The Art Directors Club has formed an exclusive partnership with Dreamina AI, part of ByteDance, for the inaugural free ADC AI Visual Design-Dreamina AI category that rewards excellence in generative craft in this year’s ADC 105th Annual Awards, with Gold, Silver and Bronze Cubes plus cash prizes.
When the ADC Annual Awards were first presented in 1921, the only mediums with winners were illustration and photography. As creative professionals embraced new tools and technologies in the following decades, ADC has acknowledged and honoured the craft that defines each era. The AI Visual Design-Dreamina AI category, continues that 105-year legacy of recognising evolving creative craft, applauding modern creators who are using AI as a creative partner to expand the boundaries of visual expression.
Acting as a “camera for an imagined world,” Dreamina AI enables creators to transform ideas into high-quality, production-ready visuals within seconds using simple text prompts.
Deadline for free entry in the new category is March 16, 2026, with no extension. Work will be judged by a dedicated jury of top designers and industry leaders on the basis of idea, craft, and execution, and top winners will be awarded as follows:
- One first-place winner – ADC Gold Cube and US$6,000 cash prize
- Three second-place winners – ADC Silver Cube and US$4,000 cash prize each
- Six third-prize winners – ADC Bronze Cube and US$2,000 cash prize each
“AI doesn’t replace creativity, it inspires it,” stated Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club. “The Art Directors Club has spent 105 years honouring the craft behind ideas, and Dreamina AI gives today’s creatives a new way to explore imperfection, experimentation, and human expression through technology.”
Entry brief: Imperfection
Creativity can lose its spark when every element is perfectly polished and optimised so there is an opportunity to celebrate the messiness, contradictions, and lived experience that provide fuel for better AI tools and more creative ideas.
For the new ADC AI Visual Design-Dreamina AI category, entrants will be asked to create work that honours imperfection and uses AI to complement, not erase, those qualities. Entries can take a variety of forms, including video, motion graphics, animation, or poster.
Entrants must be age 18+ and register on both the ADC 105th Annual Awards and Dreamina AI platforms to create accounts to use the AI tool. After registration, entrants get 1,000 credits added to their linked Dreamina AI account, which they will use on the platform to generate images and videos for competition entry.
In addition to submitting their completed entry at adcawards.org, entrants are then invited to post their work to Instagram or X using the #DreaminaAI #ADCawards #AImperfectionism hashtags. Entrants who provide the link to the social media post in their entry submission will receive an additional 1,000 complimentary credits from Dreamina AI.
