Freelancers have always tended to be unsung heroes. Not any more. The One Club for Creativity has joined with creative hiring platform, Working Not Working to introduce the ADC Freelancer of the Year Award.

The winner will be judged by a separate jury that includes the WNW community. All entries submitted through the freelance level of the ADC’s tiered pricing system that have won an ADC 99th Annual Awards Gold Cube will be taken into account. The top freelance winner will be announced at the ADC 99th Annual Awards during Creative Week in New York in May 2020.

WNW will also support the initiative with a range of freelancer-focused content about the ADC Annual Awards on its site and social channels, including a history of the program, tips of how to enter, insights on how to make the work stand out for the judges and more.

“Freelancers play a significant role in advertising and design, and this partnership advances our ability to support, recognize and elevate them in the global creative community,” stated Kevin Swanepoel, chief executive officer, The One Club.

“With its tiered pricing system, the ADC Annual Awards is an affordable way for freelancers to be identified and celebrated on a global stage for their amazing work,” he added.  “There’s no organisation that’s more relevant and plugged in to that global freelance community than Working Not Working, and we’re thrilled to partner with a group that shares our commitment to supporting freelance talent around the world.”

WNW’s mission is to eliminate the obstacles between creative people and opportunity. Justin Gignac, co-founder, chief executive officer and Young Guns 5 winner, and Adam Tompkins, co-founder & chief creative officer, launched WNW in 2011 to help brands connect with about 300 freelancers. There are now more than 80,000 creatives and thousands of companies hiring from the platform globally.

Tompkins said the organisation has always had a close relationship with the ADC brand, from partner, Gignac, being named a Young Guns 5 winner to its early days when the WNW team would promote ADC parties and attend its awards shows.

“The stamp of industry respect that comes with an ADC Cube was definitely something we strived for when starting Working Not Working and curating our community,” Tompkins noted.

“Like The One Club, we don’t just celebrate established creative leaders. We’ve built a community and platform that empowers both creative veterans and those who are still finding their footing,” he added. “It’s been awesome to see that translate in the last couple of years to the ADC Annual Awards specifically, with tiered pricing that encourages freelancers and small studios to put their work forward and compete with the giants.”

Understand ADC’s tiered pricing system here.

Enter the ADC Awards here. The deadline is January 31 2020.