YoungBloods NSW launches The Scrappys awards to celebrate industry’s scrappiest young talent
YoungBloods NSW has launched The Scrappys, a new award show celebrating emerging talent in the advertising industry. The inaugural event, sponsored by FBI Talent Co, will be held on Thursday 12 November.
While the industry already has plenty of traditional award shows across every discipline and medium, YoungBloods says these tend to reward those already established in their careers. The Scrappys is designed instead for young talent who are still working their way up, recognising the work that wasn’t given the budget for applause and helping those flying under the radar get noticed.
The event will also celebrate the people who keep the industry going, with winners receiving a trophy shaped like a scrunched-up piece of paper.
Says Laura Murphy, YoungBloods Co-Chair: “Aussies are famous for being scrappy. It’s this relentlessness, enthusiasm and fresh thinking that matures into the next generation of greats. But amongst shrinking budgets, lean teams and hiring freezes, the industry is blind to the scrappiest generation yet.
“We wanted to create a platform that helps ‘the little guys’ be seen by ‘the big guys’. And a trophy to put on their hot desks will definitely help.”
Says Jake Rowland, YoungBloods Co-Chair: “We know that behind every great piece of work is a team of talented young ad people cutting their teeth making something out of nothing. This is for them.”
“We’re creating a deadly serious annual award show that ditches the prestigious rulebook entirely. Scrappy. Resourceful. Low budget. But better – and that’s kind of the point.”
The Awards
– The Idea That Should’ve Lived: for ideas clients just didn’t know how lucky they were to hear.
– The Against All Odds: for the work that was given CPR a few too many times before making it out into the world.
– The Doing Good: for those doing the cultural gods’ work.
– The Something Out of Nothing: for the work that made big things happen from very small briefs.
– The Off the Clock: for the side hustle. Ad school assignments and ‘should have been higher’ competition entries included.
– The Grand Scrappy: the hero award, agreed on by all the biggest ‘C’s in the biz.
The awards will be judged by some of Australia’s finest, across all different disciplines, the perfect opportunity to be seen by those you admire. Keep an eye out for the announcement in the coming weeks.
Key information
– Submissions close: midnight, Friday 30 October
– Event: 6:00pm, Thursday 12 November 2026, Burdekin Hotel, Sydney
– Submit and buy tickets: https://youngbloods.org.au/events/nsw-the-scrappys/
– Beware: you’ll meet those who will take AI’s job.
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