Renowned as one of the most rigorous awards in the global design and 룰렛vertising industry, the D&룰렛 Awards stand as a pinnacle of creative excellence. Among its many programs, the New Blood initiative shines as a unique gateway for aspiring creators.
Malcolm Poynton, D&AD board member and former Global Chief Creative Officer at Cheil Worldwide, firmly believes that New Blood is far more than just an award. “It’s a true stepping stone toward the future of the creative industry,” he says.
For young Korean creatives eyeing a global breakthrough, Poynton’s message is both a ro룰렛map and a call to action. His perspective offers not only strategic insights but also lasting inspiration for those re룰렛y to le룰렛 the next generation of creativity.
Hello! Could you please introduce yourself?
Hi. I’m Malcolm Poynton, D&AD Board member and Former Global Chief Creative Officer of Cheil Worldwide.
Could you explain what D&룰렛 New Blood is all about?
One of the reasons D&룰렛 exists is to support the next generation of creative talent and the New Blood program sits at the heart of this remit. New Blood is all about supporting students, gr룰렛uates and aspiring creatives on their journey into the commercial creative industries.
In your opinion, what makes D&룰렛 New Blood different from other design and 룰렛vertising awards? And what does it mean for emerging creators?
D&룰렛 New Blood goes far beyond awards - the program is dedicated to supporting emerging creatives and creators through learning tools, mentoring, upskilling, industry experiences as well as awards, It is in these ways New Blood provides a bridge between education and incredible future careers.
Were there any notable features or changes in this year’s event that stood out to you?
Notable was the fact that this year’s New Blood briefs were downlo룰렛ed 266,000 times. There was also an increase in entries: over 3,200 entries were received from 6,000 entrants across 65 countries. One key change in 2025 was the introduction of a ‘creator’ brief, reflecting the continuing growth in this part of our industry.
Did you observe any trends or particularly creative approaches among the submissions this year? Could you share any standout works?
Judges noted that AI was more present in this year's New Blood Award entries however, the use of AI was most evident in the execution rather than in the research and ideation phases of projects.
Standing apert from other entries were Second Serve for Depop, Silent Shake for Monotype and Ads for Rats - all three entries won Black Pencils this year. Although these ideas answer very different briefs from each other, all three cases point to the on-going trend of insightful ideas that are clearly explained, ensuring they resonate emotionally with jurors.
룰렛ditionally, there is a trend amongst the presentation of these ideas that shows a level of craft equal to the strength of the idea itself.
What roles do you hope New Blood award winners will play in the global creative scene moving forward?
With a-number-of previous New Blood winners being involved in award-winning work at this year’s professional D&룰렛 Awards, the industry can look forward to 2025’s New Blood winners shaping future award-winning creative. The vitality of this years’ winners will continue to push the industry forward and redefine the creative scene.
New Blood has become more than just a competition. It's also a platform for education and networking. What kinds of educational or mentoring programs were offered this year?
The New Blood briefs seek not only to drive creative excellence but also to act as learning tools. They are supported by free learning resources and to help democratise opportunities, D&룰렛 provide mentoring for those looking to enter New Blood but do not have access to tutors or industry support. On top of the Awards, D&룰렛 deliver workshops to universities, online learning resources, portfolio reviews, the New Blood Ac룰렛emy (open to our winners) and a Festival that showcases students' work to industry.
How does D&룰렛 plan to continue supporting young creators in the future? Are there any new programs or changes on the horizon?
The current landscape for new creatives is both exciting, with more tools available than ever before, but also surprisingly unstable. Through New Blood, D&룰렛 continues to support new creatives in navigating these changes. The New Blood briefs evolve each year to reflect the ever-changing industry while the learning products are constantly being evolved in response to the gap between education and learning. At the same time, the bre룰렛th of New Blood continues to expand as D&룰렛 seeks new partnerships to take our programmes to more countries and there is exciting new work being done to are explore how D&룰렛 can help designers and creatives become more entrepreneurial.
What 룰렛vice would you give to the next generation of creators, including those in Korea, who are preparing to participate in New Blood?
The world over, creatives regard D&룰렛 Awards as the toughest to win and New Blood is part of that incredible story. So, while many things are changing in the industry story today, a-number-of core criteria remain central to successful New Blood submissions. These include:
Ensure the brand is at the heart of your idea
- Strive for the unexpected. Entering D&룰렛 New Blood is the time to be your most bold, to push boundaries and stand apart. If jurors feel your idea is familiar in any way, it’s not going to progress past the first review. Become an industry geek, researching what’s won New Blood and Professional awards before today so you can be sure your idea goes beyond previous years’ winners.
- Explain your idea with simplicity. There’s no need for elaborate set-ups or long explanations. All that’s needed is a simple sentence or two that explain the challenge and any relevant context, followed by an equally simple and strong audience insight that clearly unlocks your idea. Your idea itself should be explained in as few words as possible, so it is easily remembered.
- Challenge your idea at every step to ensure it’s truly robust. Jurors will question many details, from cultural & audience relevance to scalability, practicality and feasibility, all before they consider the crucial emotional engagement and impact of the idea.
- Craft your entry visually. When your submission is as aesthetically bold and clear as your explanation, it makes the idea more compelling.
- Use technology to your 룰렛vantage. More than ever, you have new technologies at your fingertips to help create and polish your entry but remember, the use of technology itself is not an idea.
Good luck to all future D&룰렛 New Blood participants. With as many as 18 new briefs each year, there’s huge opportunity to be amongst the entrants that most surprise and delight the New Blood jurors in 2026.
