D&AD Awards
Be seen and celebrated by the best in the industry
D&AD Pencils
If you’re already credited on a winning entry from any year, there’s a D&AD Pencil with your name on it.
About the D&AD Pencils
Since 1962, the D&AD Pencil has represented the very best in design and advertising. Winning a Pencil remains the pinnacle of many careers and the work it celebrates inspires others to study, debate, copy and reference its excellence, as the industry’s finest and most historic of treasures.
D&AD Award Levels
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.
The D&AD Forest Grows
We have been planting a tree for every pencil awarded for the last 3 years, but in an update to this work we have joined up with Everclime to increase the number of trees planted to an average of 4 for every pencil awarded.
This exciting new partnership will allow D&AD to:
—Plant an estimated 5k Seed Pods per awards cycle
—Restore an estimated 62,500m2 of Forestry per awards cycle
—Sequester an estimated 3-10 tonnes of Carbon per awards cycle
—Send everyone who wins a pencil tangible evidence of the trees planted on their behalf
—Connect our community with video content of the project and updates on progress on tree planting, germination, and growth, via the Everclime platform
By working with Everclime, the D&AD community will be directly connected to legacy impact. Dynamic profile pages will showcase and demonstrate the investment and impact generated by our pencil winners.
In 2024, our seed pods will go to NSW in Australia, contributing to a project that establishes koala habitat and food trees (swamp mahogany Eucalyptus robusta) within the Cattai Wetlands after bushfire and flooding events caused widespread damage in 2019–2020.
Previously farmland, the 500ha Cattai Wetland area has been an ongoing restoration project for almost 20 years. Remediation of acid sulphate soils to protect surrounding waterways is a major focus of the restoration project.
During our two-year partnership with The Other Dada, we've planted over 1,300 trees in Lebanon. Find out more about the Pencil for a tree initiative below.
Category Awards
Future Impact Pencil
Early-stage projects that demonstrate the potential to drive behavioural, environmental, societal or policy change through creativity. Awarded to work in the Future Impact category.
White Pencil
Exceptional projects that use the power of creativity to drive behavioural, environmental, societal or policy change. Replaces the Yellow Pencil in the Impact and Sustained Impact categories.
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