TDC Names Diverse Jury For Global Ascenders 2024 Competition

The Type Directors Club, the world’s leading typography organisation, today announced the 20 top creatives from 12 countries who comprise the jury for its global TDC Ascenders 2024 competition, celebrating international typographers, letterers, and type designers aged 35 and under.

Ascenders is a fast-growing portfolio-based competition dedicated to type in all its versatile forms, and the inspiring up and coming designers — individuals or duos — who are elevating the medium. Entrants submit six projects – typography, use of type, design, lettering, etc. – with short descriptions, a statement of their role in the project's creation, and a list of individual credits where applicable.  

This year’s entries will be judged by a diverse jury of global leaders in the field, including some past Ascenders winners. The 2024 TDC Ascenders jury is as follows:

Pouya Ahmadi, Studio Pouya Ahmadi, Providence

Gail Anderson, chair of BFA Design and BFA Advertising, School of Visual Arts; creative director, Visual Arts Press, New York

Tamara Arkatova, Bureaubukv Studio, Tbilisi

Veronika Burian, TypeTogether, Prague

Suzy Chan, London

Rejane Dal Bello, Studio Rejane Dal Bello, London

Hao Gao, Workbyworks Studio, New York

Óscar Guerrero Cañizares, SumaType, Bogotá

Jaemin Lee, studio fnt, Seoul

Sol Matas, Berlin

Muk Monsalve, Buenos Aires

Wael Morcos, MorcosKey, Brooklyn

Alex Nassour, Brooklyn

Nubia Navarro, Nubikini Studio, Bogotá

Gemma O’Brien, Sydney

Felix Pfäffli, Studio Feixen, Lucerne

Kristyan Sarkis, TPTQ Arabic, Amsterdam

Studio Melli (Mahsa Gholinezhad and Omid Nemalhabib), Rotterdam/Tehran

Guille Vizzari, YaniGuille&Co., Buenos Aires

“Winning Ascenders in 2022 was a celebration for me, a chance to reflect on my creative output, and an acknowledgment of how the creative industry has profoundly enriched my life,” said judge Gemma O’Brien. “I encourage all typographic artists to take pride in their work and enter Ascenders 2024. I can’t wait to see the portfolios of this year’s entrants.”

Jury member Nubia Navarro added, “Being an Ascender means there is still much to do, but what has been done has undoubtedly allowed me to grow and understand that behind every achievement, there is always a significant process. It is a great honour for me to celebrate with those I admire, and help in the design of a better future." 

Entries are now being accepted, with entry fees increasing after the early-bird deadline of March 15, 2024. Final deadline is April 19, 2024.  

In order to make Ascenders affordable around the globe, TDC offers a tiered pricing structure with significant discounts based on the country where the entrant is located: full-priced, mid-priced, low-priced, and, for eight countries, free. TDC members also qualify for discounts. 

This year’s Ascenders branding and award are designed by TDC Advisory Board members Marta Cerdà Alimbau, who runs her design studio in Barcelona, and Parasto Backman, who operates Studio Parasto Backman in Stockholm.  

For more information and to enter, please visit the TDC Ascenders 2024 website.