Enter D&AD 2020 (Note the changes to categories & pricing)

The 2020 D&AD Awards call for entries has opened with a number of changes across categories and pricing. Jury presidents include Yasu Sasaki, head of digital & executive creative director of Dentsu; Dick Powell, founder & chairman of Seymour Powell; Stephanie Apt, president and founder of Final Cut and photographer, Wing Shya. D&AD Impact will continue to be judged by the D&AD Impact Council.

D&AD Impact Awards will coincide with the 2020 D&AD Awards this year, replacing the Creativity for Good category, which was established in 2012. The aim of the award remains unchanged: to recognise creative ideas that drive positive changes. Meanwhile Future Impact, a 12-month accelerator programme, has also launched on December 4, but will remain open for submissions until July 15 and be awarded in New York in November during the Impact week.
Design Transformation. This new category will award projects that use design thinking as a key driver of business transformation and growth.
Digital Design has expanded its sub-categories to recognise work across digital product, service and experience design.
Digital Marketing also has new sub-categories including e-commerce, use of AI, in-game advertising and creative use of data.
Product Design has new sub-categories. They include everyday consumer products, assisted living & health, sustainable products, consumer & wearable technology and more.

Writing for Design and Advertising has been incorporated within existing advertising and design categories. Juries will include both design writers and copywriters and be judged on the merit of the writing.
Discounts will now exist for freelancers and businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

Patrick Burgoyne, chief executive officer of D&AD stated, “Each year, thousands of pieces of work from creatives all around the world are entered, and judged by an international panel of industry experts. Following feedback from the judges and entrants in last year’s programme, we’ve made some key changes to better reflect the industries we serve.”

Donal Keenan, awards director of D&AD, added, “Today, real business growth is often achieved through iterative design that transforms the user experience or services provided. We wanted to create space in the D&AD awards to recognise these valuable transformative projects.”

Judging for the D&AD Awards will take place online and in person in the lead-up to D&AD Festival, which takes place May 19-21 at The Old Truman Brewery in London. The Awards presentation will be held at the newly refurbished Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, and will include a showcase of Graphite, Yellow and Black Pencil winners.

D&AD Awards not only represent the best creativity from around the globe, they also serve as a barometer of the issues the creative industries face. Earlier this year, D&AD analysed all winning entries in the 2019 D&AD Awards to give insight into the key themes driving the industries at present.

This year, four main themes were identified:

Challenging visual bias – moving away from a visual-first approach, entrants demonstrated how creativity can be elevated to new heights when it touches all senses, creating more meaningful connections with audiences.

Redefining Representation – as a gradual shift in attitudes towards diversity and representation takes place, entrants explored the role the creative industries can play in instigating long-term positive change.

Repetition and originality – as people continue to be surrounded by repetitive messages, images and homogenous narratives online, how can creativity be harnessed to stand out.

New values of creativity – designers and brands investigate the breaking down of barriers in the creative industries, looking to build better systems and find solutions to global problems by diversifying skill-sets, industries, people and ways of thinking.