nominate, as can board members. The board collaboratively approve the nominations, then vote for the final jurors by private ballot.

A Rigorous Selection

“It’s a very rigorous and democratic process of selection” comments Lefebure. “We spend a lot of time looking through and making sure there’s different geography, backgrounds and diversity to ensure that each jury has a very comprehensive selection of professionals. The quality of the show relies hugely on the quality of the jury. You want knowledgeable people who can understand thinking on a high level of creative.”

With so many qualified nominators, the list can become lengthy - as José explains: “Each board member nominates 20 creatives and the international board nominates 10. Along with the past three years’ judges, a total of approximately 2,000 creatives are nominated. We start formulating a provisional jury from those creatives with multiple nominations. Bios and profiles are put together from this provisional jury and then the Board ratifies the jury. This year, The One Show has a total of 16 juries that will total approximately 144 judges from 31 countries.”

With a process so detailed the jury selection can last anywhere between two to three months. And the board members are constantly tasked with re-checking the balance within the nominees – ensuring diversity and relevance. “It starts in the summer with the nominations and then by September we are looking at the final names,” explains Pum.

Top of Their Game

So what are the special ingredients that the board members look for when voting for final jury member? At the forefront of the criteria is that jurors are creating great work today.

“The One Show jurors are people actively working in the business today, those who are at the top of their game, leading the industry in innovation and original thinking,” says José.

“We want some of the most influential creatives in the world,” adds Ted, “those who are doing work that’s getting noticed. We want people who are really stretching the industry in different ways. It doesn’t matter if they are well-known or not. It is the standard of their work that counts. We like a good mix.”

Every Voice Counts

Once the nominees have been considered, the voting is done by secret ballot. This democratic approach, removing undue influence, is one of the most interesting features of The One Show jury.

“There is no jury foreman, which is untraditional,” explains José. “A foreman can sometimes have undue influence on the way a jury votes. With The One Show, you can talk amongst jurors but ultimately it’s a closed vote. I think that’s quite unique. I’ve personally seen a lot of personality sway on other award shows. We have often debated adding foremen to the juries but decided that this structure is something that not only helps the show stand out, but keeps it fair.”

Not having been on any other jury where work cannot be lobbied, Pum says, “It’s very rare to go to an award show where there is limited and controlled discussion. We want everyone to vote for who they think deserves to win. With this process, you’re judging the work based on how you evaluate it - just like if you were a consumer. It makes it entirely democratic so no one person can swing the vote. Everyone is equal and votes autonomously.”

Giving Back

Not only is the judging process unique but The One Show’s non-profit structure has other benefits that ensure it draws in the best work and the best results.

“All the money that comes in to The One Show gets channelled straight back in to scholarships, training programs and events that can get people in touch with each other,” explains Royer. “We exist for the community 100%. Hopefully we can keep doing what we’re doing for a long time.”

Considering the non-profit aspect as the main differentiator between The One Show and other industry awards, José adds, “The goal of The One Show is not to make money, but to raise the creative standards of our Industry. It means decisions are made differently. Everything, even down to new categories in the show are designed based on the latest trends in the market – not what will generate the most cash. It is always evolving to stay relevant and help define what innovation means today. As far as I see it, the show is the pinnacle of conceptual thinking and well executed ideas. It’s a more meaningful award and it celebrates the ‘doers’ of the work.”

“I’m proud to say that in every conversation that I have, The One Show is consistently put up there as the show with the highest standards and the best global reach,” concludes Ted. “It has maintained exceptionally high quality throughout the years.”