D&AD Awards 2024 FAQs

Got a question? Here are some of the common questions our entrants ask us, grouped by topics.

Key Dates
What's New?
Eligibility
Prices and Payments
Creating an Entry
Physical Materials
​D&AD Impact
Judging Process
​Results
​Contact Us

More questions? We'll do all we can to answer them. Head over to our Awards page, or if you're stuck, you can contact us on +44 (0) 20 7840 1111 or awards@dandad.org.

Super Early Bird (30% off):
Payment: 6 December 2023*
Finalise Submission: 13 December 2023
Physical Shipment: 17 January 2024

Early Bird (20% off):
Payment: 7 February 2024*
Finalise Submission: 14 February 2024
Physical Shipment: 28 February 2024

Final Deadline:
Payment: 13 March 2024*
Finalise Submission: 20 March 2024
Physical Shipment: 3 April 2024
*Payment options include credit cards or BACS, and invoices must be settled within 7 days of issuance. Please see T&Cs for further information.

D&AD Shortlist Announced: 20–21 May 2024
D&AD Awards Festival: 21–22 May 2024
D&AD Awards Ceremony: 22 May 2024
D&AD Annual Launch: 25 September 2024

What's the difference between the payment deadline and the submission deadline?
The Payment Deadline is the date by which you are required to complete the payment for your entries. Paying on or before the Super Early Bird or Early Bird Payment Deadline can earn you discounts of up to 20-30%. After the Payment Deadline, you will have an additional week to submit your work.

On the other hand, the Submission Deadline refers to the date by which you must submit your entries. These deadlines are consistently set one week after each tiered payment deadline. It's crucial to ensure that your entries are 100% completed before submitting. Failing to do so by the respective deadline will result in charges reflecting the price difference between tiers. For specific dates of both deadlines, please refer to the dates above.

When do D&AD Awards entries open?
Entries for the D&AD Awards 2024 open on 1 November 2023.

When will entries close?
The deadline to pay for entries is 13 March 2024. You have until the 20 March 2024 to finalise the details of your submission (if you paid the final deadline price).

When is the deadline to post my entry materials?
For Entries paid for on or before the Super Earlybird deadline of 6 December 2023, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 17 January 2024.

For Entries paid for after 7 December 2023 but before the Earlybird deadline of 7 February 2024, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 28 February 2024.

For Entries paid for after 7 February 2024 but before the Entry deadline of 13 March 2024, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 3 April 2024.

Health
Following the successful introduction of eight Health & Wellbeing subcategories in 2022, we’ve decided to give this exciting space its own discipline, by introducing two new categories for 2024: Health & Wellbeing and Pharma. The judges are looking for exciting industry-leading campaigns, designs and initiatives across the Health & Wellbeing and Pharma industries.

Luxury
We are adding a new category exclusively for luxury work, to acknowledge and celebrate the very best of creative excellence and innovation in one of the world’s most daring and crafted creative sectors. We’ve launched this category with its own jury due to the distinct challenges and approach to creativity associated in this exciting space.

Sustained Impact
This new category celebrates long-term impact. The category moves to recognise work that not only drives one or more of the UN’s SDGs, but that generates increased behavioural, environmental, social or policy change over time. This compliments the existing Impact and Future Impact categories, and will also be judged by the Impact Council. With an eligibility period of five years, we want to see meaningful work that’s had a long-term impact.

Side Hustle
We’ve noticed that most of your successful submissions in Side Hustle, since we launched in 2019, would be eligible for either the Impact or Future Impact categories, with a clear focus on delivering a positive impact. We think this is great and want to see more of this work, which is why we’re encouraging all new Side Hustles to enter directly into one of these categories, and have decided to retire the main Side Hustle category.

Collaborative Award
The special award that celebrates long-lasting relationships between clients, agencies and production companies that have resulted in consistently inspiring creative outputs over time will now be awarded every other year. This bi-annual shift will allow more time for nominations to be submitted. Nominations for the 2025 D&AD Collaborative Award will open in November 2024.

New Criteria for Product Design
If you’re submitting work into our Product Design category, you’ll now be required to address a fourth judging criteria and demonstrate that the ecological and climate impact of your design has been considered. As ever, we’re still looking for great ideas that are brilliantly executed; see P81 for more information.

Ad Net Zero Plans
D&AD are signed up with Ad Net Zero to achieve industry wide carbon neutrality by 2030.

In order to help understand the level of commitment and progress towards net zero targets D&AD has joined Ad Net Zero Members in asking whether agencies and brands have science-based Net Zero targets in place. Submitting this information is mandatory but is for research purposes only. Your response will not be passed on to the judges or affect your eligibility for the awards.

The D&AD Forest Grows
We have been planting a tree for every pencil awarded for the last 3 years, but in an update to this work we have joined up with Everclime to increase the number of trees planted to an average of 4 for every pencil awarded. Find out more about Everclime here and watch this space.

Use of AI in Awards
We can’t deny that AI is everywhere and that the use of it will undoubtedly redefine creative excellence, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. All entrants will now be asked if AI was used so our judges know if, or how, it’s been used in your process. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.

Pricing
To make entering the D&AD awards more accessible, we’ve increased the freelancers and small business discount from 25%–30% across all categories. Contact awards@dandad.org for more information.

What Else Is New?
We’ve got new subcategories in Animation, Branding, Commerce, Direct, Film, Gaming & Virtual Worlds, Illustration, Music Videos, and Sound Design & Use of Music - look out for the ‘new’ symbols throughout the 2024 Entry Kit.

Festival & Ceremony 2024
We’re excited to announce that D&AD Judging, Festival and Ceremony are moving to the Southbank Centre for 2024. Join us for keynote talks, Judges’ insight sessions, networking parties and an exhibition of winners, all celebrating the best in creativity at the Festival from 21-22 May, followed by the Ceremony, also on 22 May, when the industry will gather together to recognise and award the finest creative minds from around the globe. Save the dates and make sure you’re subscribed to awards news for updates.

What are the eligibility rules?
To be eligible, work must have been:

• Commercially released between 1 January 2023 and 18 April 2024*
• Produced in response to a genuine brief from a client or approved by a client
• Made available to the public through legal mediums
• Approved and paid for by the client

* Alternative eligibility windows apply to the following categories: Branding, Digital Design/Incremental, Digital Design/Beta, Product Design/Prototypes, Integrated/Established Campaigns, PR/Established Campaigns, Creative Transformation, Impact, Future Impact and Sustained Impact. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for more information. 

What are the eligibility dates?
Work must be commercially released between January 1 2023 - 18 April 2024 *. Alternative eligibility windows apply to the following subcategories:

Branding
Entries must have been commercially released and launched, significantly changed or updated between 1 January 2019 and 18 April 2024 with evidence of further brand materials released between 1 January 2023 and 18 April 2024.

Creative Transformation
The transformation must have taken place between 1 January 2021 and 18 April 2024. It does not need to be complete, but it must be underway. The work, or an original iteration of it, must be commercially released. Prototypes and beta designs are not eligible unless they are a transformation of an existing product or service. 

Digital Design / Incremental
The changes must have taken place between 1 January 2021 and 18 April 2024.

Digital Design / Beta
The beta version of a platform, app or technology must have been released for the final stages of audience testing within the Awards Qualifying Entry Period.

Product Design / Prototypes
The prototype must have been released for audience testing within the Awards Qualifying Entry Period.

Integrated / Established Campaigns
PR / Established Campaigns
Campaigns must have been launched prior to 1 January 2023 and be commercially active within the Awards Qualifying Entry Period.

Impact
Entries in the Impact category are subject to a qualifying entry period of 1 January 2021 and 18 April 2024. In accordance with general awards rules, work can be re-submitted year-on-year, provided it has been developed or significantly changed.

Sustained Impact
Entries in the Sustained Impact category must have been commercially released and launched, significantly changed or updated between 1 January 2019 and 18 April 2024 with evident increased impact between 1 January 2023 and 18 April 2024.

My work was created before the eligibility dates, can I still enter?
If the work was released for the first time before 1 January 2022 it is eligible only under one of these two conditions:

• The majority of the work (only applies to campaign entries) was launched between January 1 2023 - 18 April 2024.
• The work was changed/updated then re-launched between January 1 2023 - 18 April 2024, having undergone a significant creative development.

Nb. Some subcategories do permit work that was released for the first time before 1 January 2023. See question, What are the eligibility dates? for details.

Can two companies enter the same work?
Two different entrants cannot enter the same work within the same sub-category. If your project is a collaboration with other companies/individuals, check they haven’t entered it first. In case of duplicate entries, we will only accept the entry that was paid first.

Can I enter work if I am the client?
Yes, clients can enter work produced for them either internally or by an external agency (as long as it has not been entered by the external agency in the same category) – see previous question.

Can I enter work done for free for a charity?
Yes, however, to be eligible there must be a contractual relationship between the charity and entrant agency. If the media/ airtime was provided pro-bono we reserve the right to ask for confirmation from the media owner.

Can I enter work that features the D&AD brand?
No. We do not accept entries where D&AD is the primary and/or secondary client, or where D&AD is associated with the work. This includes work that features and/or promotes the D&AD brand.

Can I enter self-initiated or self-promotional projects?
Self-promotional work is eligible only if it was released commercially and made available to potential customers. Self-promotional work must not include any third-party names, trade marks, logos and/or any other third-party intellectual property, and must not falsely claim, suggest or imply any association with a third party. Self initiated work is not permitted.

Do you accept work created for the purpose of entering competitions?
Work produced in response to a competition is only eligible if it was commercially released, and if it was signed off by the client it represents.

Are you accepting entries from Russian companies or individuals this year?
In 2022, D&AD announced it will not be accepting entries from Russian companies or individuals based in Russia to the Awards. The ban against Russian entries remains for 2024.

Can Ukrainian companies and individuals enter for free this year?
Entries from Ukraine will continue to be accepted free of charge in 2024.

How much does it cost to enter?
The price depends on the category that is being entered. Details of pricing are listed on the category pages. Please note that these prices do not include VAT; VAT is only applicable for UK entrants, and will be added on check-out.

What do you mean by S & M?
To find out how much it will cost to enter, please refer to the pricing listed on the top of the category pages. There may be single and multi category fees applicable to some subcategories; please refer to the category page for more information.

(EP) = Entry Price, whether you enter single or multi executions.
(S) = Single execution - a stand alone piece of work, or part of a series, range, campaign etc. 
(M) = Multiple executions - a series, range, scheme, campaign or integrated.

What payment methods are accepted?
Bank transfers (BACS) and credit card payments. Cheques are not accepted. For bank transfers, the total amount must be transferred within seven days of completing your entry online.

Can I make changes to entries after I have paid?
Once you have paid for an entry, you can no longer change the Category, Subcategory and, where applicable, the type of execution and type of work.

You have until the relevant submission deadline to add, remove and replace any materials forming part of your entry (please refer to the submission deadline dates above). After submitting your entry you are unable to make further changes.

If you fail to submit your entry before the submission deadline, the price difference between the deadline tiers will be charged.

Please note in the event that you fail to submit your work by the final submission deadline (20 March 2024) and all mandatory fields are completed, your work will be automatically submitted into the Awards. If any mandatory fields are incomplete after 20 March, your work will not be entered and no refunds will be given.

Can I get a discount on entries?

• All entries submitted before the Super Early Bird deadline of midnight on 6 December 2023 GMT will receive 30% off
• Entries submitted during the Early Bird window of 7 December 2023 - 7 February 2024 will receive 20% off
• All entries submitted post 8 February 2024 will be subject to standard pricing
• Overview of pricing are listed in the Entry Kit on page 14. You can also find the pricing listed on the category pages.

Also freelancers and businesses with less than 10 employees get a 30% discount on entries. Contact us at awards@dandad.org to obtain a discount code.

We strongly advise obtaining the discount code well ahead of the deadline to avoid any potential issues; the code remains valid until the submission period closes.

I forgot to add my discount code during checkout, can this be added on?
If your entry hasn’t been paid for, you can return to the checkout page to enter your discount code. Under 'Discount code', copy and paste the code and don't forget to click the 'Apply' button.

Discount codes must be used at the point of payment on the entry site and can not be redeemed or refunded retrospectively.

Discount code not working
If you find that your discount code isn't working, please check the below:

- You can only use the discount code once. Once you've applied the code, it is no longer valid.
- As our discount codes vary, so do the terms and conditions of each. Make sure you check when you receive any codes as some may only be valid for certain categories and the majority of codes will have an expiry date. 

If your discount code is still not working after checking all of the above, please get in touch with our Team so we can help you further.

My payment was declined, what should I do?
1. Please pay for your entry again
If your payment has been declined, then you'll need to try to pay for your entry again. 

2. Make the relevant checks
To help ensure your entry is not declined during checkout, we suggest checking the following:

Check the card details during checkout to make sure the information is correct. For example, the expiry date or your billing address.

Make sure you enter the security code correctly - that's the three digit number on the back of your card.

Your card issuer may have declined your payment - as we're unable to resolve this issue, please contact your bank for further information.

If you've checked all of the above, try paying with another card or through bank transfer (BACS)

3. Contact us
If your payment has been declined through the 3D secure security measures, then you’ll need to contact your bank for further information. 

If you've received an error message, contact our Team with as many details as you can about the issue - including the error messages you receive, and we'll try to resolve it as soon as we can.

Where's my invoice?
There are two ways you can get a copy of your invoice. First, you will receive a copy of your invoice by email once you have paid. Your invoices can also be viewed by going to 'My D&AD' and the My Awards Entry Invoices section in your account.

Currency price differences
There is a difference between prices in GBP, USD and EUR. Our prices do not reflect the current international exchange rates. Our entry fees have been established in comparison to the average entry fees of other major awards in different markets and currencies. As such if you are paying in British Pounds you will be paying a different amount than if you are paying in USD or Euros.

You can choose to pay in any currency, including GBP, if that is more convenient for you. Please note we will then charge you in GBP so if you are paying from an account in Euros/USDs you have to take the conversion rates into account.

Can I get a refund?
You will only be eligible for a refund if you withdraw your entry within 48 hours of making payment by credit card, or by raising an invoice to pay via BACS.

Where does the money I spend on my entries go?
What people often don’t realise is that D&AD is a charity. In fact, everything we do is about inspiring the next generation of creative talent, improving their access to the industry, and nurturing and developing their skills. Thanks to the Awards, we are uniquely positioned to bring insights on creative excellence to aspiring creatives, providing free or heavily subsidised educational tools, and creating new, more accessible routes into the industry. We do this through our suite of New Blood programmes - which have been helping aspiring creatives realise their potential for 40 years. It’s a critical bridge between education and the world of work. In 2023, we provided over 195,000 vocational learning opportunities to emerging creatives. So, enter not just for a chance at the glory, but to contribute to our mission to make the creative world stronger, fairer and more open for everyone. To find out more about our new blood programmes please visit dandad.org or contact us on newblood@dandad.org.

Which categories should I enter my creative work into?
The full list of categories is included in the Entry Kit. You may enter the same work into as many categories as you like. The only exception to this is Future Impact. Work entered into this category will only be eligible for Creative Transformation, Product Design/Prototypes, and Digital Design/Beta, subject to meeting their criteria.

Need help with your entry? Please contact one of our regional account managers. Details are provided in the Contact section below and on Page 123 of the Entry Kit.

Do I need to add all the credits for the work?
Not yet. If you have a shortlisted or winning entry, wait for the email notification to submit your credits after the work has been judged. Our Judging process kicks off from 28 March to 20 May 2024.

What supporting information do I need to provide for my entries?
Please check the bottom of each category page in the Entry Kit. Further details can be found under 'Supporting Information' on page 20 in our Helper Guide here. You will be asked to provide supporting information when completing your online submission. Judges love to know the facts, so keep your written information short and to the point.

Do I need to provide translations?
Yes. If your work was not originally released in English, you need to submit the work in its original language, alongside a translation. For films, this means subtitles. For non-film work, simply type up your translation online. We do not accept translations as a separate document or film. Please note that we do not accept translations in Writing for Advertising and Writing for Design categories — entries here are only accepted if originally released in English. This is to ensure that the writing is judged fairly and not based on translations.

What are the submission formats specs?
Submission format descriptions can be found on category pages throughout the Entry Kit and specifications can be found in our Helper Guide here.

Do you have any examples of the submission formats?
Submission format examples can be found here.

Why do I need to submit reference images?
Any physical submissions entered will be required to supply 1-5 Reference Images, which will be used for our judges to familiarise themselves with the work before they judge onsite. The images will also be used if your work is successful, for our winners page, D&AD Ceremony and any social/ press releases.

Can I withdraw an entry?
If you would like to withdraw your entry for any reason, you must give written notice to D&AD by emailing our awards team at awards@dandad.org, providing sufficient detail to enable D&AD to identify the relevant entry.

When is the deadline to post my entry materials?
For Entries paid for on or before the Super Earlybird deadline of 6 December 2023, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 17 January 2024.

For Entries paid for after 7 December 2023 but before the Earlybird deadline of 7 February 2024, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 28 February 2024.

For Entries paid for after 7 February 2024 but before the Entry deadline of 13 March 2024, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 3 April 2024.

Do I need to label my physical materials?
Yes, it is important to attach the labels onto your physical item as this helps the team identify your entry when it arrives to our office.

Once you have submitted your entry, you will be able to download the labels. Please note only selected categories require physical materials. If the category you have selected does not require physical materials, labels will not be generated after you have submitted the entry.

I can't find/download the labels?
Labels are only available for selected categories that require physical items. Please refer to the category's page to check if we require any physical items for the subcategory.

If the category you have selected requires physical materials, you can download the labels on the dashboard once the entry has been submitted.

If you are still having issues accessing the labels, please reach out to team.

How do I label my entries for posting?
There are three types of entry labels:

Physical Material
Please attach the entry label with removable tape on the underside of the item. If you are showing more than one execution repeat this step and attach all the corresponding labels. If items are small, group them together, for example in an envelope.

Poster/s Mounted or Poster/s Unmounted
Please attach the entry label with removable tape on the back left side of your poster. If you are showing more than one execution repeat this step and attach all the corresponding labels.

Printed Publications
Please attach the label with removable tape at the bottom right-hand corner on the back page of your work. If you are showing more than one execution repeat this step and attach all the corresponding labels.

What address do I send entries to?
Our address is: D&AD Awards, 64 Cheshire Street, London, E2 6EH, United Kingdom. 

You’ll also find this address on the labels once you've submitted your online submission. If you use a courier service, please note, our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm.

How do I send work from outside the UK?
Mark your package as 'Competition material: no commercial value'. If you need to indicate the value of the goods in the package, use a token value, for example $1 per entry. Please make sure you have settled all shipping costs and customs fees before sending your entries. If not, your package will be held up in customs or refused at our office because of unpaid shipping costs.

How will I know if my package has arrived?
If we have not received your package, our Awards team will be in touch.

Can you return my work to me?
D&AD do not return physical materials once judging is complete and will store or discard materials at our discretion. 

If you would like to request that your work is returned to you, please contact D&AD in writing no later than 20 March 2023. If we are able to fulfil your request, you will be required to collect the work no later than 30 June 2024 and will be solely responsible for all associated costs. Please email awards@dandad.org for more information.

What is D&AD Impact?
D&AD Impact celebrates creative ideas that are driving the success of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It also helps creative ideas grow, by providing mentoring, training, visibility and funding to work that shows potential.

Anyone using creative thinking to drive positive change can enter; whether you’re an agency, brand, nonprofit, government organisation, academic institute, a collective or a solopreneur.

Impact exists within the D&AD Awards as three categories - Impact, Future Impact and Sustained Impact.

What can I enter?
You can only enter work into one category, so make sure you pick the one that's right for you.

The Impact category is for campaign communications, designs and initiatives that are driving the success of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Work must have been commercially released between 1 January 2021 - 18 April 2024. Entrants must be able to demonstrate behavioural, environmental, social or policy change that's happened as a direct result of the work. Entrants have the chance to win a Wood, Graphite, White or Black Pencil and are eligible to enter all other categories in the D&AD Awards (except Future Impact). In accordance with general awards rules, work can be re-submitted year-on-year, provided it has been developed or significantly changed. If the work has not changed but the impact of the work has measurably increased over time, Entries must be submitted into the Sustained Impact category.

The Future Impact category early-stage designs and initiatives, still in research and development, that can demonstrate potential to drive the success of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Work in this category is in development and has yet to be commercially released, for example prototypes and MVPs. All work must have been developed or significantly changed between 1 January 2023 and 18 April 2024. It must have proof of concept and be commercially viable. Awarded entrants will have the right to apply for a grant from a £25,000 D&AD Impact Fund to develop their work and are invited to take part in the D&AD Impact Programme; a 12-month package of mentorship, training and peer support that's designed to support project owners with the ideation, launch and early growth of their work. Winners will also receive a D&AD Future Impact Pencil. Work entered into Future Impact is not eligible for any other Awards categories except Creative Transformation, Product Design/Prototypes, and Digital Design/Beta.

The Sustained Impact category is for campaigns, designs and initiatives that are driving the success of the UN Sustainable Development Goals over a sustained amount of time. Entrants must be able to demonstrate behavioural, environmental, social or policy change that has increased over time, and that was generated as a direct result of the work. Entrants have the chance to win a Wood, Graphite, White or Black Pencil and are eligible to enter all other categories in the D&AD Awards (except Future Impact). Work have been commercially released and launched, significantly changed or updated between 1 January 2019 and 18 April 2024 with evident increased impact between 1 January 2023 and 18 April 2024.

Are open-source designs eligible?
Open-source designs made available to the public within the Awards eligibility period are considered commercially available and therefore eligible to enter the Awards, subject to meeting the relevant Awards Terms & Conditions.

Can I enter my work into Future Impact if it’s commercially released?
Commercially released work will only be accepted in exceptional cases, where the work has not made a tangible impact yet and would benefit from the support of the D&AD Impact Programme and a development grant from the D&AD Impact Fund. Work that has been commercially released and can demonstrate effectiveness should be entered into Impact.

What happens if I enter my work into more than one Impact category?
In the event that work is submitted into multiple Impact categories, D&AD will assess the suitability of each category and withdraw one of the projects. You will not be eligible for a refund. If you are unsure where your work fits, please contact the D&AD Awards team for guidance.

What are the Judges looking for?
Judges are looking for innovative and inspiring uses of creativity to stimulate change and benefit society. This means that work must be responding to one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. You will be asked to specify which one(s) the work is responding to as part of your submission. You can find out more about the Goals here.

In the Impact category, judges will award work that has stimulated change in one of four areas - behaviour, environment, society or policy. Winning work must be able to prove that any change is a direct result of the work submitted. The work must be fit for purpose, that is, it must do the job it was designed to do.

In the Future Impact category, judges will be awarding work that demonstrates it's potential to make an impact once commercially released. Work must have proof of concept and demonstrate it's both scalable and commercially viable.

In the Sustained Impact category, judges will award work that drives at least one of the UN SDGs and has tangibly resulted in increased behavioural, environmental, social or policy change over time.

What can I win?
All shortlisted work will appear in the D&AD Annual, available online and freely accessible to tens of thousands of creative companies and practitioners globally.

Shortlisted entrants in the Future Impact category will be invited to apply for a development grant access to a £25,000 D&AD Impact Fund and offered places for project owners on the D&AD Impact Programme; a 12-month package of mentorship, training and peer support that’s designed to support project owners with the ideation, launch and early growth of their work. The Impact Fund will be allocated by the D&AD Impact Council and must be spent on developing the awarded work within 12 months of being received.

Winning entrants in the Impact category will receive a Wood, Graphite, White or Black Pencil, feature in the D&AD Awards Ceremony and will have trees planted in recognition of their work with Everclime.

Winning entrants in the Future Impact category will receive a Future Impact Pencil, feature in the D&AD Awards Ceremony and will have trees planted in recognition of their work with Everclime.

Why is there no Yellow Pencil level in the Impact category?
The White Pencil replaces the Yellow Pencil in the Impact category. The White Pencil goes beyond creative excellence, to represent exceptional projects that use the power of creativity to drive behavioural, environmental, societal or policy change. The White Pencil was first conceived in 2011. Read more about its origin here.

What is the D&AD Impact Programme?
Available to all Shortlisted Entrants in the Future Impact category, the D&AD Impact Programme is a 12-month package of mentorship, training and visibility that supports project owners with the ideation, launch and early growth of their work. The Programme is created with support from D&AD trainers and the D&AD Impact Council. Our mission? To enable a cohort of Future Impacters to deliver tangible impact within 12 months.

The cohort are known as the D&AD Impacters and typically include individuals, organisations and teams working on prototypes, MVPs, beta versions or initiatives. Entrants will need to opt in to the Programme at the point of Entry and will be invited to discuss next steps with the Programme leaders if they are Shortlisted.

The programme includes:

• Multiple places for project owners on the D&AD Impact Accelerator
• Access to mentors from the D&AD Impact Council and the Anyone app community for 12 months
• Access to the D&AD Start-up School and on-demand courses for 12 months
• Access to a creative, peer-driven network
• Opportunity to present to the Impact Council at the Impact Showcase when the programme is complete
• Free entry into the D&AD Awards Impact category, valid for 3 years

For more information on what the programme entails, please visit the D&AD Impact page. Nb. D&AD reserves the right to alter elements of the Programme, or cancel the Programme in its entirety, if fewer than 20 participants confirm their commitment.

How do I access the Impact Fund?
If you are Shortlisted in the Future Impact category, you will be contacted and asked if you would like to apply for a grant to develop your work. You can apply for all or part of the £25,000 fund. Money must be spent only in relation to the project or work that was awarded and within 12 months from the date it is received.

The Impact Council will meet to consider applications in September 2024. Funds will be awarded entirely at the judges’ discretion and depending on the quality of applications from eligible Entrants.

Please note: D&AD does not claim any ownership of, or rights in, the applicant’s project and nor does it expect any financial returns where funds have been awarded to an Entrant.

How much does it cost to enter?
Prices start at £367 to enter work in the Impact category.

Prices start at just £22 to enter work in the Future Impact category.

Why is it so much cheaper to enter the Future Impact category?
The entry fees for Future Impact are set at a lower rate to be more accommodating to student and solopreneurs, helping D&AD support the next generation of impacters.

Are discounts available?
Super Early Bird and Early Bird discounts are available. Please refer to the entry fees on page 14 of the Entry Kit.

Freelancers and businesses with less than 10 employees are eligible for 30% off entries. To get the discount contact awards@dandad.org.

When's the deadline for entries?
Super Early Bird: 6 December 2023
Early Bird: 7 February 2024
Deadline: 20 March 2024

When does judging take place?
Entry and judging for D&AD Impact happens at the same time as the D&AD Awards. Winners will be announced at the D&AD Awards Ceremony on 22 May 2024.

How will my work be judged?
​When assessing the work, Judges will consider a set of criteria specific to the category. For details, please see page 7 of the Entry Kit.

Can I be a judge?
We are always looking for fair representation across the creative industry, a diversity of voices and above all exceptional talent. We always welcome any Judge recommendations. If you're able to fill out the following form here, that would be fantastic.

When will I know if my work is successful?
Shortlists will be announced on 20-21 May 2024. D&AD Pencil winners will be announced at the D&AD Awards Ceremony on 22 May 2024.

During judging we will send an official confirmation of the results to the person registered as the main contact for the entries.

What do the award levels mean?
Shortlist: Work that demonstrates merit, worthy of recognition and in the top echelon of entries. It’s awarded in all categories in the first instance.

Wood Pencil: The best of the year in advertising, design, craft, culture and impact.

Graphite Pencil: For stand-out work that rises above the rest, worthy of consideration for a Yellow Pencil.

Yellow Pencil: The iconic D&AD Yellow Pencil, awarded only to outstanding work that achieves true creative excellence.

Black Pencil: The ultimate creative accolade, reserved for ground-breaking work. Only a handful of these are awarded each year, if any.

Future Impact Pencil: Awarded to work in the Future Impact category. Early-stage projects that demonstrate the potential to drive the UN SDGs and stimulate behavioural, environmental, societal or policy change through creativity. Both Pencil Winners and Shortlisted entrants will also receive a place on the D&AD Impact Programme and the right to apply for a development grant from the D&AD Impact Fund. See https://www.dandad.org/en/d-ad-impact/ for more information.

White Pencil: Replaces the Yellow Pencil in the Impact and Sustained Impact categories. Exceptional projects that use the power of creativity to drive the UN SDGs and stimulate behavioural, environmental, societal or policy change.

Collaborative Award: Awarded to work in the Collaborative category. Recognises the long-lasting relationships between clients and their design, advertising and production companies – leading to the creation of amazing work over time. Now awarded bi-annually, the next Collaborative Awards will be recognised in 2025.

President's Award: Every year, D&AD honours an industry hero, a legend whose contribution to the industry has been nothing but inspirational. The recipient is chosen by the D&AD President and will be announced at the D&AD Awards Ceremony.

Companies of the Year: Pencil winners and shortlisted companies are allocated points for each win. The points are then accumulated to determine the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the following categories:

• Advertising Agency of the Year
• Design Agency of the Year
• Production Company of the Year
• Client of the Year
• Network of the Year
• Independent Agency of the Year
• In-house Agency of the Year
• Individual Creative Rankings of the Year

What happens if my work is successful?
All Shortlisted work will:

• Be celebrated by over 2.9 million views by over 2.7 millions visitors on the D&AD Winners pages, Archive and Rankings each year. 
• Feature in the D&AD Annual, now online and freely accessible to tens of thousands of creative companies and practitioners globally. In 2023 the Annual reached a global audience of 200,000 people, three quarters of which are outside the UK. 
• Get exhibited around the world at one of D&AD’s international exhibitions. Past venues include The Advertising Museum Tokyo, Louvre Museum Paris, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Design Institute, Arts Centre Melbourne. 
• Have the chance to appear in the D&AD Content Series, with commentary from our judges.
• Inform D&AD Annual theme reports, which will be presented alongside winning work to agencies and clients all over the world.
• Be promoted through D&AD social media channels and the D&AD newsletter, reaching millions of creative professionals globally.
• Earn prestige amongst your peers, global media coverage for you and your company and points towards D&AD rankings.
• Give Future Impact entrants access to apply for to a £25,000 Impact Fund and a place on the D&AD Impact Programme.

In addition, all Pencil winning work will:

• Receive a coveted D&AD Pencil
• Receive points towards D&AD individual and company rankings
• Feature in the D&AD Awards Ceremony, live in London on 22 May 2024
• Have four trees planted in tribute to the work as part of D&AD's partnership with Everclime

Our awards team is on hand to help, wherever you are in the world. If you’ve begun entering and have a question, please contact one of our regional account managers:

US & Canada
Alex Knapp 
E alex.knapp@dandad.org 
T +44 (0)207 840 1172

Central & Southern Europe/Latam
Pablo Aör Brandao 
E pablo.brandao@dandad.org
T +44 (0)7903259626

Japan & Singapore
Kotoko Koya
E kotoko.koya@dandad.org
T +81 90 4736 5965

Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa
Katherine Chen 
E katherine.chen@dandad.org 
T +44 (0)7752 502 545
WeChat 微信 Dandadawards

For all other countries, please contact awards@dandad.org or call +44 (0)207 840 1111.