This Is The Best Work from Colombia’s 2016 ElDorado Festival

After more than 50 years of war between the government and FARC guerrilla forces, Colombia is experiencing a pivotal moment of change. A second peace treaty is just around the corner that’s expected to succeed in bringing peace to the country (the initial treaty was shunned by an extremely close public referendum). 

I’ve been lucky enough to be on the ground in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, this week for ElDorado Festival 2016, and from seeing the winning work it’s clear to see that creativity can play a major role in shaping the future of a country. A lot of the stronger work was government or NGO sponsored, and had a real, genuine purpose, though there was still room for cheeky gems and and luscious film craft to match. 

The festival itself was fantastic. It was beautifully organised, boasted a varied lineup of international speakers - R/GA’s Nick Law and ad legend Neil French took the stage beside Argentinian artist Liniers and Colombian music artist Andrea Echeverri - and an equally strong jury, headed up by ex-Saatchi & Saatchi global CCO Pablo Del Campo. I also got the chance to check out some of the exciting tech start ups blossoming in Bogotá.

But what was really cool was being able to check out the local work that's really causing a stir in the market - Colombia's influence on the world advertising stage is growing and we wouldn't be surprised to see some of these pop up at regional and global shows in 2017.

See for yourself by checking out the below round up of the best winning work:

Ministerio De Educación - ‘Balígrafo’
Agency: McCann Colombia
Won FESTIVAL GRAND PRIX, TITANIUM AWARD + GOLD in PR, PROMO & ACTIVATION and DESIGN