D&AD has awarded four Black Pencils across three projects at its 2026 Awards Ceremony in London, celebrating the people and work setting the benchmark for creative excellence around the world.
Isle of Any’s “Your Way Out” for Coinbase received two Black Pencils, for Visual Effects and Production Design. Uncommon Creative Studio’s “The Periodic Fable” for DECIEM was awarded a Black Pencil for Art Direction, while Publicis Conseil’s “Three Words” for AXA received a Black Pencil for Impact. The Black Pencil is D&AD’s highest accolade, reserved for work considered truly groundbreaking in its field.
Celebrated Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom received the 2026 D&AD President’s Award, presented by D&AD President Lisa Smith.
“I chose Irma because her work is a reminder of what it means to care deeply about making something specific. She doesn’t simply design books, she continually challenges what a book can be, through scale, material, structure and extraordinary craft,” Lisa Smith, D&AD President and Uncommon Global Chief Design Officer said.
“At a moment when our industry focuses so much on speed, automation and AI, Irma represents something incredibly important: curiosity, conviction and a point of view. After more than four decades, she is still experimenting, still questioning and still finding something new to discover. Her work has inspired generations of designers, myself very much included, and she continues to show us what a book can be.”
The ceremony also saw D&AD reveal the agencies, networks, brands and clients topping its annual global rankings, based on performance across this year’s D&AD Awards.
Uncommon Creative Studio London was named Advertising Agency of the Year, with Ogilvy Singapore ranking second and US independent Isle of Any in third. The Advertising Agency Top 10 spans seven countries, with agencies from the UK, Singapore and US occupying the top three positions.
Japan’s DENTSU INC. took Design Agency of the Year, ahead of Pentagram New York in second place, with SMLXL and Mallandrich both in third. Pentagram also placed seventh through its London studio, making it the only agency represented twice in the Design Top 10. SMLXL and Mallandrich were also jointly named Small Independent Design Agency of the Year.
Isle of Any was named Independent Agency of the Year, adding to its third-place finish in the overall Advertising Agency ranking plus it was named Small Independent Agency of the Year. Mother took second place, followed by Serviceplan Germany in third.
Ogilvy topped the Agency Network of the Year ranking, ahead of TBWA\ in second and Havas Creative Network in third.
On the brand-side, Apple was named Brand of the Year, with Coinbase taking second place and Vaseline third. Apple also took the top spot in the Brand-Side Agency of the Year ranking through Apple Marcom, ahead of The New York Times and BBC Creative.
Unilever was named Client of the Year, followed by Apple in second and Coinbase in third.
The United States topped the country rankings, followed by the United Kingdom and France. Brazil and Germany completed the top five, with Canada, Spain, Japan, Australia and the Netherlands also featuring in the Top 10.
“What stands out in this year’s rankings is the breadth of creative excellence at the very top. The three highest-ranked Advertising Agencies come from three different countries, while independents are competing alongside the major networks at the highest level,” David Patton, D&AD CEO said.
“Isle of Any embodies that – winning two Black Pencils, being named both Independent Agency of the Year and Small Independent Agency of the Year, and placing third overall in Advertising. With Mother and Serviceplan Germany also in the Advertising Top 10, it’s a reminder that exceptional creative work isn’t defined by geography or agency model.”
D&AD’s annual rankings recognise the companies, networks, brands, clients and creative practitioners behind the year’s most successful awarded work. Rankings are determined by points accumulated through D&AD Awards results, with points awarded for Black, White, Yellow, Graphite and Wood Pencils and Shortlisted work.
Black Pencil Winners
Your Way Out
A story about taking control and leaving the financial system as we know it to find more autonomy. The film deliberately dropped viewers into what feels like a video game. Shot almost entirely in-camera, using practical set builds, costumes printed in 2d, and real actors, it tells an expansive, inspiring story about a hero as he takes control and discovers a bigger, brighter future – challenging the system we live in today.
Three Words
In France, every household must have a home insurance contract by law. Such contracts provide emergency relocation when a home becomes uninhabitable in the event of fire or flood, to which AXA adds 3 words: ‘and domestic violence’, to help women escape. This clause has been included in all 2.5M AXA home insurance contracts, with retroactive effect.
The Periodic Fable
The Periodic Fable is a scientific table with zero science that shines a light on industry mistruths created by skincare brand The Ordinary. It replaces chemical elements with 49 skincare marketing buzzwords, separating fact from fiction and highlighting the need for transparency in trend-led, overconsumption-driven culture. Extending into a surreal classroom film of students performing beauty routines, spanning OOH, social and influencer activations, reinforcing The Ordinary’s commitment to radical transparency.
Creatives of the Year
- Animator of the Year — Andrea Stragapede, Callum Nixon, Constantinos Amvrosiadis, Dario Imbrogno, Dimitris Liatsos, Rhiannon Evans, Riccardo Albertini, Yannis Konstantinidis
- Art Director of the Year — Luqman Daud
- Casting Director of the Year — Brigid McBride
- Chief Creative Officer of the Year — Liz Taylor
- Chief Marketing Officer of the Year — Leandro Barreto
- Cinematographer of the Year — Ben Fordesman
- Content Creator of the Year — Aypierre
- Copywriter of the Year — Alice Goodrich, Simon Connor, Lara Baxter
- Creative Director of the Year — Ria Ocampo
- Design Director of the Year — Cacá Barabás
- Designer of the Year — Fernanda Didini
- Executive Creative Director of the Year — Bruno Mazzotti
- Executive Producer of the Year — David Zander
- Film Director of the Year — Oscar Hudson
- Film Editor of the Year — Carlos Font Clos
- Illustrator of the Year — Armando Veve, Beto Val, Bill Mayer, Gary Baseman, Tom Gauld, Zohar Lazar
- Photographer of the Year — Thibaut Grevet
- Producer of the Year — Archie Johnston Stewart
- Production Designer of the Year — Luke Moran-Morris
- Sound Designer of the Year — Aaron Reynolds
- Typographer of the Year — Kohki Watanabe
- VFX Artist of the Year — Alistair Hamer
Creative Companies of the Year
- Brand-side Agency of the Year — Apple Marcom
- Client of the Year — Unilever
- Design Agency of the Year — DENTSU INC
- Small Independent Design Agency of the Year — Mallandrich, SMLXL
- Production Company of the Year — MJZ Los Angeles
- Brand of the Year — Apple
- Independent Agency of the Year — Isle of Any
- Small Independent Agency of the Year — Isle of Any
- Advertising Agency of the Year — Uncommon Creative Studio London
- Independent Network of the Year — Serviceplan
- Agency Network of the Year — Ogilvy
The full 2026 D&AD Awards and rankings are available at dandad.org.
