Clemenger BBDO leads agency pack at shortlist stage of MADC Awards - book now for awards night at St Kilda Town Hall, Thursday, October 4

Jury Chairmen also gave their assessment of the judging:

Kieran Ots, Leo Burnett Sydney: Digital
Says Ots: "What I saw in this body of work were some strong ideas. Some great examples of design and craft. Some polished technical executions. And work that shows there are some clients who have an appetite for pushing beyond the expected.

"What was rare was work that managed to tie all of these elements together. That found new ways to make technology truly part of the idea, or fresh approaches to create ideas that work among and around people.

"This means that as much as anything else, this work shows that there's a massive opportunity for those who can pull these threads together. The talent, and the skills and the desire is clearly abundant. And the potential that these represent is huge."

Jay Furby, Jay Grey, Sydney: Radio
"There were few entries but what was rewarded on the whole was worthy. I was not a judge or an executioner, as chairman I wanted fair play and honor and was satisfied. Melbourne is a wonderful city and personally I am exceptionally fond of its creatives, who excel in terms of their professional abilities, skill at dancing on tables and the ludicrously diminutive size of their nipples."

Tom Martin, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne: Integrated, breakthrough and DM
"Integrated, promo and direct are categories at which we really excel in Melbourne.

"We do big jobs that tackle real world business issues, and this year was no exception. There's everything from paint manufacturers to energy companies to convenience stores and the work that's made it through is of a world-class standard."

David Ansett, Truly Deeply, Melbourne: Design
"The task of judging design awards brings with it great challenges. The context in which we view design is truly global. When comparing a brand identity or signage project we judge it against the best identity and signage anywhere in the world, as brands today operate without borders, and brand design even more so. Add to that the personal aesthetic preferences of the designers involved, and in this year's design jury we had a great and varied spread of taste. And so, as with previous years, the design craft category of the MADC awards was judged with a high degree of constructive criticism.

"The work entered in this year's awards reflected the global perspective of our industry. Australia does not have a strong design narrative as many countries do. Our designers view themselves as part of a world community and are inspired by the myriad of creative influences that represents. The work throughout all categories that we judged reflected this broad and diverse approach to great design - making it both wonderful to view and challenging to find a common ground for the judges.

"The end result was a light sprinkling of bronze, silver and a single gold award. Our sense as a jury was that whilst this reflected the design work judged, there was much great local work that had not been entered - the results being more of a reflection of what was before us than the quality of our local design industry. We hope that that next year and beyond we may see a greater level of participation in the MADC awards by Melbourne's design community."

Luke Chess: Print, poster, outdoor and ambient
"Print, poster, outdoor, ambient: the name itself represents a broad swathe of advertising, and so this year did the work. At best, and rightly awarded, some work will (and has) be picked up at the most discerning international shows. Indeed some pieces stretched our understanding of what the category itself was about - which is always great to see. Other work however was either poor, or poorly entered, and in both cases, this stuff missed out. But that's what award shows are all about, right? I was glad and honoured to be a part of this jury and I thank each juror for their considered opinions. Good on youse."

There are limited tickets available, which you can buy here.
View the finalists - MADC 2012 Finalists.pdf