SBS has announced the eight finalists in the 2017 Diversity Works Challenge to win $1 million dollars of free airtime across SBS TV and digital assets. Carat has three of its brands shortlisted.

The shortlisted entries are:

• KWP! for Surf Life Saving Australia
• BBAM for Steel Blue Boots
• Starcom for Farmers Union Greek Yoghurt
• Marmalade Melbourne for the Stroke Foundation
• Ikon Communications for Barnados Australia
• Carat for Holden
• Carat for Medibank Private Health Insurance
• Carat for La Trobe University. 

SBS director of media sales, Andrew Cook, noted, “We’re thrilled with the response we’ve received to the Diversity Works Challenge. The eight shortlisted ideas have integrated Australia’s diversity into the fabric of their campaign concept, while achieving the brands overall marketing objectives, demonstrating that thinking with diversity works.

“With nearly a third of our population born overseas, SBS wanted to encourage the advertising industry to reflect contemporary Australia. As one of the most multicultural and multilingual nations, and we believe the Diversity Works Challenge delivers on SBS’s purpose to inspire Australians to explore and celebrate diversity.”

The new SBS initiative called on Australia’s most creative minds in January to develop an advertising campaign that demonstrates diversity and, in doing so, reflect today’s Australia.

The shortlisted entrants will bow pitch their campaign to executive director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation and chairman of SBS, Dr Bulent Hass Dellal AO; founding member and former co-chair of the MEAA Equity Diversity Committee and  Director of Pearly Productions, Pearl Tan; founder and content Director of Mumbrella and creator and curator of the annual Mumbrella360 conference, Tim Burrowes; founder of research company, Pollinate; Director of advocacy agency Social Soup and non-executive director for Planet Ark. Howard Parry-Husbands; chief executive officer of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Terese Casu’ NITV channel manager Tanya Orman and SBS director of media sales, Andrew Cook.

The winner will be announced in May 2017, giving the brand or agency three months to produce the advertisement before it premieres in primetime on SBS before the end of 2017.