The Art Directors Club (ADC) is an independent German association that promotes excellence in creative communication. Each year, in the ADC Competition—Germany’s largest creative award—we honour outstanding creative work. At the same time, we offer creative minds a platform to network and showcase their projects to a wide audience. The ADC honors the best work in the fields of Advertising, Digital Media, Spatial Experience, Editorial, Film & Audio, Social Media, and Design.
Each year, we also host the ADC Festival, including the award shows celebrating the winners of that year’s competition. Watch the recap video below for a look back at the ADC Festival 2026.
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Mehr InformationenThis year, the ADC is opening its doors to European entrants. The “Creative Impact” category marks the international expansion of an existing category. Through this category, the ADC recognises the sustainable economic impact of creative work. Awards are given to projects whose economic success can be clearly attributed to creative excellence for example, through a measurable increase in brand value, sales, or employer branding. Only works that received awards in 2025 or 2026 at the ADC competition or at one of the six major national and international creative competitions (ADC Germany, ADC of Europe, Cannes Lions, D&AD, LIA, The One Show) are eligible for entry.
Creative Impact Europe
With Creative Impact Europe, the ADC introduces a European award that recognizes the measurable impact of outstanding creative work. Going beyond creative excellence alone, the award celebrates ideas that deliver tangible results – whether by driving business success, influencing society, or creating positive cultural and environmental change.
Two paths to Creative Impact
Honors work that creates measurable economic value. This can include increased revenue, market share or brand value, stronger customer loyalty, or improvements in employer branding. What matters is the demonstrable contribution of the creative idea to business success.
Celebrates creativity that makes a positive difference to people, society, or the environment. From raising awareness and changing attitudes to encouraging participation or driving lasting behavioral change, the focus is on measurable social, cultural, or environmental impact.
To be eligible, projects must have received an award in 2025 or 2026 at one of six recognized competitions: ADC Germany, ADC of Europe, Cannes Lions, D&AD, LIA, or The One Show , and meet the European eligibility requirements.
Rather than reassessing creative quality, an international jury of experts from the creative and business communities evaluates the actual impact of the work, using clearly defined objectives, relevant KPIs, and supporting evidence.
Creative Impact Europe recognizes not only the power of a great idea, but the difference it makes in the real world.
Position yourself and your work among Germany's leading creatives and get noticed by the people shaping the industry.
Get the chance to present your projects to a broad and high-caliber jury. In addition to the awards, you can also win one of the highly coveted “Nails” for outstanding work.
Take advantage of valuable connections within the German creative industry and get noticed by potential clients.
Show your customers the value that creative excellence brings, and give them a platform.
Win the ADC contest to earn points for the top creative rankings.
All entrants will receive a 10% discount on their contest entries until that date.
Projects from 2026 can be submitted as usual until that date.
Projects from 2026 may be submitted by that date with an additional late fee of 20%.
Projects from 2027 can be submitted as usual until that date.
Projects from 2027 may be submitted by that date with an additional late fee of 20%.
① Assign responsibilities
Whether you are submitting as an agency or an individual, it helps to appoint a contact person to coordinate the entire submission process and communication with the ADC team. This keeps everything running smoothly.
② Familiarise yourself with the schedule and deadlines
Make sure your project meets the competition rules. Review the schedule, deadlines and eligibility criteria.
③ Explore the category system
Download the Guidelines for full details on the rules, fees and category system. Take your time to choose the right category for your project. If you have any questions or need advice, the ADC competition team will be happy to help.
④ Register on the submission platform
Once you have chosen the category in which you would like to enter your work, register on the submission platform. We recommend using an email address that will remain active and be checked regularly throughout the competition. All communication will be sent to this address. Please note: changing your email address after registration incurs a fee.
⑤ Enter your billing address
The invoice will be issued either to the entrant or to the agency/company. Please make sure you provide a complete and correct billing address when registering. Later changes are possible but incur an administration fee of €190 excluding VAT.
⑥ Create your submission
Log in to the submission platform and follow the steps to create your entry. Start by clicking the "NEW" button and selecting the appropriate category. Then enter the client, product name and title of the work, and add your own order reference number if applicable. You can also request the optional return of physical submission materials.
⑦ Enter your project details
Here you will provide information such as the publication date and location, media placements, use of AI and a short description of your work. The short description is an integral part of your submission: it explains your project's concept, idea, execution and impact to the jury.
⑧ Add everyone involved in the project to the credits
Include all contributors to your project in the credits. These are not shown to the jury and will only be published in the Gallery after the competition. Please check that all names are spelt correctly and that the information is complete, as there will only be a limited window for making changes later. Changes made after this period will incur a fee.
⑨ Specify the number of components
Your submission must contain at least one component, such as a board, visual, physical item, film, audio file or URL. The exact number depends on the category you have selected. Important: The case film and thumbnail do not count as components.
You will find the precise component requirements in the category overview in the Guidelines.
⑩ Start uploading your components
Please note: once you start uploading your components, certain details, including the category, can no longer be changed!
⑪ Additional upload for physical items
If your submission includes physical components (e.g. books, magazines or calendars), you must also upload a digital version of the item's inside pages in the "Additional Upload: Inside Pages (PDF)" section.
⑫ Almost done! Review your details
Check that your submission complies with the competition rules and that all information is correct and complete. This includes anonymity requirements and the additional upload for physical items, where applicable.
⑬ Finalise your submission
You're all set! You can now formally finalise your entry for the competition. If you would like to finalise several entries at once, select them so they are highlighted in green, then finalise them together. A combined invoice will subsequently be issued for all entries finalised together.
After submission, the ADC team reviews each entry for compliance with the competition rules. This process can take anything from a few days to several weeks. During this time, your submission status will remain "In Progress".
⑭ If corrections are required
If there are any questions or corrections needed, your submission status will change to "Corrections Required". You will receive an email asking you to make changes. Make the necessary changes and resubmit the revised version to the ADC competition team for review.
⑮ Once your entry has been approved for the competition
Following approval by the ADC team, you will receive confirmation of participation and all relevant documents (invoice, address labels, barcodes, etc.) by email.
⑯ If your submission includes a physical item
Print out the barcode and address label. Attach the barcode to the physical item where it is clearly visible, and attach the address label to the shipping package.
⑰ Send your package to the ADC office
Your package should be dispatched within 7 working days of final approval.
⑱ Pay your entry fees
You will receive your invoice as a PDF by email, together with your confirmation of participation. Please pay the amount by bank transfer within the specified payment period.
⑲ Changes after approval
If corrections are needed after approval, please contact the ADC office promptly. Please note that changes made after approval incur additional fees.
Only works that received awards in 2025 or 2026 at the ADC competition or at one of the six major national and international creative competitions (ADC Germany, ADC of Europe, Cannes Lions, D&AD, LIA, The One Show) are eligible for entry.
Each discipline has its own Creative Impact category. Particularly outstanding works may be honored with Gold, Silver, or Bronze Nails.
You need to register and upload your work to the participation platform.
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