Side Hustle

Side Hustle is D&AD's category for students, emerging talent and creative professionals with big ideas. The D&AD Side Hustle Pencil is awarded to inspiring, scalable projects that demonstrate creativity and innovation.

Entry is open to anyone with a Side Hustle, so long as it demonstrates flair and creativity. Work must have been developed or significantly changed within the entry window of 1 January 2022 – 18 April 2023.

Is your Side Hustle on the way to becoming your main hustle? Then our scale up categories are for you. Benefit from an extended entry period of 1 January 2020 - 18 April 2023.

Shortlisted entrants will receive:

—An invitation to D&AD's pitching masterclass on 27 April, worth £560, to help you prepare for Side Hustle Pitch Day.
—Your name and work in the D&AD Annual, online and freely accessible to a global creative community of over 130,000 people.

Winning entrants will receive the above plus:

—A D&AD Side Hustle Pencil, a symbol of creative excellence
—12 months of mentoring for you and your business, courtesy of the Anyone app's global community of entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders - billed as a 'marketplace for advice'
—A tree planted in recognition of your award. Find out more about this initiative here.

Pitching will be done in person at the D&AD office in Shoreditch, London, on 10 May. You will be joined by the other finalists and the judging panel. Each finalist will take a turn to pitch their business. This can be delivered in a style to suit you, provided it is not pre-recorded and is a maximum of 7 minutes. After each pitch, the Judges will have 5 minutes to ask questions.

When the pitches are over, the Jury will retire to vote independently for their winners. Following the first vote, they will debate the result and finalise it as a Jury. When judging is complete, you will have the opportunity to find out the results and receive feedback from the Judges on the work.

Depending on your location, we may invite you to present your work remotely.

Start Ups:

—Is it innovative and inspiring?
—Is it supported by appropriate research and testing?
—Does it show potential for growth?

Scale Ups:

—Is it innovative and inspiring?
—Is it fully operational with proven success?
—Is it on track to meet its intended scale?

For the first time, we're allowing entrants to submit a pitch film to present their Side Hustle. Keep it short and succinct — we recommend 7 minutes — with a brief introduction about yourself.

Download the new entry kit for eligibility criteria and more information on what to submit.

When you're ready, visit the entry site to upload your work.

The first round of judging will take place in mid-April. If you are shortlisted, we will contact you and invite you to pitch day and the Masterclass.