D&AD 2026 AWARDS CROWN BLACK PENCIL WINNERS

D&AD’s 2026 Awards Ceremony in London honoured creative excellence with four Black Pencils across three projects, alongside global rankings that spotlighted agencies, networks and brands shaping the industry. Isle of Any, Uncommon Creative Studio and Publicis Conseil led the honours, while Irma Boom received the President’s Award.  

The D&AD Awards 2026 reaffirmed their reputation as the most rigorous benchmark of creative excellence, with four Black Pencils awarded across three standout projects. Isle of Any’s Your Way Out for Coinbase secured two Black Pencils, recognised for Visual Effects and Production Design. Uncommon Creative Studio’s The Periodic Fable for DECIEM earned a Black Pencil for Art Direction, while Publicis Conseil’s Three Words for AXA was awarded for Impact. The Black Pencil remains D&AD’s highest accolade, reserved for work considered truly groundbreaking in its field.  

The evening also celebrated individual achievement, with Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom receiving the 2026 D&AD President’s Award. Presented by D&AD President Lisa Smith, the honour recognised Boom’s extraordinary contribution to design. Smith praised her relentless curiosity and conviction, noting: “She doesn’t simply design books, she continually challenges what a book can be, through scale, material, structure and extraordinary craft. 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.”  

Global rankings revealed the agencies, networks, brands and clients leading the creative landscape. Uncommon Creative Studio London was named Advertising Agency of the Year, followed by Ogilvy Singapore and US independent Isle of Any. The Advertising Agency Top 10 spanned seven countries, underscoring the international breadth of excellence. In design, Japan’s DENTSU INC. took Design Agency of the Year, ahead of Pentagram New York, with SMLXL and Mallandrich jointly in third. Pentagram also placed seventh through its London studio, making it the only agency represented twice in the Design Top 10.  

Isle of Any continued its strong showing, being named Independent Agency of the Year and Small Independent Agency of the Year, alongside its third-place finish in the overall Advertising Agency ranking. Mother secured second place, while Serviceplan Germany ranked third. Ogilvy topped the Agency Network of the Year list, ahead of TBWA\ and Havas Creative Network.  

On the brand side, Apple was named Brand of the Year, with Coinbase second and Vaseline third. Apple also led 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 and Coinbase.  

The United States topped the country rankings, followed by the United Kingdom and France, with Brazil and Germany completing the top five. Canada, Spain, Japan, Australia and the Netherlands also featured in the Top 10.  

David Patton, D&AD CEO, highlighted the diversity of excellence: “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. 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.”  

The ceremony underscored D&AD’s role in celebrating not just the work but the people and organisations pushing creativity forward. With Black Pencils awarded to projects that redefine boundaries, and rankings that reflect a truly global spread of talent, the 2026 Awards reinforced the idea that creativity, at its highest level, remains a universal language of innovation and impact.