Introducing the D&AD White Pencil: a ‘live’ brief with Peace One Day (POD) to change the world

Advertising and design industry creatives are better known for their flamboyant lifestyles than for their social conscience. Now, however, leading lights from both sides of the business have come together to urge the industry to direct its creative powers towards a greater good: ideas that raise awareness or change behaviour around a pressing social, environmental or health issues.

D&AD will set a ‘live’ brief with a partner, organisation or cause, challenging the creative community to find solutions to global issues. The partner cause chosen by D&AD for the inaugural award is Peace One Day (POD), the organisation led by filmmaker Jeremy Gilley which established September 21 as an annual Peace Day. POD is now working to institutionalise Peace Day around the world and engage all sectors of society in the day’s peaceful observance.

Says Tim O’Kennedy, D&AD chief executive: “The D&AD’s White Pencil is about moving our legacy on. It’s about harnessing the power of creativity to make a real difference in the world around us. It’s about demonstrating the hidden potential in D&AD’s remit of the perpetuation of creative communication. And most importantly it is about realising our community’s ability to lend huge impact and strength to the campaigning voices of others and bring their messages and demands for change to the widest and most powerful audience.”

In the years in which D&AD chooses to run the White Pencil award, it will be judged on the same criteria as D&AD’s Yellow Pencils and award globally scalable ideas that will raise awareness or change behaviour. The competition will be open to anyone – individuals, organisations or collaborations: anyone with a great idea.

Entries must have been created and executed between the competition’s official launch and submissions deadline. In this way the cause will benefit not just from the winner’s efforts, but from the efforts of every entrant.

The D&AD White Pencil is an international initiative that has the support of D&AD ambassadors around the world. Says ambassador for Australia, Jeremy Perrott (left), worldwide creative officer of McCannHealthcare WorldWide: “The White Pencil is a brilliant initiative from one of the world most prestigious creative award shows. It brings attention to what matters in this world via both creative and innovative solutions. I’m excited by what can be achieved through creative people when they are given the opportunity to show what can be done without the chains of everyday restraint. The possibilities that are waiting to be shared, that go beyond a poster or print but reach out engage involve and interact, will create communication that will benchmark all that we do in other traditional domains.”

Adds Simon ‘Sanky’ Sankarayya, D&AD President: “With the requirement that entries must have been realised to be eligible, each and every one will help to raise awareness and support for the inaugural White Pencil’s cause. It’s a win-win situation that means the cream of international design and advertising creatives will help make the world better and more peaceful place.”

Just one D&AD White Pencil award will be given to a highly original and inspiring idea, well executed and relevant to its context; one that best raises awareness or changes behaviour around the organisation or cause. The winning idea will receive further support for wider distribution to ensure it touches as many people as possible around the world.

Says Jeremy Gilley, Peace One Day founder: “Peace Day has already achieved profound and real influence in some of the most conflicted areas on the planet, but to be truly effective it needs to be understood and observed annually by a huge proportion of the earth’s population. It is an ambitious target but one which, with the catalyst that the D&AD’s White Pencil initiative provides, we believe can be achieved.”

Entries to the inaugural 2012 White Pencil must have run or been in the public domain by 22 February 2012. Submissions will be accepted from October 2011. Full terms and conditions are available on the D&AD website. D&AD’s inaugural White Pencil will be awarded at the annual 2012 D&AD Awards in London.