The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, was crowned Agency Network of the Year at the 45th annual AWARD Awards, held as part of This Way Up at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
The creative agency also won four golds and The Grand Award for Play it Safe, which celebrated the Sydney Opera House’s 50th anniversary.
A total of 31 Gold Pencils were awarded across 18 different campaigns, with a further 74 Silver and 118 Bronze Pencils awarded. Special Awards were also awarded across 16 categories.
Revolver collected five golds across three pieces of work and was named Production Company of the Year. CHEP Network also collected four golds for Climate Doctor’s Certificate – National Climate Strike.
Other gold winners included DDB Group Aotearoa with three; Howatson+Company, M&C Saatchi, and TBWA\HAKUHODO with two each; and DIVISION, The Editors, Exit Films, The Glue Society, MullenLowe Treyna, Ogilvy Australia, The Nine Shanghai, Special Australia, and Special New Zealand all collecting one award each.
“Congratulations to all who picked up a Gold or Special Award at tonight’s Gold Pencil Award Party,” AWARD chair Mandie van der Merwe said.
“You’ve earned bragging rights across our region with work that not only stood out, but made us lean in, moved us and spurred us into taking action.
“AWARD Awards is the most prestigious creative show in our region because of our world-class judges. Heartfelt thanks to our jury president Liz Taylor, jury chairs and our team of judges who have given their incredibly valuable time freely and debated vigorously to uphold AWARD’s exacting standards for recognising creative excellence every year.”
The inaugural Best B2B Campaign, supported by LinkedIn, was awarded to Special Group Melbourne for the Shift 20 Initiative – The Dylan Alcott Foundation.
Daniel Hochuli, LinkedIn’s head of content solutions (APAC & China), said: “The Shift 20 Initiative specifically targeted behaviour change in brands and was the judges’ favourite because it drove significant B2B effects. Its messaging was incredibly effective, motivating 200+ brands to take action and get involved – a remarkable achievement.”
Silver and Bronze winners were announced earlier in the week during virtual announcement ceremonies.
“The winners this year represent the pointy end of creativity and set the bar high for the standard of work AWARD champions and celebrates in this corner of the world,” van der Merwe added.
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Top image: Tim Minchin in ‘Play it Safe’ by The Monkeys for The Sydney Opera House