The One Club Announces 29 Global Winners for Young Guns 21

The One Club for Creativity announced the diverse group of 29 talented individuals and teams in eight countries who have been selected as winners in the prestigious Young Guns 21 competition, celebrating creative professionals around the world age 30 or younger.

Young Guns is the industry’s only global, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates today’s vanguard of young creatives. 

Young Guns 21 winners are:

Max Amato, graphic designer, illustrator, artist, author, Brooklyn

Justin Au, designer, animator, art director, Gretel, Brooklyn

Tess Ayano, photographer, director, New York

Caroline Bagley, designer, Apple, San Francisco

Giada Bossi, film director, Milan

Ryan Bugden, type and graphic designer, Brooklyn

CARAZ, director, Montréal

Troy Charbonnet, filmmaker. Los Angeles

Marie Chénier, graphic designer, Caserne, Montréal

Alex Cook, director, Los Angeles

Faire Type, type foundry, Brooklyn

Amir Hamja, photographer, The New York Times, New York

ILLIMITÉWORLD, creative collective, Barking Owl Sound, Los Angeles

Kajal, director, photographer, writer, Fela, New York

Brindha Kumar, illustrator, London

Marte, graphic designer, lettering artist, New York

Mischelle Moy, photographer, digital artist, Brooklyn

Zin Nagao, designer, Fukuoka

Alistair Nicholls, director, animator, Smile at the moon studios, Norwich (UK)

Gabriela Ortega, director, Jevita Films, Los Angeles/Santo Domingo

Darius Ou Dahao, graphic designer, Studio Darius Ou, Singapore

C.T. Robert, director, director, Partizan Entertainment, Los Angeles

Suzanne Saroff, photographer, director, HiSuzanne, Brooklyn

Sinan Sevinç, director, Stink Films, Stuttgart

The Turner Brothers, directors, Invisible Collective, Columbus (US)

Marleen Valien, director, Anonymous Content, Berlin

Zuheng Yin, art director, visual artist, New York

Jiaqi Wang, illustrator, animator, Brooklyn

Zhang & Knight, directors, Serial Pictures, London

This year’s entries were judged by a diverse jury of 100 top creatives from 47 countries, many of whom are past YG winners. Bios and work from each YG21 winner are viewable by clicking on their photos here. The complete list of Young Guns 21 finalists can be viewed here.

This year’s winners will be celebrated at a special ceremony and party hosted by famed designer, author, educator, and “Design Matters” podcaster Debbie Millman on November 15, 2023 at Sony Hall in New York.

At the event, The One Club will also announce the Young Guns 21 Creative Choice Award winner, as voted by the global creative community. Anyone can view the work of this year’s winners and vote on which one they believe stands above all others. Voting is open now through November 10, 2023, 11:59 pm PT.

Levine/Leavitt Artist In Residence Award

International artists management agency and Young Guns sponsor Levine/Leavitt will also bestow one talented YG21 winner with theArtist In ResidenceAward at the event.

The honour, now in its 10th year, is presented annually to a newly crowned Young Gun whose body of work truly stands out, as judged by an advisory board of industry professionals across a range of disciplines. The winner receives a full year of professional development, guidance and mentorship from Levine/Leavitt to help advance their career.  

All Young Guns winners 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 get a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, and a chance to be featured in Young Guns events.

Program branding and design of the YG Cube award itself is reimagined each year by a past Young Gun winner. This year’s YG21 branding was created by ​​Zuzanna Rogatty (YG18), senior designer at COLLINS New York.

The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE), ONE Asia Awards, Type Directors Club and competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Screen Short Film Festival, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organisation whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organisation’s four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development.