On November 22, of the few active Covid cases in New Zealand, just one person was recorded to have caught the virus from someone locally and no-one caught it within NZ from an unknown source. On March 18, 2021, therefore, its Axis Awards presentation at Shed 10 is planned to go ahead. It will be the first advertising awards show in real life since Covid invaded (given Covid’s insidious sneakiness, this statement includes the disclaimer, *Maybe, possibly).
As Colenso BBDO notes in its commercial promoting the awards, “Fuck you, Covid.” Who could argue with that?
Axis-21 is hoping to gather 700 people to applaud “the creative work that defied the challenges of 2020…They will mix (maybe), mingle and attempt to steal each other’s clients, just like the good old days of 2019.”
The awards presentation will also be broadcast to the rest of the world, and international agencies are invited to book a place at the “world’s table”. The empty table will be fitted with a camera in the middle, live streaming the party to all those who have.
Maria Devereux, executive creative director at Colenso BBDO and convenor of judges for Axis-21, stated, “An IRL advertising award show is a luxury our colleagues overseas can’t enjoy. We wanted to invite them. Hosting the first IRL ceremony is testament to New Zealand’s resolve in tackling Covid-19, and the local industry’s resolve to continue making great work in what has been an incredibly hard year.”
Devereux leads executive judges, Christie Cooper, creative director, DDB; Shane Bradnick, chief creative officer, TBWA; Steve Cochran, chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi; Nina East, creative director, Wunderman Thompson; and Heath Lowe, executive design director and founding partner, Special Group.
Find the entry categories and call for entries document for 2021 online, including the introduction of the new Pivot Category, the special category for brand campaigns and business innovations created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, work that would not exist if it had not been for Covid. This work will be judged on its creative solutions that genuinely helped to solve unexpected business problems by any of the following – pivoting to amplify or reposition a brand, creating a new revenue stream, contributing to overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic through corporate social responsibility initiatives, contributed to positive economic growth.
Full entry details, categories and information for Axis 2021 are now available in the Call for Entries document on the Comms Council website.
Axis Awards 2020 Key Dates:
Entries close: Tuesday January 19 2021 at 4pm (NZDT)
Late entry deadline closes: Thursday January 21 2021 at 4pm (NZDT)
Tickets on sale: Friday February 19 2021
Finalists announced: Tuesday February 23 2021
Awards Show: Thursday March 18 2021
Campaign Credits:
Creative Agency: Colenso BBDO
Photographer, DoP, Director & Retouching: Charles Howells
Sound Design: Sidney Kennedy @ Franklin Road
