Winners of the Fourth Annual D&AD Impact Awards Announced
At a dedicated event in New York, attended by creative luminaries from the worlds of business, advertising, design and philanthropy, D&AD today announced the winners of the fourth annual Impact Awards. In total, 32 D&AD Impact Pencils were awarded to pioneering products, initiatives and campaigns from around the world that are addressing some of the globe’s most pressing issues.
D&AD Impact is a global initiative and awards programme that exists to showcase how creative thinking can be a force for good, in the belief that purpose can enhance business success and value, alongside promoting collective responsibility for the global sustainability agenda.
This year the use of design and emerging technologies featured prominently within the top winning work. Both Black Pencil winners had a focus on 3D printing - with Harmless Guns tackling the proliferation of illegal firearms and IKEA 'This Ables' making IKEA furniture more accessible for people with disabilities. The use of AI was also a common theme within the line-up of projects that took home the top awards - being used both to help increase accessibility for people with special-needs and tackle issues such as racism.
Four White Pencils, the premier accolade for creativity that has positive social impact, were awarded. Two projects - one campaign and one product - received the highest creative accolade, a Black Pencil, which is reserved for truly groundbreaking and game-changing work:
'Harmless Guns' by TBWA\Paris for Dagoma (Community and Civic Engagement)
'IKEA ThisAbles' by McCann Tel-Aviv for IKEA (Equality and Diversity category)
During the New York showcase, shortlisted entrants found out which coveted D&AD Impact Pencil they won. The number of Pencils awarded at each level were: 2 Black Pencils, 4 White Pencils, 5 Graphite Pencils, 10 Wood Pencils, 11 Future Impact Pencils
Patrick Burgoyne, D&AD CEO, said: “Our winners this year showcase the power of creativity to make significant, positive impact in the world. From increasing accessibility to products and services, to changing policy and changing lives, this is work the whole industry can be proud of.”
The D&AD Impact Council, an esteemed group of business and thought leaders from across the creative, brand, investment, social impact, sustainability and NGO space, assembled on November 5th to decide which work was deserving of a Wood, Graphite, White or Black Pencil. Their support for the programme continues on as part of the D&AD Future Impact programme, a new initiative for 2019 that exists to support creative ideas that have the potential to change the world.
Eleven winning prototypes, products and projects, including personalised colouring books for dementia patients (A Colourful Life) and speciality paper from locally sourced discarded pineapple leaves (Pinyapel), form this year’s cohort. The Future Impacters will receive access to a fund worth $150,000 that includes consultancy and mentoring, visibility and grants, and a place on the D&AD Impact Accelerator. This is a two-day masterclass, held at McCann New York from 6 - 7 November. Spearheaded by members of the council, the accelerator has been designed to help the cohort amplify their ideas, so they can start generating impact after launch.
The D&AD Impact Black and White Pencil winners were:
Community and Civic Engagement (Black Pencil) -
'Harmless Guns', TBWA\Paris for Dagoma, France
Equality and Diversity (Black Pencil) -
IKEA 'This Ables', McCann Tel-Aviv for IKEA, Israel
Equality and Diversity (White Pencil) -
'Go Back to Africa', FCB/Six for Black & Abroad, Canada
Educational and Financial Empowerment (White Pencil) -
Environment and Sustainability (White Pencil) -
'The Lion's Share', FINCH for Mars Inc, Australia
Equality and Diversity (White Pencil) -
'Changing the Game', McCann New York for Microsoft, US
To see all the D&AD Impact 2019 winners, visit here.
