Charlotte Denham scoops up ‘Best in Class’ at ADMA Creative School Graduation in Melbourne

It was a sweet night for full-time Monash University student Charlotte Denham, after she was awarded ADMA Creative School Melbourne’s “Best in Class” award last week.

The communication design student who also works as a cake decorator might be no stranger to sweets, but her high on Thursday night was more than a sugar-induced one when she was recognised for her outstanding work. Denham was joined by the rest of her classmates at Campari House in Melbourne for their graduation ceremony after undertaking an intensive 10-week course headed by David Ponce de Leon.

Ponce de Leon, who is the executive creative director of Ogilvy Melbourne, commended Denham for her great work: “It was a very difficult decision to pick just one student and the top three students were all very close. However, Charlotte had the most creative responses to a wider spread of briefs. In one particular instance she went to the trouble of doing a full mock-up of her idea – hand-drawn, of course – which captured the imaginations of the judges. She is a worthy winner.

“There was a really high standard to all of this years’ graduates. Their attention to detail, the quality of their ideas and their presentation skills were amongst the best I’ve ever seen. So to all agencies and potential employers out there, give these graduates a shot. You won’t be disappointed.”

Says Jodie Sangster, CEO, ADMA: “All of us at ADMA are extremely proud of our graduates, who year after year continue to impress us with their creativity and ideation process. This year’s winners were exceptionally stand out and are exactly the kind of well-rounded creatives that the industry needs.

“I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank all of your Creative School mentors, especially David, for putting in so much effort to nurture these future creatives. It’s so inspiriting to see Australia’s greatest creatives so willing to give back to the industry, to ensure a next-gen creative pool that’s a force to be reckoned with.”

Pictured L-R: Harry Brownbill, Alexandra Gedye, Charlotte Denham, Lachlan Renwick, David Ponce de leon, Richard Edge, Maria Lucarelli and Nadia Cozmescu