​D&AD announces 2025 pencil winners

The 63rd D&AD Awards Ceremony took place on Thursday 22nd of May 2025 in London, where three 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 three 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 behaviour. 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.

“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 behavioural change,” said Dara Lynch, CEO of D&AD. “With three 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.”

Standout Agencies Named 

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 elbedesigncrew was named ‘Design Agency of the Year’ for the first time.

The D&AD President’s Award 

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 honour to present Ko with the President’s Award for his incredible achievements."