It’s that time of year again, the finalists of the Axis Awards have just been announced and Colenso BBDO/Proximity is well ahead with 85 entries, followed by FCB with 58, Y&R with 51 and last year’s biggest winner (which also took home Creative Agency of the Year), DDB with 33.
The Sweet Shop, which is on a four-year streak taking out Production Company of the Year, is not too far behind DDB with 22 entries in the finals and Special Group just behind with 21.
Last year’s Grand Axis went to Clemenger BBDO for the single best piece of creative work in the show. The agency has 11 entries in the finals this year.
- See the remaining finalists here.
The judging panel includes Daniel Barnes (Barnes, Caatmur & Friends) as Axis chair and Damon Stapleton (DDB) as convenor. Presidents Nick Worthington (Colenso BBDO), Tony Bradbourne (Special Group), Tony Clewett (FCB), and Guy Roberts (Saatchi & Saatchi) are joined by international judges BMF Advertising’s Warren Brown and Google Asia-Pacific’s John Merrifield, who will need to choose winners across the 74 categories.
This year, an extra challenge for agencies is to make the most interesting creation, which doesn’t have to be an ad. Spinning the ‘rand-O-matic’ gives a random combination of words which then have to be used as inspiration. On the night the most interesting work will take home a prize that is just as interesting, according to the Axis website.
Tickets are now on sale for the show, which will be held at Auckland’s Viaduct Event Centre on Thursday 10 March from 6:30pm.
