D&AD Announces Day One Winners

The first set of D&AD Pencil winners for 2016 are announced today, but entrants will have to wait until the Award Ceremony at Battersea Evolution on 19 May to find out which colour Pencil (Wood, Graphite, Yellow, White or Black) they’ve won.

So far the Top 5 ranking countries by Pencils won are: 

United Kingdom - 21 Pencils 

United States - 15 Pencils

South Africa - 8 Pencils 

Singapore and Australia - 6 Pencils (joint 4th)

The Top 5 ranking agencies so far are: 

Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg - 5 Pencils

Grey London and The Community - 4 Pencils (joint 2nd) 

Ogilvy & Mather London and FCB Chicago and Wunderman Bogota - 3 Pencils (joint 4th) 

The total number of Pencils awarded in each category are: 

Press Advertising - 20 Pencils 

Radio Advertising – 26 Pencils

Mobile Marketing - 12 Pencils  

Writing for Design - 20 Pencils

All 78 pieces will appear in the 54th D&AD Annual published later this year.

There are no quotas for awards at D&AD. Therefore the number of awarded entries fluctuates year to year. Some years no Black Pencils are awarded: the record currently stands at seven. Traditionally the toughest of the awards shows, the judging process is famously rigorous, with the juries only selecting work they believe is truly exceptional. 

D&AD President Andy Sandoz commented: “D&AD Judging Week is the week when the world’s best creative talent judges the world’s best creative work. Winning a D&AD Pencil is notoriously tough, and our judges won't be giving them away easily, awarding them only to the very best work they see. This means it's a week when we’ll create a benchmark for the industry to aspire to, so D&AD Judging is as much about the setting the pace and direction for the creative year ahead as it is about the awards. As D&AD President this year, I can’t wait to witness some fantastic debates between our world-class jurors, and see which work rises to the top.”

D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay commented: “Take a walk through the displays, or stop by some of the screening rooms at The Old Truman Brewery and you will see how fantastic over 26,000 pieces of the world's best creative work look side by side. To say that our juries have a difficult job is an understatement. It wouldn’t be D&AD if it wasn’t tough, we aren’t just about celebrating creativity, we want to raise the standard for years to come. With the first results being released today, we are excited for the winners and join in with the nervous waiting as the rest of the juries continue to deliver their decisions.”

To keep up with all the latest from D&AD Judging, look out for the official #DandAD16 hashtag on Twitter, or follow the live-blog.

Photo Credit: Chio Photography