The One Club opens entries for ADC 100th Annual Awards

Under the “Once in a Century” theme, this season’s programme is promoted by a rare look at a series of ADC Annual Awards call for entry posters from throughout the past century, created by some of the world’s most legendary designers and creative agencies.

The ADC Annual Awards is the world’s longest continuously running awards programme recognising global excellence in craft and innovation in all forms of advertising and design. This year presents creatives from around the world with the once-a-century opportunity to be part of history by winning a coveted ADC Cube in the prestigious show’s 100th awards season.

“Over the past 100 years, ADC and the global creative community have continually adapted and persevered through the hardest times, including the Great Depression and World War II,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO of The One Club. “Despite periods of tremendous global hardship, great creative work in advertising and design continued, and ADC was always there to recognise and celebrate that work.

“In light of today’s social and economic challenges brought on by the global pandemic, it’s both fitting and important that we maintain that commitment to support the creative community and celebrate the best work from around the world in the ADC 100th Annual Awards,” he added.

Entries can be submitted now and will be accepted later this season, with fees increasing after each deadline period. Regular deadline is 12 March 2021, with extended deadline 19 March 2021 and final deadline 26 March 2021. No physical entries will be accepted this year, all entry media must be uploaded into the online entry system.

A special tiered pricing structure makes it easier for smaller agencies, studios and freelancers to participate in the ADC 100th Annual Awards. Larger agencies and brands pay the standard entry fee; smaller shops get a discount on entries (amount varies by discipline) and freelance creatives and one-person shops are eligible for an even greater reduction in their entry fee.

The One Club will for the second year partner with creative community Working Not Working on event and content collaborations, as well as special awards including the Freelancer of the Year, which was won in 2020 by artist Kadir Nelson. All ADC 100th Annual Awards Gold Cube-winning entries submitted through the freelance level of the show’s tiered-pricing structure will be judged again by a separate jury that includes the Working Not Working community.

New for this year are the ADC In-House Design discipline and reduced pricing for personal/unpublished work.in photography, illustration and typography.

ADC100 centennial celebration

Originally known as the Art Directors Club, ADC was the first global organisation to celebrate and award leaders in creative communications. Founded in New York by Louis Pedlar on 13 August 1920, the club was established to ensure advertising and commercial design was judged by the same stringent standards as fine art.

In 2016, ADC and The One Club for Art & Copy merged to form The One Club for Creativity, the world’s foremost non-profit organisation whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community.

On 13 August 2020, the 100th anniversary date of ADC’s incorporation, The One Club launched a year-long ADC100 centennial celebration. The programme kicked off with a special identity and online historic timeline, both developed by multi-specialty creative studio C&G Partners, New York.

The ADC100 Centennial celebration provides rare insights into the observations and human exchanges of the creative community throughout the past century. Serialised content -- highlighting a decade of winning work, president’s letters, annuals and other artifacts each month -- traces the history of ADC, and by extension the story of how the design and advertising professions evolved during major global events including recessions, world wars and shifts in consumer lifestyles.

The One Club awards shows each have their distinct focus: ADC Annual Awards juries look to champion excellence in craft, design and innovation, while The One Show judges focus on creativity of ideas and quality of execution.

Unlike for-profit awards shows such as Cannes and others, The One Club is a non-profit organisation that puts revenue generated from awards entries back into the industry in the form of programs under its four pillars: Educations, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality and Professional Development.

These programmes include the annual Where Are All The Black People diversity conference and career fair, One School free portfolio program for Black creatives, Creative Boot Camps for diverse college students, Right the Ratio Summits addressing gender equality, Global Educators Summits, Creative Leaders Retreats, Mentor & Creative providing mentorships at agencies for nearly 200 young creatives, bi-annual Saturday Career Workshops for high school students and more.