The battle for the ADC Young Creative Awards 2025

The judging of the ADC Young Creative Awards is an intensive process every year. Jurors from the advertising industry discuss and evaluate the work of creative teams under the age of 30 who develop innovative campaign ideas based on a real client brief. This year, the focus was on the Blick brand. The brief: to bring Blick to life and position it as an everyday companion for a young target group.

Max Boerke, Head of Marketing at Ringier Media Switzerland and client of the briefing, emphasized: "We want Blick to attract more attention and play a relevant role in young people's lives again." The work submitted showed a variety of approaches, particularly in the areas of cyber and out-of-home. Boerke made it clear: "There are some exciting ideas, some of which definitely have potential for implementation."

The process: discussions, trends and favorites

Philipp Skrabal, Vice President of the ADC and Partner at Team Farner, described the dynamics of the judging process: "We have three categories: Outdoor, Film and Cyber. Each is judged separately, finalists are chosen and then the final decision is made." Trends become apparent time and again. Skrabal observed an increased integration of AI: "AI has found its way in and is increasingly influencing creative solutions." Ultimately, the decisive factor is whether an idea has potential: "I give preference to the better, unfinished idea if I have the feeling that it can be worked on further."

Rob Hartmann, Executive Creative Director at Publicis, emphasized the quality of the U30 creatives: "I am always surprised at how well the young talents work. The combination of smart tech and existing ecosystems is particularly exciting." His focus in the evaluation: "Anything that makes me curious, surprised or makes me envious because I didn't think of it myself."

The standard was also high in the film category. Dominique Magnusson, Creative Director at Jung von Matt Limmat, commented: "The finished films have reached an impressive level. But for me, it's primarily the idea that counts." The discussions within the jury were intense: "Sometimes it was 50:50 for a long time before a decision was made."

The verdict: Courage and creativity as key factors

Courage is a key criterion for many jurors. Rob Hartmann appealed to the young creatives: "Be brave. In a loud world, you don't always have to shout. Sometimes the quiet tone is also convincing." Katrin Espelage, Creative Director at SiR MaRY, emphasized the importance of a strong insight: "An idea without a good insight remains pale. Conversely, a good insight can carry a mediocre idea."

Sandy Pfuhl, Creative Director, emphasized that the jury always looks at the creative potential: "It's not about whether an idea has already been perfectly implemented, but whether it surprises, inspires and shows new paths. Young talents are allowed to think unconventionally, because that's what makes the industry exciting."

The standard of this year's submissions was high, even if trends have shifted. Manuel Wenzel, Chief Creative Officer at TBWA\Switzerland, summarized: "The quality of implementation increases every year. Creatively, it was not the strongest year, but there was strong and worthy work."

The ADC Young Creative Awards act as a springboard for young talents who want to prove themselves beyond national borders. Those who impress here can qualify for the Young Lions Competition in Cannes - and perhaps soon set international standards.

Award ceremony as the grand finale

The intensive judging phase will now be followed by the awards ceremony, where the winners of the ADC Young Creative Awards 2025 will be officially announced. An evening that not only honors outstanding creative talents, but also underlines the importance of bold ideas and innovative storytelling in the advertising industry.