ADCN Awards

Advertising

Activations & PR

A01: Activations & Brand PR
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Campaigns that generate buzz and media coverage through creative events, stunts, or PR initiatives. Best use of experiential marketing and earned media to build brand awareness and engagement.

Advertising

Brand Partnerships

A02: Brand Partnerships
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

These are partnerships that creatively merge two brands’ worlds to make something new, surprising and culturally relevant. The collaboration should tell a powerful story, feel bigger than the sum of its parts, and deliver an impact that audiences and the industry can’t ignore.

Advertising

Culture

A03: Culture
Late Bird Fee: €228,00

Work that taps into or shapes (local) cultural trends, movements, or conversations. Entries should demonstrate how the brand connected with audiences through culturally relevant content or experiences.

Advertising

Digital

A04: Digital
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Creative ideas delivered through digital platforms like websites, apps, social media, and other digital platforms. Showcases innovative use of digital technology to engage audiences and deliver brand messages. Entries should showcase innovation in the use of technology or digital media.

Advertising

Direct

A05: Direct
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Campaigns designed to provoke a direct response from the audience. Includes mail, email, or personalized digital communications aimed at driving a specific action.

Advertising

Entertainment

A06: Entertainment
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Branded content that entertains while communicating a message. This can include web series, music videos, documentaries, or branded films, with the focus on storytelling and audience engagement.

Advertising

Experiential

A07: Experiential
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Immersive experiences that allow people to interact with a brand physically or digitally. Includes live events, pop-ups, installations, or digital experiences where audience participation is key.

Advertising

Film

A08: Film
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Celebrates films for commercial purpose or brands that have been features on TV, cinema, online, and/or other video platforms. The focus is on storytelling through moving images and the creative use of storytelling, production quality, and effectiveness in conveying the brand message.

Advertising

Influencer Campaigns

A09: Influencer Campaigns
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Generating community impact through authentic engagement. The best influencer campaigns that use platform culture and behaviour in clever and unexpected ways. It should feel authentic to both creator and brand and spark organic conversation that goes beyond paid reach. Audience first, platform first and brand first.

Advertising

Integrated

A10: Integrated
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Campaigns that combine multiple types of media—digital, print, TV, and more—to deliver a unified message. Successful entries should show how each channel works together for a larger creative idea.

Advertising

Media

A11: Media
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Best use of media to maximize impact. Includes creative and innovative use of traditional (TV, radio, print) or non-traditional media (guerrilla marketing, product placement) to reach the audience.

Advertising

Outdoor

A12: Outdoor
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Work that appears in public spaces, such as billboards, bus shelters, or transit ads. It can also include non-traditional placements, like projections or large-scale installations in outdoor environments.

Advertising

Podcasting

A13: Podcasting
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Branded or sponsored podcasts that engage listeners through storytelling, interviews, or discussions. Entries should highlight originality and creativity in format, production, and audience engagement. *Entries in the category ‘Podcasting’ may be self initiated but must be commercially paid-for, sponsored or brand funded.

Advertising

Print & Editorial

A14: Print & Editorial
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Creative work in printed media, such as newspapers, magazines, posters, or brochures. Entries can also include editorial content that tells a story or communicates a message effectively in print.

Advertising

Radio

A15: Radio
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Creative audio work broadcast via radio or digital platforms. Entries may include jingles, ads, or long-form content that uses sound to communicate a brand message or story.

Advertising

Strategy

A17: Strategy
Late Bird Fee: €456,00

Campaigns that showcases the idea behind the creative idea. This includes the thinking and research that connects brand goals with audience insights and drives a successful creative execution.

Craft

Animation & Motion Design

C01: Animation & Motion Design
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Work that uses animation or motion graphics to bring ideas to life. Includes 2D or 3D animation, stop-motion, and digital motion design for any type of media or platform.

Craft

Art Direction

C02: Art Direction
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Overall visual style and creative direction of a project. Recognizes cohesive and impactful visual storytelling across various media, focusing on how all design elements come together.

Craft

Audio Editing & Sound Design

C03: Audio Editing & Sound Design
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The creative use of sound to enhance storytelling or create mood. Includes mixing, sound effects, or ambient audio, in any type of media like radio, podcasts, film, or digital content.

Craft

Cinematography

C04: Cinematography
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The art of capturing visuals through the lens. Entries should demonstrate creative camera work, lighting, and framing that enhances the storytelling of films, videos, or commercials.

Craft

Colour Grading

C05: Colour Grading
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The process of enhancing or altering color in video or film to create a specific look or mood. Entries should showcase how grading contributes to the visual style of the final piece.

*Uploading a visual breakdown of the before- and after work is mandatory.

Craft

Copy

C06: Copy
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Creative writing that delivers a message, whether through headlines, taglines, scripts, or body text. This category focuses on how words are used to persuade, inform, or entertain across any medium.

Craft

Editing

C07: Editing
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The craft of piecing together visual or audio elements to tell a cohesive story. Includes film or video editing that shapes narrative, pace, and emotional impact.

Craft

Film Direction

C08: Film Direction
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The creative vision and leadership behind a film or video production for commercial purpose or brands. Recognizes directors who bring scripts to life with distinctive style and storytelling.

Craft

Illustration & Typography

C09: Illustration & Typography
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Hand-drawn or digital illustrations and creative use of typography to communicate a message. Includes custom lettering, font design, or illustrations used in print, digital, or other media.

Craft

Music

C10: Music
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

This category recognizes exceptional music craft in campaigns, including original compositions, newly recorded works, reimagined pieces or covers, adaptations (re-recorded or remixed) and creatively used licensed music. The focus is on how music enhances emotion, strengthens storytelling and elevates overall impact. The jury evaluates artistic quality, production excellence and the relevance of the musical approach to the idea.

Craft

Outstanding Achievement in Production

C11: Outstanding Achievement in Production (NEW)
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

This category honours the craft of making ideas happen. It celebrates the producers, makers and teams who bring creative visions to life with excellence, resilience and ingenuity. From solving the impossible to deliver under pressure, this award recognises the art of “getting it done” and giving creativity the stage it deserves.

Craft

Photography

C12: Photography
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Creative use of photography to capture powerful imagery for ads, editorials, or other media. This can include portrait, product, or environmental photography.

Craft

AI in Productions

C13: AI & Synthetic Media
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Creative use of AI-generated motion or still imagery or graphics in a campaign. This category highlights how AI technology is used to create innovative visuals for any platform or media type.

Craft

Visual Effects

C14: Visual Effects
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The digital or practical effects that enhance visuals in films, videos, or animations. Includes CGI, green screen, and other post-production techniques used to create imaginative or realistic effects. *Uploading a visual breakdown of the before- and after work is mandatory.

Design

Branding

D01: Branding
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The creation of a brand’s identity, including its logo, visual elements, and overall look and feel. This category highlights how design communicates a brand’s personality across any media or touchpoints.

Design

Digital Design

D02: Digital Design
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Creative design for digital platforms such as websites, apps, or interactive experiences. Entries should focus on how visuals, layout, and interactivity create engaging user experiences.

Design

Graphic

D03: Graphic
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The use of graphic elements, like typography, shapes, and colors, to communicate a message or create visual impact. This can include posters, brochures, books or online visuals for any type of media.

Design

Packaging & Product

D04: Packaging & Product
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Creative design of packaging and physical products which stands out on the shelf. This includes innovative, sustainable, or visually appealing designs for physical products.

Design

Sonic Branding

D06: Sonic Branding
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

The use of sound to represent a brand’s identity. This can include jingles, sound logos, or branded audio elements that are recognizable and connect emotionally with the audience.

Design

Spatial

D07: Spatial
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Design of physical spaces, including (retail) environments, pop-ups, or installations. Entries should demonstrate how space is used creatively to deliver a (brand) experience or message.

Design

UI/UX & Gaming

D08: UI/UX & Gaming
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design for websites, apps, or games. This category focuses on intuitive design that enhances how users interact with a platform or game.

Design

Website

D09: Website
Late Bird Fee: €408,00

Creative and functional website design that delivers a seamless user experience. Entries should focus on both aesthetic appeal and usability, whether for desktop, mobile, or responsive platforms.

Craft Beyond Advertising (NEW)

N01: Craft Beyond Advertising (NEW)
Late Bird Fee: €204,00

For the love of making. This new category celebrates pure craft and artistry — from films and music videos to passion projects that simply had to be made. This category is for all craft work that is not made for commercial purpose or brands. Each entry sits within an existing Craft or Design discipline (e.g. Next > Craft Beyond Advertising > Film Direction)

Ideas Beyond Advertising (NEW)

N02: Ideas Beyond Advertising (NEW)
Late Bird Fee: €204,00

Formerly Passion Project. This category celebrates ideas that exist simply because they should — not because someone paid for them. This category is for all ideas that are not made for commercial purpose or brands. Each entry sits within an existing Advertising discipline (e.g. Next > Ideas Beyond Advertising > Outdoor)

Impact

N03: Impact
Late Bird Fee: €204,00

Work that makes a meaningful difference, either socially, environmentally, or culturally. This category recognizes creative projects that have a positive, lasting influence on communities or the world.

Innovation

N04: Innovation
Late Bird Fee: €204,00

Groundbreaking ideas that push creative boundaries. This category highlights original solutions, new technologies, or unique approaches that reimagine what’s possible in advertising and design.

Student

N05: Student
Late Bird Fee: €0,00

Welcome Finalists from Fontys Eindhoven & Tilburg, Artemis and Hogeschool Utrecht! Please use this platform to officially submit your entries. If you have any questions, know where to find us. Good luck and see you on the 27st!

Enter this Category

Talent

N06: Talent
Late Bird Fee: €30,00

Recognizing emerging creative talent, this category is for standout work by individuals or teams at the beginning of their careers. Entries can be commercial, commissioned or personal projects in any medium, with a focus on fresh, innovative ideas. Each entry sits within any of the existing disciplines (e.g. Next > Talent > Outdoor) The Talent categories are open to all students and recent graduates under the age of 30, with a maximum of 3 years professional experience in the creative industry. Talent entries may be entered more than once in any of the talent categories, but are not eligible to be entered in the professional categories.

Disciplines & Categories

Advertising

Craft

Design

Next