Most awards applaud single pieces of work. Young Guns is different. It’s only open to creatives under 30 and it awards portfolios.

Young Guns is open to both members and nonmembers of The One Club and ADC and is the industry’s only international, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition for young creatives.

It usually attracts entries from more than 70 countries and winners receive a Young Guns Cube to add to their C.V. and their profile added permanently to the Young Guns website.

They also receive a complimentary one-year ADC/One Club membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, a chance to be featured in Young Guns events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from Young Guns sponsors.

The program is open to creatives age 30 and under who have been working for at least two years, full-time or freelance. Eligible entrants can submit a combination of professional and personal work in graphic design; advertising art direction and copywriting; architectural, environmental and interior design; industrial and product design; digital (UX/UI, experiential design, interactive, web design, apps, game development): film and animation (motion design, television, video); fashion; typography and lettering; illustration and photography.

The online entry system is open now, with a deadline of July 31, 2017, 11:59 pm EST.

Entry fee is US$100 for The One Club and ADC members, US$150 for nonmembers. This year’s winners will be awarded at the Young Guns 15 celebration and party on November 17, 2017 in New York.

Many past Young Guns have gone on to become leaders in their chosen fields including:

• Graphic designers, James Victore (YG1), Stefan Sagmeister (YG1) and Jessica Walsh (YG8)
• Advertising creatives, Rei Inamoto (YG4) and Menno Kluin (YG6)
• Illustrators, Christoph Niemann (YG2) and Deanne Cheuk (YG4)
• Photographers, Ryan McGuinness (YG2) and Jeremy Floto/Cassandra Warner (aka floto+warner, YG5)
• Typographers, Alex Trochut (YG6) and Gemma O’Brien (YG13)
• Film and video director, Mike Mills
• Animation artist, Todd St. John (YG1)

“Young Guns has established a strong and unique place in the creative world for considering a body of both professional and personal work from an individual, not just a single ad or design,” stated Michael O’Rourke, executive director, ADC.

“Winning is special because we’re celebrating a creative person’s individuality. For young talent who usually don’t get the spotlight, Young Guns provides a global stage on which they can be recognised.”

Branding for Young Guns 15 was provided by Roanne Adams (YG9), founder and creative director at RoAndCo. Young Guns 15’s major sponsors are Shutterstock and Levine/Leavitt.