The 2016 Digital Creative Competition has gone global, opening its doors to international entries for the first time this year.
The winning entries, announced at the BFI IMAX on London's South Bank, will share a prize pot of $800,000. The fund will be used to develop the winning digital out-of-home concepts, which will appear on screens in New York, Hong Kong and the UK over the next 12 months.
The competition, run by Campaign and Ocean, celebrates creativity in the digital out-of-home medium. The seventh annual contest drew a record 81 entries and, for the first time, included international categories.
Previous winning campaigns include WCRS’ "Look at me" for Women’s Aid and MicroLoans’ "Pennies for life", which both generated global PR and went on to win Cannes Lions.

International Creative Techniques First Prize
The judges said: |
International Interactive First Prize
The judges said: |
UK Creative TechniquesFirst PrizeCampaign: Churchie’s drive-thru car insurance
The judges said: "The campaign understands what you can do with data and you can get away with by being cheeky; that’s why it works. The use of data and graphics is very good. It translates the tone of the brand really well. It’s inoffensive, happy, on brand and there are many executions to keep it going." Second PrizeCampaign: Free me from this poster Third PrizeCampaign: Magic: bringing guilt-free happiness to life |
UK InteractiveFirst PrizeCampaign: D.U.N.C.A.N.
The judges said: "Dunking biscuits. They’ve made it fun and brilliant. It’s a simple idea that will engage people. It’s also a cracking poster. It’s typical of Brits to vote for a tea-and-biscuits campaign – but we have." Second PrizeCampaign: Save the bees Third PrizeCampaign: One you active 10 |
Putting the consumer in control and making the impossible possibleClaire Beale global editor-in-chief, Campaign With technology changing so quickly, some of the best ideas this time round would simply not have been possible even a year ago, and it was exciting to see so many entries taking full advantage of those innovations. So really smart strategic and creative thinking allied to DOOH’s flexibility, immediacy and interactivity was at the core of all the winning ideas. And again the competition proved a fantastic opportunity for agile marketers to show how DOOH can drive impact and engagement quickly and to great effect, often – sometimes literally – with the consumer at the controls. Tim Bleakley chief executive, Ocean Group This year has been another momentous one for DOOH, with new branded content partnerships giving large-scale platforms for global events such as London Fashion Week and the Rio Olympic Games, changing how they reach fashionistas and fans. Add to that the emergence of new capabilities such as vehicle-recognition technology, and the whole dynamic shifts again. This year’s entrants have corralled their concepts and made the impossible possible with ingenuity, imagination and invention. Cheeky dogs, captive whales, marching elephants, dunking biscuits, a flight of bees, carpool karaoke and a quest for Excalibur. A magnificent seven indeed. I can’t wait to be blown away by them and all the others to come. Congratulations to everyone. |
The judges
Vasiliki Arvaniti portfolio manager, Land Securities
Richard Atkins head of display & partner, Bartle Bogle Hegarty London
Claire Beale global editor-in-chief, Campaign
Tim Bleakley chief executive, Ocean Group
James Copley managing partner, Talon
Adrian Cotterill editor-in-chief, Daily DOOH
Sean Kinmont creative director, 23red
Joanna Lyall chief commercial officer, Mindshare
Chris Marjoram managing director, Rapport
Jon Mew director of mobile and operations, Internet Advertising Bureau UK
Bill Moss director of brand ventures and mall retail – Europe, Westfield
Tim Platt head of marketing, BFI
Gill Reid board director – OOH, MediaCom
Caitlin Ryan executive creative director, Cheil London
Bill Sweeney chief executive, Team GB
Stuart Taylor chief executive, Kinetic
Ben Tollett executive creative director, Adam & Eve/DDB
Glen Wilson managing director, Posterscope
For more, visit campaignlive.com/digitaloutofhome
See all the 2016 winning campaigns at: oceanoutdoor.com