Image supplied: D&AD Awards. Promise awarded two Wood Pencils and a Graphite Pencil for client Black Studio

The Awards, which saw just one Black Pencil, awarded 124 Craft, 250 Advertising and two Collaborative Pencil winners.

D&AD celebrates creative excellence with the belief that creativity is a key driver in commercial, economic, social and cultural success. The Awards incorporates more than 40 categories judged by nearly 400 of the world’s leading creatives, recognising work that will inspire seasoned talent and encourage the next generation.

This year, there were a record number of entries to the Awards, with nearly 30,000 individual pieces of work making up the 12,243 entries. The remaining Craft, Side Hustle, Design, Culture and Impact winners, alongside the Companies of the Year and President’s Award, will be announced tonight.

South African winners

South Africa was awarded 10 Awards in total, one Granite Penicil, four shortlists, and five Wood Penils. Promise was awarded two Wood Pencils and a Graphite Pencil. Giant Films, Joe Public and Romance Films also secured a Wood Pencil each.

Africa winners

There were three shortlists awarded to the continent, two to Neuklos Studios in Nigeria and one to the Good Popel Film in Eygpt.

Image supplied. D&AD Awards 2023. ? and us won two Wood Pencils for The Undeniable Street View campaign

Middle East winners

The Middle region secured 19 awards, 11 Shortlists and eight Wood Pencils. Winning three Wood Pencils is ͜ and us, with Horizon FCB Dubai winning two Wood Pencils and Publicis Middle East, Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East/ Prodigous Middle East and Impact BBDO all winning one Wood Pencil apiece.

One Black Pencil

At Wednesday’s ceremony, one Black Pencil, the creative industry’s most coveted accolade reserved only for truly groundbreaking work, was awarded. Division receives a Black Pencil in the Visual Effects/ Craft category for Pharrell, 21 Savage and Tyler, The Creator’s music video, Cash in, Cash out, using CGI animation to create avatars of the three musicians dancing in a magical environment.

Two Collaborative Pencils are awarded, celebrating innovative and long-lasting partnerships. The first went to Iyama Design and Kamoi Kakoshi Co, Japan, for ongoing work with MT Masking Tape that started with the development of a logo through to a promotional exhibition still held around the world today.

The second to Ogilvy UK and Unilever for A 66-year partnership, a collaboration that began in 1957 when a certain David Ogilvy wrote the first print advert for the Dove beauty bar.

“This first round of winners reflects the strong standing of craft at the D&AD Awards with the first-ever Black Pencil for Visual Effects. An outstanding piece of work that swept the board in many other production craft categories this year. We can also see from the Collaborative Award how brands can successfully drive positive change in society and also build commercial brand success. Well done to the winners for setting that example,” says Donal Keenan, awards director at D&AD.

Total number of Pencils in the categories announced

Craft

124 Pencil Winners:

• Animation: 10
  
• Art Direction: 9
  
• Casting: 15
  
• Cinematography: 5
  
• Direction: 34
  
• Editing: 7
  
• Production Design: 7
  
• Sound Design & Use of Music: 17
  
• Visual Effects: 9
  
• Writing for Advertising: 11

Collaborative

2 Pencil Winners

Advertising

250 Pencil Winners

• Digital: 28
  
• Direct: 37
  
• Experiential: 35
  
• Commerce: 20
  
• Film: 23
  
• Integrated: 9
  
• Media: 35
  
• PR: 35
  
• Press & Outdoor: 20
  
• Radio & Audio: 8

All Pencil winning & shortlisted entries are showcased on the D&AD website. D&AD highlights the most exceptional work from the past 12 months, following a rigorous judging process.

Famously tough to win, there are no Pencil quotas for D&AD Awards, so the number of awarded entries fluctuates each year. In some years, no Black Pencils are awarded. The highest ever awarded in one year currently stands at seven.