M&C Saatchi has the top spot on the podium again for Optus Clever Buoy. It has won the Grand Prix in the 2104 Warc Prize for Innovation in London. This award comes with prize money – $5,000.

It also won the Gold Product/Service Innovation Award, worth $1,250, for the best example of Innovative Use of Media. This was one of just six Golds handed out by the panel of judges that was chaired by Lego’s group head of community co-creation, Peter Espensen.

Clever Buoy has also won the Spikes Asia Innovation Grand Prix, the LIA Most Innovative Use of Digital and IAB Mixx Awards Special Gold Innovation award (among others).

From 98 entries, 28 were shortlisted in the 3^rd annual Warc awards. These came from 12 countries including the UK, Australia, China, India, Brazil, the UAE and Peru.

17 Gold, Silver and Bronze awards were handed out.

Starcom MediaVest Group won Silver for Virgin Mobile Australia: Game of Phones. GPY&R Sydney and VML won a Bronze for Colgate Equity: Grinners are Winners.

The full list of winners here:

GRAND PRIX

Also winner of the Product or Service Innovation Award. Optus: Clever buoy. M&C Saatchi Sydney / Optus / Australia

GOLD

• Also winner of the Channel Innovation Award. Kan Khajura Station: From the ‘dark’ to connectivity. Lowe & Partners and PHD India / Unilever India / India
• Also winner of the Technology-led Innovation Award. The University of Engineering and Technology Admissions: Potable water generator. MediaConnection BPN and FCB MAYO / The University of Engineering and Technology / Peru
• Lifebuoy: Help a child reach 5. Lowe Lintas + Partners / Unilever / Brazil, India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia

• SmartLife: SAPNA – how 17,793 nails changed the future of generations to come. FP7/DXB (Part of McCann Worldgroup) / SmartLife / United Arab Emirates
• Virgin Mobile Australia: Game of Phones. Starcom MediaVest Group / Virgin Mobile Australia / Australia

SILVER

• Audi: Instant valuation billboard. ALMAP BBDO / Audi / Brazil
• Depaul UK: Also winner of the Category Innovation Award. Don’t raise money, make money. Publicis London / Depaul International / United Kingdom
• Mercedes A Class: #YouDrive. AMVBBDO / Mercedes-Benz / United Kingdom
• Ponle Corazón: Searching for hearts. MediaConnection BPN and FCB MAYO / Peruana de Cáncer / Peru
• The University of Engineering and Technology Admissions: 1200 trees-like purifying billboard. MediaConnection BPN and FCB MAYO / The University of Engineering and Technology / Peru

BRONZE

• Antarctica: Beer ticket ALMAP BBDO / AmBev / Brazil
• Coca-Cola: Two Worlds. One Song. FP7/DXB (Part of McCann Worldgroup) / Coca-Cola Middle East / Middle East
• Colgate Equity: Grinners are winners. George Patterson Young & Rubicam Sydney and VML / Colgate / Australia
• Mercedes-Benz: Sound with power. AMVBBDO / Mercedes-Benz / United Kingdom
• SmartLife: Adopt-a-labourer’s hello education. FP7/DXB (Part of McCann Worldgroup) / SmartLife / United Arab Emirates
• Vodafone: Ghita the social shepherd. BVMcCann Erickson Romania / Vodafone Romania / Romania

Nigel Jones, global chief strategy officer at FCB Global, pointed to “utility” as a theme that emerged strongly from this year’s entries. “Most of the winning case studies have utility built into them,” he said. “Utility is a big part of innovation today. When I came into the industry it was more about insight.”

Daniele Fiandaca, former head of innovation at Cheil Worldwide, argued that the ad industry had failed to keep up with innovation in other sectors. “There is a risk that people see tech as innovation. But innovation doesn’t have to involve tech. Quite a few entries on the shortlist did not use technology.”