The One Club for Creativity has chosen thirty-one Young Gun winners this year from eleven countries. Submissions highlighting both professional and personal work were received from 40 countries and judged by a jury of eighty-two top creatives from thirty-two countries.
Young Guns 18 winners, and the disciplines they are recognised in, are:
- Ani Acopian, director, conceptual artist, Los Angeles (digital)
- Leo Aguirre, director, Austin/New York (film)
- Meshal Aljaser, filmmaker, Los Angeles (film)
- Mike Carson, multidisciplinary creative, Los Angeles (other)
- Debora Cheyenne, multidisciplinary artist, Los Angeles (illustration)
- Jess Colquhoun, filmmaker, Step Studio, Los Angeles (film)
- Eylul Duranagac, creative director, new media artist, Ouchhh Studio, Istanbul
- Yuval Haker, animation director, Brooklyn (animation)
- Natsuki Isa, art director, SHA Inc., Tokyo (graphic design)
- Mihailo Kalabic, digital artist, Belgrade (illustration)
- Denis Kilty, composer, sound designer, denis., Dublin (sound design)
- LEBASSIS, lettering artist, Rio de Janeiro (typography & lettering)
- Jaedoo Lee, illustrator, animator, New York (illustration)
- Xiaomei Liu, graphic designer, Transwhite Studio, Hangzhou (graphic design)
- Ana Perez Lopez, animator, director, London (animation)
- Fenn O’Meally, director, Smuggler, London (film)
- Tomoki Misato, director, stop motion animator, Tokyo (animation)
- Saad Moosajee, director, artist, New York (animation)
- June Park, designer, Brooklyn (graphic design)
- Gaul Porat, cinematographer, director of photography, New York/London (film)
- Zuzanna Rogatty, designer, COLLINS, New York/Honolulu
- rubberband. directors, Smuggler, New York (film)
- Tala Safié, graphic designer, New York (graphic design)
- Jimmy Simpson illustrator, animation director, Brooklyn (animation)
- Felix Soletic, director, The Mill, Los Angeles (animation)
- Jackson Tisi, director, New York (film)
- Twomuch Studio, digital studio, London (digital)
- Chan Wai Hon, graphic designer, Hong Kong (graphic design)
- Michelle Watt, photographer, Brooklyn (photography)
- Edward Yeung, creative director, Spotify, New York (advertising)
- Phillip Youmans, director, Smuggler, Los Angeles (film)
Information about each Young Guns 18 winner, with examples of their work and links to personal websites, can be viewed here.
“This latest class follows in the footsteps of past Young Guns winners as a diverse group of exciting new talent from around the world who push the creative boundaries in their fields,” stated Kevin Swanepoel, chief executive officer, The One Club. “They are blazing their own trail, and we’re proud to celebrate and elevate this next generation of creative leaders.”
This year’s Levine/Leavitt Artist In Residence Award by international artists management agency and Young Guns partner, Levine/Leavitt, went to YG18 winner, Yuval Haker.
The award is givenannually on the newly named Young Gun whose body of work truly stands out, as judged by an advisory board of industry professionals across a range of disciplines. Haker will receive a full year of professional development, guidance and mentorship from Levine/Leavitt to help advance his career.
Humour, anxiety, and play are a big part of Haker’s work, consisting of animation for music videos, commercials, short films and documentaries. His recent clients include Vox, Netflix, Sharpie, The Wall Street Journal, Square, Google, GE, Spotify, AIGA, Delta, Jack Daniel’s, Bloomberg, IBM, State Street Global Advisors and Centrum.
All Young Guns winners will receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this year’s incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website. Winners also receive a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity 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.
Young Guns 18 branding and design of the Cube award itself is recreated each year by a past Young Gun winner. This year’s YG18 branding and award were designed by Contino, New York, founded by creative director and YG9 winner, Jon Contino.
Young Guns 18 is made possible in part through the support of partners including Contino, Levine/Leavitt and Shutterstock.
