About
Your future starts here.
The D&AD Student Awards have been helping students break into the industry since 1978. Winning truly marks you out as one of the very best. You get noticed. In fact, 76% of graduating Student Awards winners walk into a job or placement in less than three months.
Entry to the Student Awards is open to anyone in full or part-time education. Whether you’re a copywriter or photographer, a digital specialist, product designer or something in-between - there’s a category for you.
And to make sure that all new talent gets a chance to shine, we’ve added a new brief this year: Make Your Mark. As well as all full-time students, it’s open to anyone under the age of 26 or to all recent graduates who finished their course within the last two years (see the entry info for details on dates).
Real briefs, set by real clients, judged by top creatives.
This is your chance to address a real life challenge for a top, international brand. You can work alone, or as part of a team.
Your ideas will be seen and judged by the representatives of the brand, along with a panel of highly experienced creatives from around the world. You can see the judging criteria here.
Award Levels
Best of Year
Awarded to work that has taken a particular aspect of the criteria and developed it to a point of excellence making it worthy of a special mention.
Nomination
Work awarded a Nomination is deemed worthy of being considered for a Yellow Pencil award.
Student Yellow Pencil
This is awarded to the work that meets the judging criteria and meets it extremely well. The work must be on brief, and the best demonstration of craft or technical skill in its category. As for the creative idea, it should be so strong it inspires envy in the jury.
Student of the Year
This is the very top award. If you win a Student Yellow Pencil you will be considered for Student of the Year.
Find out what winning at the D&AD Student Awards can do for you.
