D&AD announces 2018 New Blood Award winners

LONDON – This past July 12t, at a buzzing ceremony in London, D&AD revealed the winners of the 2018 New Blood Awards.

The winners impressed the judges with their creative thinking and practical skills and tonight received one of the industry’s most prestigious creative accolades: a New Blood Pencil. Hand picked by some of the industry’s leading lights from thousands of entries from across 54 countries, the winners represent the best of emerging talent from around the globe.

194 Pencils have been awarded in total, with one Black Pencil, four White Pencils and 29 Yellow Pencils among the coveted accolades. Judges also awarded Best Stand at the New Blood Festival and selected 39 graduates from 1000 exhibiting students for it’s ‘One to Watch’ award.

Winning entries ranged from the playful – giving a nod to the fun that youth culture can add to advertising – to tackling important current issues such as homelessness, environmental impact, access to education, unsolicited imagery and feminism. Entries spanned across the full spectrum of design disciplines from digital design, illustration and graphics to intricately crafted animation, pointing to a rich culture for future commercial creativity.

Naomi Taylor, School of Communications 2.0 won a Black Pencil for #DearMrHousingMinister in response to the Nationwide and Shelter brief

One Black Pencil was awarded this year, to #DearMrHousingMinister in response to the Nationwide and Shelter brief. Naomi Taylor from the School of Communication Arts 2.0 impressed the judges with her work, which was described as ‘a powerful, emotive and relevant piece grounded in humanity and hardship’. The judges further commented that her ‘spine-chillingly apt account of the housing crisis’ should be the level that future professional D&AD entries should be measured against. Naomi will certainly be one to watch.

Tim Lindsay, CEO of D&AD commented: “#DearMrHousingMinister offers a fresh perspective to an old problem and is a worthy winner for this year’s awards. It embodies what a New Blood Pencil is all about. It also speaks to the important role of creative thinking as a powerful tool for change. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners. Looking at the quality of work, I’m confident that the future of our industry is in capable hands.”

The New Blood Awards Ceremony took place at Oval Space in London 

With more than 126,000 brief downloads to 116 countries, 2018 was a record year for the programme.

The full Pencil statistics are as follows:

• 1 Black Pencil

• 4 White Pencils

• 29 Yellow Pencils

• 40 Graphite Pencils

• 120 Wood Pencils

The New Blood Awards are a platform for students and other new creatives to showcase their talents on real briefs, set by real clients. No other programme offers such a comprehensive test, or a more accurate representation of the challenges that await on the other side. Brand representatives and industry experts decide what work wins a coveted New Blood Pencil, and the bar every year is extremely high.

Entry to the awards is open to anyone in full or part-time education, recent graduates who finished their course within the past two years and anyone 23 or under.

New Blood Award Winners attended the Ceremony at Oval Space in London

All Pencil winners were eligible to apply for the New Blood Academy 2018 with WPP, where 50 graduates attend a two-week creative bootcamp. The Academy provides an opportunity to learn from the best in the business, with attendees working alongside WPP agencies on a live brief in order to secure a foot-in-the-door with a series of paid placements up for grabs. This year students will be working alongside creative luminaries as well as working on a live brief in their final week.

Meet the Class of 2018 here.

Winning Work

The Black Pencil Winner

Nationwide and Shelter – #DearMrHousingMinister

Winner: Naomi Taylor

College: School of Communications 2.0

The White Pencil Winners

Digital McKinsey – Bolo. Banking for the Illiterate

Winners: Deepika Desai, Donghoon Lee and Philip Tabah

College: Miami Ad School San Francisco

Digital McKinsey – YETU

Winners: Megan Egan and Jonothan Hunt

College: School of Communication Arts 2.0

Dropbox Paper – The Dirty

Winners: Manon Drielsma, Hou Fong (Brian) Lo, Lizzie Smith and Olivia Mullins

College: University of Technology, Sydney

New Blood Side Hustle with Adobe – Made By Refugee

Winner: Jillian Young

College: Miami Ad School New York

A Selection of Yellow Pencil Winners

Adidas – Pure Sweat

Winners: Johanna Davis, Elin Hjelte, Ellen Marklund and Nicholas Sjöberg

College: Berghs School Of Communication

Burger King – It’s Not the Same Without the Flame

Winners: John Dillon, Nick Landon, Sydney Lindsey and Sydney Lippman

College: The Creative Circus

giffgaff – #giffconsent

Winners: Elise Smidt, Jennifer Dewar and Karina Bonnin

College: Edinburgh Napier University

New Blood Side Hustle with Adobe – Bot Ad School

Winner: Sam Cable

College: NA

The Beano – Beryl The Third

Winner: Aïcha Wijland

College: University of Otago, New Zealand

Best Stand Winners

Winner: Edinburgh Napier College

BDes (Hons) Graphic Design

Stand 40 & 41

Runner Up: Falmouth University

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Stand 37 & 38

Runner Up: Arts University Bournemouth

BA (Hons) Illustration

Stand 78 & 79

One to Watch Winners