NZ scores one Yellow Pencil, one Graphite Pencil, 11 Wood Pencils at 2025 D&AD Awards; The Tuesday Club / Assembly wins Yellow Pencil for Animation
New Zealand has won one Yellow Pencil, one Graphite Pencil and 11 Wood Pencils at the 63rd D&AD Awards Ceremony, which has just wrapped up in London.
The Tuesday Club / Assembly has won a Yellow Pencil for AUT Traumatic Brain Injury Network / Headway – The Brain Injury Association ‘DOAHI’ in the Animation – Mixed Media category plus a Wood Pencil in Casting – Voice.
Colenso BBDO’s ‘Adoptable. By Pedigree’ Mars Petcare was awarded a Graphite Pencil ~ equal to Silver ~ in Direct – Press & Outdoor plus two Wood Pencils ~ equal to Bronze ~ one in Digital Marketing – Use of Emerging Technology and the other in Direct – Use of Emerging Technology.
DDB Group Aotearoa and Motion Sickness / FINCH / ED have won three Wood Pencils apiece. DDB’s Wood Pencils were all awarded for Vogel’s ‘Certified Toasters’ in Commerce – Acquisition & Retention, Commerce – Brand Partnership and Media – Collaboration, whilst Motion Sickness / FINCH / ED scored three Wood Pencils for New Zealand Herpes Foundation ‘Make New Zealand The Best Place in The World to Have Herpes’ in Integrated – Writing for Advertising, Digital – Writing for Design and Entertainment – Scripted Short Form.
Ogilvy Network ANZ / Glue Society / Boxcutter picked up a Wood Pencil for Bristol Myers Squibb x La Roche-Posay ‘The Spot’ in Pharma – Direct.
MJMA Architecture & Design / Haumi Warren / Mahoney Architects won a Wood Pencil for University of Auckland (Waipapa Taumata Rau) ‘HIWA Recreation Centre Cultural Overlay’ in Graphic Design – Environmental.
View the NZ Winners and Shortlists here.
The 63rd D&AD Awards Ceremony took place tonight (Thursday) in London, where 3 Black Pencils–the highest accolade in the creative industry–were awarded amongst a total of 668 Pencils.
This year, jurors emphasised the importance of the commercial viability of creative work – not just ideas for the sake of having ideas, but the impact these ideas have on business success and changing consumer behaviour.
This was evident in the 3 Black Pencil winners, which showcased the power of design in driving commercial value and behavioural change. For instance, Designing Paris 2024, entered by W Conran Design was selected for illustrating how design thinking can transform a city’s attitude and behavior. Additionally, Yellow Pencil winners in branding highlighted the effectiveness of design, where form and function can coexist.
There was also a noticeable resurgence of craftsmanship among this year’s D&AD Award winners. Jurors demanded exceptional craft across all categories, from Radio and Audio to Film. The message was clear: in a landscape filled with bland and automated work, looking good isn’t enough; it also needs to be well-crafted. The winners exemplified work that creates meaningful impact and engages audiences. Furthermore, there was a strong call to further define craft excellence and raise the standards in content creation, particularly evident in D&AD’s new Creator Content category.
This year saw entries being submitted from 86 countries worldwide, the highest ever in the awards’ history. Submissions make up over 30,000 pieces of work from 11,689 total entries.
The full list of D&AD Award winners was announced at the Southbank Centre, London on Thursday evening.
“This year’s D&AD Awards celebrated the power of design not just as a form of art, but as a catalyst for commercial success and behavioral change,” said Dara Lynch, CEO of D&AD. “With 3 prestigious Black Pencils awarded, the jurors emphasised that innovative ideas must possess both aesthetic appeal and tangible impact. As also seen in the winning entries, the resurgence of craftsmanship stands as a reminder that in an era of automation, true excellence lies in the thoughtful execution of ideas. It’s not enough to just look good, true creative excellence must also leave a lasting impression. The need to further define excellence in craft and raise the standards in areas such as content creation was clear.”
Black Pencil Winners
Three Black Pencils, reserved only for truly groundbreaking work, were awarded.
Designing Paris 2024 by W Conran Design won in Graphic Design
Judges from the Graphic Design category said that the campaign is a breakthrough for sports marketing and traditional sports marketing aesthetics, calling the design playful and scalable, with a unifying but distinctive feel that blends heritage and sport.
A$AP Rocky – Tailor Swif by Iconoclast LA won in Music Videos
This year’s Black Pencil winner for the Music Video category emphasises an overarching theme seen in various works: the importance of narrative storytelling, which highlights the structure of the narrative arc across different mediums and artistic disciplines. In particular, narrative music videos, such as those like “Tailor Swif”, feature long-form storytelling where the music is integral to the narrative, rather than being an afterthought.
Spreadbeats by FCB New York won in Digital Marketing
FCB New York have described their Black Pencil-winning work as, “Innovation through nostalgic technologies,” which is in line with the overarching theme across work this year that has seen brands hacking their way into events / sports / games with a cheeky idea.
Commenting on this year’s winners, D&AD Trustee Lisa Smith, Global Executive Creative Director, Jones Knowles Ritchie said: “It’s exciting to see so many brands and companies refreshing their identities. But judging has been challenging — too many entries follow the same established design codes and trends, making everything start to look and feel alike, regardless of category. The work that stood out — and was ultimately awarded — was the kind that breaks away from the expected: inspiring, well-crafted, and truly fit for purpose.”
DIVISION continued their winning streak and was named D&AD’s ‘Production Company of the Year’ for a fifth year in a row, while FCB New York won ‘Advertising Agency of the Year’.
Serviceplan and FCB won Independent Network of the Year and Network of the Year respectively, and Serviceplan Design was named Design Agency of the Year.
Chosen by this year’s D&AD President Kwame Taylor-Hayford, the 2025 D&AD President’s Award goes to Koichiro Tanaka, founder of interdisciplinary creative boutique Projector. Tanaka said:“I’m very honoured to receive this award. When I was a child, I didn’t get praised much – except by my mother. It took me years to be able to really take praise in. But now, I can say this: I’m truly happy. To receive this award from D&AD, which has lived longer than I have, and to feel part of its long story is now something I live with. Being recognised with care and an open heart is a special thing to me. I want to remember that – and think about how I can give something back to others, too. Thank you so much.”
D&AD President for 2025, Kwame Taylor-Hayford, Co-founder of Kin, reflects on his Award choice: “Koichiro Tanaka’s pioneering work at the intersection of storytelling, interactivity, and craft helped define a formative era in digital creativity. His career journey, bold ideas, and meticulous attention to detail have been a constant source of personal inspiration. It’s a true honor to present Ko with the President’s Award for his incredible achievements.”
2025 Overall Results
Companies of the Year
FCB New York: Advertising Agency of the Year
Serviceplan Design: Design Agency of the Year
DIVISION: Production Company of the Year
Apple: Client of the Year
Serviceplan: Independent Network of the Year
FCB: Network of the Year
Koichiro Tanaka: Recipient the President’s Award
The total number of Pencils awarded for the D&AD Awards 2025 by level:
Black: 3 Pencils awarded
White: 3 Pencils awarded
Yellow: 48 Pencils awarded
Graphite: 176 Pencils awarded
Wood: 434 Pencils awarded
Future Impact: 4 Pencils
All the Pencil-winning work and shortlisted entries are showcased on the D&AD website.
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