Andrew Bao, Charlie Dejean, Shy Trutwein and Henry Tuck named Global Young Guns 23 Finalists

Four young creatives in Australia are among the 102 individuals in 18 countries who have been named finalists for the prestigious Young Guns 23 competition, celebrating global creative professionals age 30 or younger.

YG23 finalists based in Australia include VML Sydney creative team of Andrew Bao and Charlie Dejean; Shy Trutwein, designer and Illustrator at After Hours in Melbourne; and Henry Tuck, design director at A Friend of Mine in Melbourne.

Young Guns is the industry’s only global, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates today’s vanguard of young creative individuals and teams.  This year’s entries were judged by a diverse jury of 98 creatives — many of whom are past YG winners — from 41 countries.

The complete list of Young Guns 23 finalists can be viewed here.  

This year’s winners will be announced on January 14, 2026, and celebrated at a special in-person party on January 28, 2026 at Sony Hall in New York.

All Young Guns winners receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this year’s incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website.  

Winners also receive a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, a chance to be featured in Young Guns events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from Young Guns sponsors.

For the 11th consecutive year, international artists management agency and Young Guns sponsor Levine/Leavitt will bestow one talented winner with the Artist In Residence Award.

The honor, presented annually at the YG celebration, goes to a newly crowned Young Gun whose body of work truly stands out, as judged by an advisory board of industry professionals across a range of disciplines.  The winner receives a full year of professional development, guidance and mentorship from Levine/Leavitt to help advance their career.  

Program branding and design of the Young Guns Cube award itself are reimagined each year by a past Young Guns winner.  This year’s branding was created by YG23 jury member Khyati Trehan (YG19), a talented graphic designer and 3D visual artist originally from New Delhi who now serves as senior designer at Google Creative Lab in New York.