D&AD Awards 2025 FAQs

Got a question? Here are some of the common questions our entrants ask us, grouped by topics.

Key Dates
Eligibility
Prices and Payments
Creating an Entry
Physical Materials
Credits
​D&AD Impact
Judging Process
​Results
​Contact Us

More questions? We'll do all we can to answer them. Head over to our Awards page, or if you're stuck, you can contact us on +44 (0) 20 7840 1111 or awards@dandad.org.

Super Early Bird (30% off)
Payment Deadline: 4 December 2024*
Submission Deadline: 11 December 2024
Physical Shipment Deadline : 15 January 2025

Early Bird (20% off)
Payment Deadline: 5 February 2025*
Submission Deadline: 12 February 2025
Physical Shipment Deadline: 26 February 2025

Final Deadline
Payment Deadline: 12 March 2025*
Submission Deadline: 19 March 2025
Physical Shipment Deadline: 2 April 2025
*Payment options include credit cards or BACS, and invoices must be settled within 7 days of issuance. Please see our Terms & Conditions for further information.

Shortlists Announced: 20-21 May 2025
D&AD Festival: 21-22 May 2025
Awards Ceremony: 22 May 2025
D&AD Annual Launch: September 2025

What's the difference between the payment deadline and the submission deadline?
The Payment Deadline is the date by which you are required to complete the payment for your entries. Paying on or before the Super Early Bird or Early Bird Payment Deadline can earn you discounts of up to 20-30%. After the Payment Deadline, you will have an additional week to submit your work.

On the other hand, the Submission Deadline refers to the date by which you must submit your entries. These deadlines are consistently set one week after each tiered payment deadline. It's crucial to ensure that your entries are 100% completed before submitting. Failing to do so by the respective deadline will result in charges reflecting the price difference between tiers. For specific dates of both deadlines, please refer to the dates above.

When do D&AD Awards entries open?
Entries for the D&AD Awards 2025 open on 6 November 2024.

When will entries close?
Entries will close after the Final Payment Deadline 12 March. This means that if you didn’t pay on the Super Early Bird or Early Bird deadlines, you will have to pay by this date, and will have until 19 March to finalise your entries.

When is the deadline to post my entry materials?
For Entries paid for on or before the Super Early Bird deadline of 4 December 2024, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 15 January 2025.

It's important to note our offices will be closed from 19 December 2024 to 1 January 2025 for the Christmas and New Year break. Please ensure your packages arrive either before or after these dates, as we cannot guarantee we'll be able to sign for deliveries during this period.

For Entries paid for after 4 December 2024 but before the Early Bird deadline of 5 February 2025, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 26 February 2025.

For Entries paid for after 5 February 2024 but before the Entry deadline of 12 March 2025, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 2 April 2025.

What are the eligibility rules?
To be eligible, work must have been:

• Commercially released between 1 January 2024 and 16 April 2025*
• Produced in response to a genuine brief from a client or approved by a client
• Made available to the public through legal mediums
• Approved and paid for by the client 

*Alternative eligibility windows apply to the following categories: Digital Design/Incremental, Digital Design/Beta, Product Design/Prototypes, Integrated/Established Campaigns, PR/Established Campaigns, New Brand Identity, Brand Identity Refresh, Impact, Future Impact and Sustained Impact. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for more information.

What are the eligibility dates?
Work must have been commercially released between January 1 2024 - 16 April 2025 *. Alternative eligibility windows apply to the following categories:

New Brand Identity & Brand Identity Refresh
Entries in these categories must have been commercially released and launched, significantly changed or updated between 1 January 2023 and 15 April 2025.

Digital Design / Incremental
The changes must have taken place between 1 January 2022 and 16 April 2025.

Digital Design / Beta
The beta version of a platform, app or technology must have been released for the final stages of audience testing within the Awards Qualifying Entry Period.

Product Design / Prototypes
The prototype must have been released for audience testing within the Awards Qualifying Entry Period.

Integrated / Established Campaigns & PR / Established Campaigns
Campaigns must have been launched prior to 1 January 2024 and be commercially active within the Awards Qualifying Entry Period.

Impact
Entries in the Impact category are subject to a qualifying entry period of 1 January 2022 and 16 April 2025. In accordance with general awards rules, work can be re-submitted year-on-year, provided it has been developed or significantly changed.

Sustained Impact
Entries in the Sustained Impact category must have been commercially released and launched, significantly changed or updated between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2023 with evident increased impact between 1 January 2024 and 16 April 2025.

My work was created before the eligibility dates, can I still enter?
If the work was released for the first time before 1 January 2024 it is eligible only under one of these two conditions:

• The majority of the work was launched between 1 January 2024 and 16 April 2025 (only applies to campaign entries).
• The work was changed/updated then re-launched between 1 January 2024 and 16 April 2025, having undergone a significant creative development.

Nb. Some subcategories do permit work that was released for the first time before 1 January 2023. See question, What are the eligibility dates? for details.

Can two companies enter the same work?
Two different entrants cannot enter the same work within the same sub-category. If your project is a collaboration with other companies/individuals, check they haven’t entered it first. In case of duplicate entries, we will only accept the entry that was paid first.

Can I enter work if I am the client?
Yes, clients can enter work produced for them either internally or by an external agency (as long as it has not been entered by the external agency in the same category) – see previous question.

Can I enter work done for free for a charity?
Yes, however, to be eligible there must be a contractual relationship between the charity and entrant agency. If the media/ airtime was provided pro-bono we reserve the right to ask for confirmation from the media owner.

Can I enter work that features the D&AD brand?
No. We do not accept entries where D&AD is the primary and/or secondary client, or where D&AD is associated with the work. This includes work that features and/or promotes the D&AD brand.

Can I enter self-initiated or self-promotional projects?
Self-promotional work is a piece of work created by a freelancer or company with the purpose of showcasing and promoting their practice. This usually includes, but is not limited to, booklets, magazines, guides or websites. Self-promotional work is eligible only if it was commercially released and made available to existing and potential customers. It must not include any third-party names, trade marks, logos and/or any other third-party intellectual property, and must not falsely claim, suggest or imply any association with a third party.

On the other hand, self-initiated work refers to a piece of work that wasn't commissioned, and was deliberately created by a freelancer or a company about a general topic, unrelated to their own practice. This is generally not accepted.

If you’re unsure about your work being eligible, please contact awards@dandad.org

Do you accept work created for the purpose of entering competitions?
Work produced in response to a competition is only eligible if it was commercially released, and if it was signed off by the client it represents.

Are you accepting entries from Russian companies or individuals this year?
In 2022, D&AD announced it will not be accepting entries from Russian companies or individuals based in Russia to the Awards. The ban against Russian entries remains for 2025.

Can Ukrainian companies and individuals enter for free this year?
Entries from Ukraine will continue to be accepted free of charge in 2025. Please contact our team to obtain a discount code.

How much does it cost to enter?
The price to submit each individual work depends on the category that is being entered. Details of pricing are listed on the category pages, as well as the Entry Fees page 11-13 on our Entry Kit.

Please note that these prices do not include VAT; VAT is only applicable for UK entrants, and will be added on check-out.

What payment methods are accepted?
Bank transfers (BACS) and credit card payments. Cheques are not accepted. For bank transfers, the total amount must be transferred within seven days of completing your entry online.

Can I get a discount on entries?
All entries submitted before the Super Early Bird deadline of midnight on 4 December 2024 GMT will receive 30% off.

Entries submitted during the Early Bird window of 5 December 2024 - 5 February 2024 will receive 20% off.

All entries submitted post 6 February 2024 will be subject to final deadline fee.

Overview of pricing are listed in the Entry Kit on page 11-13. You can also find the pricing listed on the category pages.

Freelancers, businesses with less than 10 employees and non profits get a 30% discount on entries. Contact us at awards@dandad.org to obtain a discount code. We strongly advise obtaining the discount code well ahead of the deadline to avoid any potential issues; the code remains valid until the submission period closes.

I forgot to add my discount code during checkout, can this be added on?
If your entry hasn’t been paid for, you can return to the checkout page to enter your discount code. Under 'Discount code', copy and paste the code and don't forget to click the 'Apply' button.

Discount codes must be used at the point of payment on the entry site and can not be redeemed or refunded retrospectively.

Discount code not working
If you find that your discount code isn't working, please check the below:

• You can only use the discount code once. Once you've applied the code, it is no longer valid.
• As our discount codes vary, so do the terms and conditions of each. Make sure you check when you receive any codes as some may only be valid for certain categories.

If your discount code is still not working after checking all of the above, please get in touch with our Team so we can help you further.

My payment was declined, what should I do?
1. Please pay for your entry again
If your payment has been declined, then you'll need to try to pay for your entry again.

2. Make the relevant checks
To help ensure your entry is not declined during checkout, we suggest checking the following:

• Check the card details during checkout to make sure the information is correct. For example, the expiry date or your billing address.
• Make sure you enter the security code correctly - that's the three digit number on the back of your card.
• Your card issuer may have declined your payment - as we're unable to resolve this issue, please contact your bank for further information.
• If your payment has been declined through the 3D secure security measures, then you’ll need to contact your bank for further information.
• If you've checked all of the above, try paying with another card or through bank transfer (BACS)

3. Contact us
If you've received an error message, contact our Team with as many details as you can about the issue - including the error messages you receive, and we'll try to resolve it as soon as we can.

Where's my invoice?
There are two ways you can get a copy of your invoice: via email, once you have paid, or in your account. To do so, head to ‘My D&AD’ and go to the ‘My Awards Entry Invoices’ section in your account.

What are you bank details?
The Royal Bank of Scotland,
London Drummonds,
49 Charing Cross,
Admiralty Arch,
London,
SW1A 2DX

Account Name: D&AD
Sort Code: 16-00-38
Account No: 10199910
IBAN: GB14 RBOS1600 3810 199910
BIC/SWIFT: RBOS GB 2L
VAT Registration No: 240 6465 76

Currency price differences
There is a difference between prices in GBP, USD and EUR. Our prices do not reflect the current international exchange rates. Our entry fees have been established in comparison to the average entry fees of other major awards in different markets and currencies. As such if you are paying in British Pounds you will be paying a different amount than if you are paying in USD or Euros.

You can choose to pay in any currency, including GBP, if that is more convenient for you. Please note we will then charge you in GBP so if you are paying from an account in Euros/USDs you have to take the conversion rates into account.

Can I get a refund?
You will only be eligible for a refund if you withdraw your entry within 48 hours of making payment by credit card, or by raising an invoice to pay via BACS. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions.

Where does the money I spend on my entries go?
What people often don’t realise is that D&AD is a charity. In fact, everything we do is about inspiring the next generation of creative talent, improving their access to the industry, and nurturing and developing their skills. Thanks to the Awards, we are uniquely positioned to bring insights on creative excellence to aspiring creatives, providing free or heavily subsidised educational tools, and creating new, more accessible routes into the industry. We do this through our suite of New Blood programmes - which have been helping aspiring creatives realise their potential for 40 years. It’s a critical bridge between education and the world of work. In 2023, we provided over 195,000 vocational learning opportunities to emerging creatives. So, enter not just for a chance at the glory, but to contribute to our mission to make the creative world stronger, fairer and more open for everyone. To find out more about our new blood programmes please visit dandad.org or contact us on newblood@dandad.org.

Which categories should I enter my creative work into?
The full list of categories is included in the Entry Kit. You may enter the same work into as many categories as you like. The only exception to this is Future Impact. Work entered into this category will only be eligible for Product Design/Prototypes, and Digital Design/Beta, subject to meeting their criteria.

Need help with your entry? Please contact one of our regional account managers. Details are provided in the Contact section below and on Page 103 of the Entry Kit.

How do I create an entry?
To create an entry, log into your account and click on our Entry Site. From there, you can create an entry by entering your project name and selecting your category, subcategory, and type of work (if applicable). Once the entry is created, you'll be able to input your entry details and upload any necessary assets.

Are there any walkthrough videos available to help me with creating an entry?
Yes, we offer detailed walkthrough videos that guide you through each step of the entry process. You can find the videos on our entry site's Help section. If you need further assistance, feel free to contact our support team.

Where can I find the entry kit or submission format specifications?
You can download our Entry Kit which includes all of our categories and submission formats we require you to submit. We also have French, Spanish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese and Japanese versions of our entry kit which you can find here.

For more detailed description and specifications of our submission formats, including examples, you can download our Entry Submission Guide here.

Can I pay first and finalise my entry later?
Yes, you can. You're able to pay straight after creating an entry and dependant on the deadline tier you paid for, you have until the corresponding submission deadline to submit your entry.

For example: If you paid for your entry during Super Early Bird tier (before 4 December 2024), you will have until 11 December 2024 to finalise and submit your entry. Your entry must be 100% completed in order for the 'Submit' button to appear and your entry is submitted once you've clicked on the 'Submit' button. Please note if you fail to submit by the corresponding Submission Deadline, you may be charged the difference between the tiers.

Can I make changes to entries after I have paid?
Once you have paid for an entry, you can no longer change the Category, Subcategory and, where applicable, the type of execution and type of work.

You have until the relevant submission deadline to add, remove and replace any materials forming part of your entry (please refer to the submission deadline dates above). After submitting your entry you are unable to make further changes.

If you fail to submit your entry before the submission deadline, the price difference between the deadline tiers will be charged.

Please note in the event that you fail to submit your work by the final submission deadline (19 March 2025) and all mandatory fields are completed, your work will be automatically submitted into the Awards. If any mandatory fields are incomplete after 19 March, your work will not be entered and no refunds will be given.

Do I need to provide translations?
Yes. If your work was not originally released in English, you need to submit the work in its original language, alongside a translation. For films, this means subtitles. For non-film work, simply type up your translation online. We do not accept translations as a separate document or film.

Please note that we do not accept translations in Writing for Advertising and Writing for Design categories — entries here are only accepted if originally released in English. This is to ensure that the writing is judged fairly and not based on translations.

What supporting information do I need to provide for my entries?
Please check the bottom of each category page in the Entry Kit. Further details can be found under 'Supporting Information' in our Entry Submission Guide here. You will be asked to provide supporting information when completing your online submission. Judges love to know the facts, so keep your written information short and to the point.

Can I request an extension if I don't submit my entry by the deadline?
Unfortunately, if you miss the submission deadline for your chosen tier, you will incur additional fees. We are unable to grant extensions on the submission deadline, as our operational costs increase after this date, necessitating the implementation of the next tier pricing. If you need further assistance, please contact our support team.

Why do I need to submit reference images?
Any physical submissions entered will be required to supply 1-5 Reference Images, which will be used for our judges to familiarise themselves with the work before they judge onsite. The images will also be used if your work is successful, for our winners page, D&AD Ceremony and any social/ press releases.

Can I withdraw an entry?
If you would like to withdraw your entry for any reason, you must give written notice to D&AD by emailing our awards team at awards@dandad.org, providing sufficient detail to enable D&AD to identify the relevant entry.

When is the deadline to post my entry materials?
For Entries paid for on or before the Super Earlybird deadline of 4 December 2024, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 15 January 2025.

Please note, our offices will be closed from 19 December 2024 to 1 January 2025 for the Christmas and New Year break. Please ensure your packages arrive either before or after these dates for the Super Earlybird deadline, as we cannot guarantee we'll be able to sign for deliveries during this period.

For Entries paid for after 5 December 2024 but before the Earlybird deadline of 5 February 2025, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 26 February 2025.

For Entries paid for after 5 February 2025 during our Final deadline, any supporting physical materials must be received by D&AD on or before 2 April 2025.

Do I need to label my physical materials?
Yes, it is important to attach the labels onto your physical item as this helps the team identify your entry when it arrives to our office.

Once you have submitted your entry, you will be able to download the labels. Please note only selected categories require physical materials. If the category you have selected does not require physical materials, labels will not be generated after you have submitted the entry.

I can't find/download the labels?
Labels are only available for selected categories that require physical items. Please refer to the category's page to check if we require any physical items for the subcategory.

If the category you have selected requires physical materials, you can download the labels on the dashboard once the entry has been submitted.

If you are still having issues accessing the labels, please reach out to team.

How do I label my entries for posting?
There are three types of entry labels:

• Physical Material
  Please attach the entry label with removable tape on the underside of the item. If you are showing more than one execution repeat this step and attach all the corresponding labels. If items are small, group them together, for example in an envelope.
• Poster/s Mounted or Poster/s Unmounted
  Please attach the entry label with removable tape on the back left side of your poster. If you are showing more than one execution repeat this step and attach all the corresponding labels.
• Printed Publications
  Please attach the label with removable tape at the bottom right-hand corner on the back page of your work. If you are showing more than one execution repeat this step and attach all the corresponding labels.

What address do I send entries to?
Our address is: D&AD Awards, 64 Cheshire Street, London, E2 6EH, United Kingdom.

You’ll also find this address on the labels once you've submitted your online submission. If you use a courier service, please note, our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm.

How do I send work from outside the UK?
Mark your package as 'Competition material: no commercial value'. If you need to indicate the value of the goods in the package, use a token value, for example $1 per entry. Please make sure you have settled all shipping costs and customs fees before sending your entries. If not, your package will be held up in customs or refused at our office because of unpaid shipping costs.

How will I know if my package has arrived?
If we have not received your package, our Awards team will be in touch.

Can you return my work to me?
D&AD do not return physical materials once judging is complete and will store or discard materials at our discretion.

If you would like to request that your work is returned to you, please contact D&AD in writing no later than 19 March 2025. If we are able to fulfil your request, you will be required to collect the work no later than 30 June 2025 and will be solely responsible for all associated costs. Please email awards@dandad.org for more information.

Do I need to add all the credits for the work at the moment of entry?
When submitting your entry, you will be asked to provide an initial list of primary credits.

What are the primary credits you require?
At the moment of entry, you will be asked to submit the following credits:

• Entrant Company (mandatory for every category)
• Client (mandatory for every category)
• Secondary Client (if applicable)
• Brand (if applicable)
• Advertising Agency (mandatory depending on category)
• Design Agency (mandatory depending on category)
• Production Company (mandatory depending on category)

You can find the list of mandatory primary credits required for each category in our Entry Submission Guide.

Why do you require primary credits?
If your entry is successful, primary credits will be displayed with your work at our Awards Ceremony.

Advertising agency, design agency and production company credits will also be included in our rankings calculations.

What about the rest of the team that worked on the entry? How do I give them credits?
If your entry is successful, we will also contact you to provide a full list of credits.

This is your chance to credit any further companies or individuals that worked on the project.

These additional credits will be published on our website and digital annual alongside your work and will be included in the rankings calculations.

What is D&AD Impact?
D&AD Impact celebrates creative ideas that are driving the success of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It also helps creative ideas grow, by providing mentoring, training, visibility and funding to work that shows potential.

Anyone using creative thinking to drive positive change can enter; whether you’re an agency, brand, nonprofit, government organisation, academic institute, a collective or a solopreneur.

Impact exists within the D&AD Awards as three categories - Impact, Future Impact and Sustained Impact.

What can I enter?
You can only enter work into one category, so make sure you pick the one that's right for you.

The Impact category is for campaign communications, designs and initiatives that are driving the success of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Work must have been commercially released between 1 January 2022 - 16 April 2025. Entrants must be able to demonstrate behavioural, environmental, social or policy change that's happened as a direct result of the work. Entrants have the chance to win a Wood, Graphite, White or Black Pencil and are eligible to enter all other categories in the D&AD Awards (except Future Impact). In accordance with general awards rules, work can be re-submitted year-on-year, provided it has been developed or significantly changed. If the work has not changed but the impact of the work has measurably increased over time, Entries must be submitted into the Sustained Impact category.

The Future Impact category early-stage designs and initiatives, still in research and development, that can demonstrate potential to drive the success of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Work in this category is in development and has yet to be commercially released, for example prototypes and MVPs. All work must have been developed or significantly changed between 1 January 2024 and 18 April 2025. It must have proof of concept and be commercially viable. Awarded entrants will have the right to apply for a grant from a £25,000 D&AD Impact Fund to develop their work and are invited to take part in the D&AD Impact Programme; a 12-month package of training and visibility that supports project owners with the ideation, launch and early growth of their work.Winners will also receive a D&AD Future Impact Pencil. Work entered into Future Impact is not eligible for any other Awards categories except Product Design/Prototypes, and Digital Design/Beta.

The Sustained Impact category is for campaigns, designs and initiatives that are driving the success of the UN Sustainable Development Goals over a sustained amount of time. Entrants must be able to demonstrate behavioural, environmental, social or policy change that has increased over time, and that was generated as a direct result of the work. Entrants have the chance to win a Wood, Graphite, White or Black Pencil and are eligible to enter all other categories in the D&AD Awards (except Future Impact). Work have been commercially released and launched, significantly changed or updated between 1 January 2020 and 16 April 2025 with evident increased impact between 1 January 2024 and 16 April 2025.

Are open-source designs eligible?
Open-source designs made available to the public within the Awards eligibility period are considered commercially available and therefore eligible to enter the Awards, subject to meeting the relevant Awards Terms & Conditions.

Can I enter my work into Future Impact if it’s commercially released?
Commercially released work will only be accepted in exceptional cases, where the work has not made a tangible impact yet and would benefit from the support of the D&AD Impact Programme and a development grant from the D&AD Impact Fund. Work that has been commercially released and can demonstrate effectiveness should be entered into Impact.

What happens if I enter my work into more than one Impact category?
In the event that work is submitted into multiple Impact categories, D&AD will assess the suitability of each category and withdraw one of the projects. You will not be eligible for a refund. If you are unsure where your work fits, please contact the D&AD Awards team for guidance.

What are the Judges looking for?
Judges are looking for innovative and inspiring uses of creativity to stimulate change and benefit society. This means that work must be responding to one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. You will be asked to specify which one(s) the work is responding to as part of your submission. You can find out more about the Goals here.

In the Impact category, judges will award work that has stimulated change in one of four areas - behaviour, environment, society or policy. Winning work must be able to prove that any change is a direct result of the work submitted. The work must be fit for purpose, that is, it must do the job it was designed to do.

In the Future Impact category, judges will be awarding work that demonstrates it's potential to make an impact once commercially released. Work must have proof of concept and demonstrate it's both scalable and commercially viable.

In the Sustained Impact category, judges will award work that drives at least one of the UN SDGs and has tangibly resulted in increased behavioural, environmental, social or policy change over time.

What can I win?
All shortlisted work will appear in the D&AD Annual, available online and freely accessible to tens of thousands of creative companies and practitioners globally.

Shortlisted entrants in the Future Impact category will be invited to apply for a development grant access to a £25,000 D&AD Impact Fund and offered places for project owners on the D&AD Impact Programme; a 12-month package of training and visibility that supports project owners with the ideation, launch and early growth of their work. The Impact Fund will be allocated by the D&AD Impact Council and must be spent on developing the awarded work within 12 months of being received.

Winning entrants in the Impact category will receive a Wood, Graphite, White or Black Pencil, feature in the D&AD Awards Ceremony and will have trees planted in recognition of their work with Everclime.

Winning entrants in the Future Impact category will receive a Future Impact Pencil, feature in the D&AD Awards Ceremony and will have trees planted in recognition of their work with Everclime.

Why is there no Yellow Pencil level in the Impact category?
The White Pencil replaces the Yellow Pencil in the Impact category. The White Pencil goes beyond creative excellence, to represent exceptional projects that use the power of creativity to drive behavioural, environmental, societal or policy change. The White Pencil was first conceived in 2011. Read more about its origin here.

What is the D&AD Impact Programme?
Available to all Shortlisted Entrants in the Future Impact category, the D&AD Impact Programme is a 12-month package of training and visibility that supports project owners with the ideation, launch and early growth of their work. The Programme is created with support from D&AD trainers and the D&AD Impact Council. Our mission? To enable a cohort of Future Impacters to deliver tangible impact within 12 months.

The cohort are known as the D&AD Impacters and typically include individuals, organisations and teams working on prototypes, MVPs, beta versions or initiatives.

The programme includes:

• Access to the D&AD on-demand courses for 12 months, and a spot at a live Masterclass of your choosing
• Opportunity to ask for support from the Impact Council to developing your project
• Opportunity to present to the Impact Council at the Impact Showcase when the programme is complete
• Free entry into the D&AD Awards Impact category, valid for 3 years
• For more information on what the programme entails, please visit the D&AD Impact page. Nb. D&AD reserves the right to alter elements of the Programme, or cancel the Programme in its entirety, if fewer than 20 participants confirm their commitment.

How do I access the Impact Fund?
If you are Shortlisted in the Future Impact category, you will be contacted and asked if you would like to apply for a grant to develop your work. You can apply for all, or part, of the £25,000 fund. Money must be spent only in relation to the project or work that was awarded and within 12 months from the date it is received.

The Impact Council will meet to consider applications in September 2025. Funds will be awarded entirely at the judges’ discretion and depending on the quality of applications from eligible Entrants.

Please note: D&AD does not claim any ownership of, or rights in, the applicant’s project and nor does it expect any financial returns where funds have been awarded to an Entrant.

How much does it cost to enter?
Prices start at £352 to enter work in the Impact and Sustained Impact category.

Prices start at just £22 to enter work in the Future Impact category.

Why is it so much cheaper to enter the Future Impact category?
The entry fees for Future Impact are set at a lower rate to be more accommodating to student and solopreneurs, helping D&AD support the next generation of impacters.

When does judging take place?
Entry and judging for D&AD Impact happens at the same time as the D&AD Awards. Winners will be announced at the D&AD Awards Ceremony on 22 May 2025.

How will my work be judged?
​When assessing the work, Judges will consider a set of criteria specific to the category. For details, please see page 5 of the Entry Kit.

Can I be a judge?
We are always looking for fair representation across the creative industry, a diversity of voices and above all exceptional talent. We always welcome any Judge recommendations. If you're able to fill out the following form here, that would be fantastic.

When will I know if my work is successful?
Shortlists will be announced on 20-21 May 2025. D&AD Pencil winners will be announced at the D&AD Awards Ceremony on 22 May 2025.

During judging we will send an official confirmation of the results to the person registered as the main contact for the entries.

What do the award levels mean?
Shortlist: Work that demonstrates merit, worthy of recognition and in the top echelon of entries. It’s awarded in all categories in the first instance.

Wood Pencil: The best of the year in advertising, design, craft, culture and impact.

Graphite Pencil: For stand-out work that rises above the rest, worthy of consideration for a Yellow Pencil.

Yellow Pencil: The iconic D&AD Yellow Pencil, awarded only to outstanding work that achieves true creative excellence.

Black Pencil: The ultimate creative accolade, reserved for ground-breaking work. Only a handful of these are awarded each year, if any.

Future Impact Pencil: Awarded to work in the Future Impact category. Early-stage projects that demonstrate the potential to drive the UN SDGs and stimulate behavioural, environmental, societal or policy change through creativity. Both Pencil Winners and Shortlisted entrants will also receive a place on the D&AD Impact Programme and the right to apply for a development grant from the D&AD Impact Fund. See https://www.dandad.org/en/d-ad-impact/ for more information.

White Pencil: Replaces the Yellow Pencil in the Impact and Sustained Impact categories. Exceptional projects that use the power of creativity to drive the UN SDGs and stimulate behavioural, environmental, societal or policy change.
President's Award: Every year, D&AD honours an industry hero, a legend whose contribution to the industry has been nothing but inspirational. The recipient is chosen by the D&AD President and will be announced at the D&AD Awards Ceremony.

Companies of the Year: Pencil winners and shortlisted companies are allocated points for each win. The points are then accumulated to determine the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the following categories:

• Advertising Agency of the Year
• Design Agency of the Year
• Production Company of the Year
• Client of the Year
• Network of the Year
• Independent Agency of the Year
• Brand-side Agency of the Year
• Individual Creative Rankings of the Year

What happens if my work is successful?
All Shortlisted work will:

• Be celebrated by over 2.9 million views by over 2.7 millions visitors on the D&AD Winners pages, Archive and Rankings each year.
• Feature in the D&AD Annual, now online and freely accessible to tens of thousands of creative companies and practitioners globally. In 2023 the Annual reached a global audience of 200,000 people, three quarters of which are outside the UK.
• Get exhibited around the world at one of D&AD’s international exhibitions. Past venues include The Advertising Museum Tokyo, Louvre Museum Paris, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Design Institute, Arts Centre Melbourne.
• Have the chance to appear in the D&AD Content Series, with commentary from our judges.
• Inform D&AD Annual theme reports, which will be presented alongside winning work to agencies and clients all over the world.
• Be promoted through D&AD social media channels and the D&AD newsletter, reaching millions of creative professionals globally.
• Earn prestige amongst your peers, global media coverage for you and your company and points towards D&AD rankings.
• ​Give Future Impact entrants access to apply for to a £25,000 Impact Fund and a place on the D&AD Impact Programme.

In addition, all Pencil winning work will:

• Receive a coveted D&AD Pencil
• Receive points towards D&AD individual and company rankings
• Feature in the D&AD Awards Ceremony, live in London on 22 May 2025
• Have four trees planted in tribute to the work as part of D&AD's partnership with Everclime

Our awards team is on hand to help, wherever you are in the world. If you’ve begun entering and have a question, please contact one of our regional account managers:

UK, IRE & Northern Europe
Alex Knapp
E alex.knapp@dandad.org
T +44 (0)207 840 1172

North America
Keka Kukui'o'kalani
E keka@dandad.org
Central & Southern Europe/Latam

Pablo Aör Brandao
E pablo.brandao@dandad.org
T +44 (0)7903259626

Japan & Singapore
Kotoko Koya
E kotoko.koya@dandad.org
T +81 90 4736 5965

Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa
Katherine Chen
E katherine.chen@dandad.org
T +44 (0)7752 502 545
WeChat 微信 Dandadawards

For all other countries, please contact awards@dandad.org or call +44 (0)207 840 1111.