Y&R Brisbane takes out Best of Show at 2017 BADC Awards for the fifth year in a row

The 2017 BADC Awards, sponsored by Light + Shade Media, were held on Saturday night in Brisbane. With over 560 people in attendance, the Awards night was the largest it has been in recent years, and was hosted by the hilarious Nick Cody, having come straight from the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.

Y&R Brisbane scored a total of four Gold, five Silver, one Bronze and another seven finalists, and BCM had the largest number of overall medals and finalists with four Silver, 14 Bronze and six finalists.

Engine Group was next in the medal count, with a total of 14 medals and finalists – a number of those being awarded for their Beenleigh “BeEnlightened Campaign”. This also saw photographer Alex Buckingham the highest awarded craftsperson with a total of 13 awards including two gold and two silver for his work on this campaign.

Clemenger Brisbane followed close behind with 13 medals and finalists, including two gold, two silver and three bronze for client BCF for its BCFing Fun Campaign. Khemistry also made its mark this year with three Gold, three Silver, two bronze and four finalists, including gold and silver for its Anglicare “Arts and Minds” campaign. BCF was also awarded Client of the Year.

Says chairperson of judges for 2017 Carmela Soares, national creative director, Isobar “We realised that this client had made an impression in many categories for different reasons, and with different pieces of work. But overall, for backing and producing beautiful, insightful and brave work.”

Says Soares regarding the Best of Show Award: “There was a lot of great work across the board, so choosing one best in show was bit of a tough call. But in the end one idea stood out for being so simple and smart, and so powerful in its ability to change behavior”, – Safely Backpacks for the Australian Road Safety Foundation.

Lindsay Donaldson (right), recently retired from Publicis after 33 years, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the 2017 BADC Charity Challenge set a new record for both the highest dollar total ever, with $181,179.30 raised or donated. The Charity Challenge also saw the best participation ever, with 30 companies represented, 11 of which were participating for the very first time.

Says Garry Smith, BACD president: “The number of entries, the quality of the work, and the attendance at the 2017 Awards Night just go to show how strong the Queensland advertising and design community is. It’s a real honour to be a part of it.”

All the finalist and medal work can be viewed online at badc.com.au.