LONDON, UK – The Caples Awards is pleased to announce that in 2021 it remains the only global show that is FREE TO ENTER.
Founded in 1978 by copywriter Andi Emerson in honour of legendary copywriter John Caples, The Caples is run by creative people for creative people.
This means some of the organization is a little chaotic. (Apologies to serviceplan, Austria, who have waited ten months for their trophy.)
But it also means that their principles are very different to other awards organizations.
Where others set out to make money from the awards business, they are in the awards business, from which they hope to make money.
They are not the same.
Many shows have a big gala presentation in an expensive hotel. To sell tickets, they need as many categories as possible and a Gold, Silver and Bronze in each.
The winning work can sometimes be um…not very good.
The Caples’ primary purpose is to recognize and reward great creative work. It’s why their jurors love judging. They are not constrained by commercial requirements.
They are free to hand out as many or as few awards as they see fit.
Pivoting in the pandemic
Early in the spring of 2020, when it felt as if the entire advertising industry was put on pause, they took the decision to make The Caples free to enter.
The result was more than a big increase in entries, there was a shift in quality – upwards.
Small independent agencies submitted work and won, which was as pleasing for the judges as it was for the agencies.
The Caples Awards 2020 were joyous.
The jury was asked to judge generously. To be kind. And to look out for great little ideas as well as the big budget, video-driven campaigns.
They judges have told them how much they loved the discussions, led by jury President Nicky Bullard, Chairwoman of MRM McCann EMEA.
The awards presentation in Zoom was strangely uplifting. Jurors and winners talked about the work in front of an audience of hundreds.
And they thought, surely this is the way forward?
The Caples Awards is free from now on.
Of course, they want to make some money. To pay staff costs and to get drunk a couple of times a year with friends; to publish the annual; to grow The Caples community online.
To that end, they’re looking for commercial partners to help them grow.
Their ambition is not simply to be one of the world’s largest shows but to be one of the most valued.
Being free to enter is a great place to start.
The Caples Awards 2021
President of the Jury in 2021 is Steve Aldridge, CCO of Wunderman Thompson London.
The team of judges includes creative leaders from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Germany, India, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, the Philippines, the UAE and the UK.
They are especially honored to have David Guerrero, Creative Chairman at BBDO Guerrero among them.
The Caples Awards 2021 are open for entry now.
Entry deadline is April 30th.
An Entry Kit with details of categories, rules and how to register and submit work can be downloaded HERE
To enter work, start HERE
The Caples Awards 2020 winners can be viewed HERE
The Caples Awards 2020 Presentation with Sir John Hegarty can be viewed on YouTube HERE
Further information
The Caples Awards was founded by BBDO copywriter Andi Emerson in both memory and honour of legendary copywriter, Creative Director and author John Caples.
Originally a show to recognise creativity in Direct Marketing, The Caples now has a categories for ‘traditional’ advertising and PR as well as categories for ambient, digital, direct mail, experiential, integrated and mobile advertising.
The Caples Awards was the first show to have a Courageous Client award. This is in the jury’s gift to award to any client-side individual who has clearly invested in and put faith in creativity.
The Andi Emerson Award is the President’s personal recognition of an individual who has given exceptional service to the creative community.
In 2020, the Andi Emerson Award was presented to Emma de la Fosse, Chief Creative Officer of Digitas UK, for championing inclusivity and diversity in UK creative departments.
In 2019, CEO and Founder of Shackleton Group Iberia Pablo Alzugaray was the honoree.
In 2018, David Droga, Founder of Droga5, was the recipient.
The Caples Awards is managed mostly by Patrick Collister, former Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy London, and former Head of Design for Google ZOO (NACE), with suggestions, exhortations and instructions from Duncan Gray, former Chief Creative Officer of Proximity Worldwide.
For more information, please contact patrick@caples.org
