Stage two of D&AD Awards judging: 890 entries shortlisted

Every year, the D&AD Awards categories evolve to best represent the creative and cultural landscape within which work is being produced. The last year has seen unprecedented digital acceleration and adoption of new technologies reflected in the addition of new categories including E-Commerce and Gaming, both receiving considerable numbers of entries that surpass the figures of some of the more traditional categories. The strong submissions within these categories echo wider changes within society as a result of global lockdown which has caused a permanent shift in the way we live, work and connect.

890 entries have been shortlisted for the Awards across the Advertising, Culture, Design, Impact and Next categories and follow a robust number of entries for the 2021 Awards which is a testament to the value of recognising exceptional creative work, reiterated in this year’s Awards manifesto: ‘work that matters must be seen’.

Shortlisted entries from 28 categories have been announced today ahead of the Pencil award ceremonies taking place across two separate virtual ceremonies on 26 and 27 May.

Across these categories, the top ranking countries by number of shortlisted entries are:

1. United States - 277 entries
   
2. United Kingdom - 15 entries
   
3. France - 50 entries
   
4. Brazil - 42 entries
   
5. Australia and Germany - 35 entries
   
6. Canada - 30 entries
   
7. China - 29 entries
   
8. Sweden - 23 entries
   
9. Japan - 20 entries

The top ranking companies for these categories, by number of shortlisted entries are:

1. No. 1 - Africa - 18 entries
   
2. No. 2 - DDB Chicago - 12 entries
   
3. No. 3 - AMV BBDO - 11 entries
   
4. No. 4 - BETC Paris, DDB Germany, FCB New York, McCann London and Saatchi & Saatchi New York - 10 entries each

The total number of entries shortlisted in each category are:

1. Book Design - 28 entries
   
2. Branding - 74 entries
   
3. Design Transformation - 5 entries
   
4. Digital - 54 entries
   
5. Digital Design - 26 entries
   
6. Direct - 50 entries
   
7. E-Commerce - 21 entries
   
8. Entertainment - 24 entries
   
9. Experiential - 35 entries
   
10. Film - 63 entries
    
11. Future Impact - 14 entries
    
12. Gaming - 15 entries
    
13. Graphic Design - 69 entries
    
14. Impact - 35 entries
    
15. Integrated - 19 entries
    
16. Magazine & Newspaper Design - 26 entries
    
17. Media - 50 entries
    
18. Music Videos - 37 entries
    
19. Next Creative - 5 entries
    
20. Next Designer - 4 entries
    
21. Next Director - 6 entries
    
22. Next Illustrator - 3 entries
    
23. Next Photographer - 1 entry
    
24. Packaging Design - 43 entries
    
25. PR - 63 entries
    
26. Press & Outdoor - 60 entries
    
27. Product Design - 15 entries
    
28. Radio & Audio - 20 entries
    
29. Spatial Design - 10 entries
    
30. Type Design - 15 entries

All 890 shortlisted pieces are showcased on the D&AD website.

2021 submissions have seen a substantial increase in entries from nearly all regions. Western Asia & India have seen the most significant change with an uplift of 47% since 2019, followed by Oceania (42%) USA and Canada (41%), Latin America (28%), UK (22%), Africa (19%), Europe (12%) and China (9%). In addition, 20% of this year’s submissions came from new entrants.

Tim Lindsay, chairman at D&AD, commented: “It is inspiring to see such a vast amount of incredible work submitted to this year's awards, despite the challenges that have been placed upon the industry during the pandemic. This year's full shortlist exemplifies the resolve of the creative community and presents the very best in global talent. The introduction of exciting growth categories such as Gaming and E-commerce demonstrates our pledge to elevate the most innovative, forward thinking work being produced within the creative industry. We are now looking forward to the upcoming virtual ceremonies which will give us the chance to find out which of these works industry experts feel have best encapsulated the creative excellence worthy of a coveted Pencil.”

D&AD has partnered with Asana, a leading management platform for teams, who are supporting the 2021 Awards. Following the D&AD Awards Ceremony, D&AD will be delving into the learnings and insights from this year’s winning work, including publishing a series of interviews with creative leaders, which aim to discover how to lead a successful creative team, made possible by Asana's sponsorship.

D&AD are also launching the Jury Insights film series, a programme of panel discussions in which judges from select categories will discuss what makes Pencil-winning work, alongside the trends and themes from the 2021 Awards.

Pencil winners will be announced in two separate virtual awards ceremonies on 26 and 27 May respectively. For more information, visit: www.dandad.org/ceremony.