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D&AD Awards 2021
D&AD Awards are the most prestigious benchmark for creative excellence in design and advertising. Entry for 2021 is now closed. Save the date for the D&AD Awards Ceremony which will be taking place on 26 & 27 May to find out who will receive this year's coveted Pencils.
About
D&AD is an education charity that promotes excellence in design and advertising. Each year, the D&AD Awards gather the world's best creative work from across the commercial design, advertising, production and craft disciplines to be judged by more than 400 global creative leaders, practitioners and innovators.
Our categories span the full spectrum of disciplines from graphic design to product design, book design, and magazine and newspaper design; art direction to writing, editing, illustration, photography, typography and animation; creative coding to UX, e-commerce and gaming; PR and media to social good, and much more. We have special categories for rising stars who are making waves in the early days of their career and for side projects that are ready to start-up or scale-up.
As a not-for-profit, D&AD invests all surpluses from the Awards into education programmes that help new talent prosper and pave the way into the creative industries for more diverse talent. The winning work forms valuable learning resources for students and emerging talent around the world who are looking to make their first steps into a creative career.
Work that matters must be seen
Work that matters must be seen. D&AD Awards exists to identify the world’s best creative work of the year, to elevate it above its context onto the global stage to inspire the international creative community to learn, grow, and set new benchmarks for creative excellence.
If your work is shortlisted by the judges, it will appear in the D&AD Annual, an honour of distinction and a platform for exposure to thousands of creative companies globally.
Winning a D&AD Pencil will earn your work exposure to millions of people in the creative industries around the world through international press coverage, exhibitions, promotion on the D&AD website, social platforms and newsletters, and the opportunity to be featured in articles and films on creative excellence insights and trends in the D&AD Annual.
Entering your work actively supports D&AD's mission as an education charity by funding learning programmes that bridge the gap between education and industry.
We will also plant a tree in recognition of your award, in partnership with D&AD Future Impact winner theOtherForest (rebranded from Beirut’s RiverLESS Forest). These trees are part of an innovative afforestation programme that's restoring vital biodiversity to much needed areas of Lebanon.
What's new this year?
The D&AD Awards categories evolve every year to reflect industry developments. Freelancers and businesses with less than 10 employees now get 25% off entries. There are revisions and additons of subcategories, and the creation of new categories.
You can download a more detailed look at these changes below.
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Categories
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Animation
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Art Direction
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Book Design
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Branding
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Casting
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Cinematography
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Collaborative
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Design Transformation
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Digital
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Digital Design
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Direct
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Direction
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E-Commerce
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Editing
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Entertainment
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Experiential
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Film
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Future Impact
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Gaming
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Graphic Design
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Illustration
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Impact
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Integrated
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Magazine & Newspaper Design
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Media
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Music Videos
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Next
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Packaging Design
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Photography
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PR
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Press & Outdoor
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Product Design
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Production Design
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Radio & Audio
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Side Hustle
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Sound Design & Use of Music
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Spatial Design
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Type Design
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Typography
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Visual Effects
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Writing for Advertising
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Writing for Design
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Judges
Key Dates 2021
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24 November 2020 — Open for Entries
Open for Entries
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D&AD Awards 2021 is open for entries
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13 January 2021 — Super Early Bird Deadline
Super Early Bird Deadline
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Submit by 23:59 GMT to save 40%
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17 February 2021 — Early Bird Deadline
Early Bird Deadline
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Submit by 23;59 GMT to save 20%
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17 March 2021 — Deadline
Deadline
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Submit by 23:59 GMT
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31 March 2021 — Extended Deadline
Extended Deadline
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Entries close. Submit by 23:59 GMT.
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11 May 2021 — Shortlist Announcement
Shortlist Announcement
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Craft and Side Hustle Shortlists Announced
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18 May 2021 — Shortlist Announcement
Shortlist Announcement
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Advertising, Culture, Design, Impact and Next Shortlists Announced
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26 & 27 May 2021 — D&AD Awards Ceremonies
D&AD Awards Ceremonies
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Pencils revealed across two ceremonies; further details to be announced
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Get in touch
Alex Knapp
Donal Keenan
Awards Director
donal.keenan@dandad.org
donal.keenan@dandad.org
Katherine Chen
Greater China & South East Asia
katherine.chen@dandad.org
+44 (0)796 8866 388
WeChat 微信 Dandadawards
katherine.chen@dandad.org
+44 (0)796 8866 388
WeChat 微信 Dandadawards
Kotoko Koya
Pablo Brandao
Will Koper
D&AD Awards Team
D&AD Press Office
Press Enquiries
dandad@tdcpr.com
dandad@tdcpr.com
Work that matters must be celebrated
More than 400 design, advertising and production leaders around the world are convening to judge the work in April and May There are no quotas, so only the best will be recognised. Join us in celebrating the very best creative excellence in Design and Advertising on 26 & 27 May.
Keep up to Date
Be the first in the know. Sign up for articles and videos to keep the inspiration flowing, tips and tricks to take you to the top, and of course the latest D&AD News.