New York Festivals Advertising Awards and The Genius 100 Foundation have announced the four 2023 Genius 100 Inspiration Award winners for campaigns that demonstrated purpose-driven work and inspired social impact.
The 2023 New York Festivals Genius 100 Awards are:
Genius 100 Inspiration Award: Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore, Kami (the world’s first virtual influencer with Down Syndrome), for Down Syndrome International
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive The Genius 100 Inspiration Award. Kami may be the first virtual influencer with a disability, but we don’t want her to be the last. We hope that the inclusive model with which we built Kami inspires more people in the digital community to create a virtual world that has diversity at its core, and not as an afterthought.
“Kami is proof that we can all show up authentically in the virtual world. Disabilities like Down Syndrome are a part of the human condition that should never be erased. Kami is an agent of change, a revolutionary, and we are so happy that her legacy and impact are being recognized with this award,” stated Rachel Kennedy, group creative director, Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore.
Genius 100 Limitless Award: Havas Paris, Anne De Gaulle, for Foundation Anne de Gaulle
“Winning the New York Festivals Genius 100 Limitless Award is an amazing reward. I am so proud of my team, my agency and of course for the Anne de Gaulle Foundation. The campaign has been a tremendous success for the foundation in France. Even if it was not so easy to change the name of the largest airport in Europe. It was crazy but Havas Paris did it. I often say to my clients: Awards are amazing. But it is only a huge cherry on the cake. The cake is a successful campaign.
“But to be honest, to win a NYF Genius 100…. what a cherry!!! Thank you, New York Festivals, Thank you to the jury,” Stéphane Gaubert, chief creative officer, Havas Paris
Genius 100 Product of the Year: VMLY&R Melbourne, FitChix, for Honest Eggs Company
“The humble egg was first laid some 312 million years ago. But now we’ve finally improved it with FitChix – a feather camouflaged, lightweight fitness tracker featuring GPS and bespoke software. By bringing data from the farm to the supermarket shelf we’ve helped people make more ethical food choices. This has been a real breakthrough moment for our client Honest Eggs Co. and we both couldn’t be happier to be recognised as the Genius 100 Product of the Year,” stated Kieran Moroney, creative director, VMLY&R Melbourne
Genius 100 Idea of the Year – FP7McCann Dubai, Wall Street Balls, for Testicular Cancer Society
“I’m extremely thrilled and honoured for this recognition. To be awarded as the 100 genius ideas is a priceless privilege and a great validation of the love, the dedication, and the patience of the team behind the work. I couldn’t be more grateful to my wonderful FP7MCCAN Dubai team and to our supportive client and friend Mike Craycraft from the TesticularCancerSociety. Without the relentless passion of this army of wonderful people, I wouldn’t be here today celebrating this achievement,” stated Federico Fanti, chief creative officer MENAT, FP7 McCann Dubai.
“The award-winning entries selected by the Genius 100 Jury are the epitome of purpose-driven creative work that is both inspirational and impactful. We are honoured to celebrate along with our partner, the Genius 100 Foundation, cutting-edge creative work employing impactful big ideas that have the potential to changes lives,” stated Scott Rose, president of New York Festivals Advertising Awards.
“We were absolutely awed by the incredible, inspiring work that was submitted for the 2023 Genius Awards. It was a global display of poignant, powerful, impactful, and critically important messages that need to be heard,” added Hilarie Viener, chief executive officer, Genius 100 Foundation.
The 2023 NYF Genius Awards were judged by a panel of 100 globally recognised, accomplished, and compassionate minds, representing an impressive cross-section of fields.
2023 Genius 100 Foundation Jury:
* Jose Miguel Sokoloff, Chief Creative Officer, MullenLowe Group UK and President, MullenLowe Group Creative Council.
* Chris Bertish, world renown ocean preservation pioneer, activist, author, Guinness World record holder and Big Waves Surfing Maverick Champion.
* Amal Elsana Alh’jooj, Nobel Peace Prize laureate within the framework of the “one thousand women submissions project”, founder of Ajeec and one of Israel’s most highly regarded civic activists.
* Ron Arad, London-based Israeli industrial designer, artist, and architectural designer whose work spans many countries.
* Maggie MacDonnell, School teacher in a fly-in Inuit village called Salluit, nestled in the Canadian arctic and recipient of the 2017 Global Teacher Prize.
* Rick Hanson, Paralympic athlete, activist, and philanthropist for people with disabilities and founder, Rick Hansen Foundation.
* Eduardo Marturet, Music director and conductor of the Miami Symphony Orchestra (miso).
* Esteemed members of the Genius 100 executive team: Rami Kleinmann (Co-Founder), Helen Hatzis (CCO), and Hilarie Viener (CEO).
For 2023, the Genius Inspiration Award expanded to include three additional awards for 2023: Genius 100 Product of the Year Award, Genius 100 Idea of the Year Award, and Genius 100 Limitless Award.
Proceeds from entry fees into the Genius 100 Limitless Award will be donated to Luv Michael, a NYC-based 501c3 non-profit dedicated to training, educating, and employing autistic adults and improving the lives of the autistic community beyond the lives of their parents. Proceeds from the entry fees for the Genius 100 Inspiration, Idea of the Year and Product of the Year Awards will be donated to the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.
