What are the International Creative Awards?
↓Forget what you know about awards.
International Creative Awards recognises the very best of creativity and design from across the world. Raw innovation, wild ideas, unconventional approaches and curious minds are celebrated. This is not your typical competition with gold, silver, or bronze. Here, your work is judged solely on its merit — based on its originality, innovation, and quality. Whether you’re a freelancer, student, studio, huge international agency, or an independent creative, you’re always welcome here. With fair entry fees and a global jury made up of creatives who are active in their communities, these awards are designed to be accessible to everyone.
Defined Categories include: Advertising, Book Design, Branding, Graphic Design, Illustration, Motion Design, Packaging, Typography and Web.
Open Categories include: Culture, Food and Drink, Good Cause, Impact, Music, Self-Promotion, Tech and Thunderdome.
Ultimate Categories include: International Creative Agency of the Year, International Creative of the Year, International Creative Graduate of the Year, International Creative Student of the Year and the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the Year.
What makes these awards different from the others?
↓The aim is to reimagine what awards are and can be by:
Who can take part?
↓You.
If you produce creative work, whether alone or as part of a team, this is for you. If you commission creative work and want to celebrate it, this is for you. Freelancers, students, studios, small agencies, huge agencies, collectives, creative organisations, ambitious businesses, unofficial groups, weirdos, creatives, designers, strategists, animators, motion designers, digital makers, architects, coders, illustrators, artists, project managers, photographers, tattooists, creative thinkers and chancers.
Why take part?
↓What are the key dates for the awards?
↓Open for Entry: 1st March 2026
Deadline for Entry: 31st July 2026
Judging Begins: 12th August 2026
Shortlist Announced: 11th September 2026
Awards Ceremony: 13th November 2026
Is there an entry fee?
↓Yes. Your entry fee varies depending on your circumstances as we would like to make participating fair and reasonable for everybody. Find out more here
What are the outcomes of the judging process?
↓On Friday 11th September, you’ll receive an email confirming one of two possible outcomes for your entry:
1. Contribution – Your project(s) will not be recognised or awarded this year. You are invited to attend International Assembly Festival to enjoy the conference, workshops, ceilidh, International Poster Exhibition and more.
2. Invitation to the Awards Ceremony – You are invited to the Awards Ceremony at International Assembly Festival, where you’ll discover whether your project has been:
Recognised – The majority of the jury acknowledges your project as worthy of celebration. While your project does not receive an International Creative Award, it is recognised as having some standout qualities. Authors of projects which are “Recognised” will receive a physical certificate at the ceremony, inclusion on our website, may receive social promotion and will be sent a digital awards pack for sharing.
Awarded – The jury unanimously agree that your project(s) merit an International Creative Award, highlighting them as works of the highest standard in creativity and design. Winners will be honoured with an International Creative Award, bespoke hand crafted trophy, prominent inclusion on our website, social promotion, digital certificate and awards pack.
What happens if my work is shortlisted for an International Creative Award?
↓What happens if my work is awarded?
↓What do you mean I’m not competing with anybody?
↓For all Defined and Open Categories, your work is judged on its own merits, not in competition with others. A panel of leading diverse creatives will evaluate your project based on three key questions:
There’s no quota or limited for awards given, if your work is deserving, it will be awarded or recognised.
Defined Categories include: Advertising, Book Design, Branding, Graphic Design, Illustration, Motion Design, Packaging, Typography and Web.
Open Categories include: Culture, Food and Drink, Good Cause, Impact, Music, Self-Promotion, Tech and Thunderdome.
For Ultimate Categories, there is only one winner per category.
Ultimate Categories include: International Creative Agency of the Year, International Creative of the Year, International Creative Graduate of the Year, International Creative Student of the Year and MVP (Most Valuable Player of the Year).
Who organises the awards?
↓International Creative Awards is organised by INTL.
This includes a team of designers:
Beth Wilson (Scotland) – Director
James Gilchrist (Scotland) – Director
Mook Attanath (Thailand) – Project Manager
Nikos Ho (Singapore) – Designer
Supported by a panel of jury members from around the world.
What are the categories?
↓Categories are classified as Defined, Open or Ultimate.
Defined Categories:
Open Categories:
Ultimate Categories:
What is the difference between Defined, Open and Ultimate Categories?
↓Defined Categories: are separated by creative practice or discipline — with clear, specific criteria and guidelines relating to that discipline or field. For example; Advertising, Motion Design, or Graphic Design. Each of these are defined categories, fields of practice and have established definitions and standards.
Open Categories: are more flexible, allowing a broader range of outcomes and entries. They are not defined by discipline or field of practice. Instead they are centred around social, cultural, industrial and open frameworks. Categories like Culture, Good Cause or Impact leave room for varied or evolving definitions, and are agnostic to field or discipline. These categories have no predetermined outcome or resolve. All work relating to the category title is welcome.Open Categories also include Thunderdome which is the catch-all category for the weird, the wonderful, and the work that’s never seen the light of day.
Ultimate Categories: look at the overall achievements of the contenders within the past year (and beyond). They look at a body of work, extra-curricular projects, cultural achievement, profile and overall excellence. Only one person, team or agency will be awarded annually in each ultimate category. These categories offer the ultimate achievement at the International Creative Awards.
Can I submit multiple projects?
↓Yes, you can submit as many projects as you’d like. Each project must have its own entry form, which can be accessed in the My Account section of the website.
Can I submit one project to multiple categories?
↓Yes, you can submit your project to up to five categories.
Do entries have to be published or commercially released?
↓No, all projects are welcome. The focus is on creativity, not whether the project was commercially released or created for a client.
Who can enter? Can students submit entries?
↓We welcome everyone, including students.
Can you submit projects as groups or collaborations?
↓Yes, groups, collectives, and collaborations are all welcome. Use the credit section on the entry form to ensure everyone receives the recognition they deserve.
Does my project need to be completed this year to be eligible for entry?
↓No. Projects are eligible for submission regardless of the year they were created.
What is the judging criteria for Open and Defined Categories?
↓A panel of diverse creatives will evaluate your project based on three key questions:
There’s no quota or limit for awards given – if your work is deserving, it will be awarded or recognised.
What is the judging criteria for the Ultimate Categories?
↓A panel of leading diverse creatives will evaluate all Ultimate Category contenders while considering:
The jury will then discuss all considered contenders which meet these standards. Only one will be awarded in each Ultimate Category. If the jury considers none of the contenders to be suitable, an award may not be given.
Who are the judges?
↓Each category has its own dedicated jury, which you can meet here.
The jury is made up of 50+ world class creatives who are active in their communities. It is important that each category has a jury who are diverse in background, mentality, approach and opinion. If the jury encounters projects outside their field of knowledge, we will bring in specialist additional jury members as needed.
How is the judging process conducted for Defined and Open Categories?
↓1. Independent Evaluation: Each jury member will review your project by answering three questions:
2. Majority Agreement: To receive an International Creative Award, a majority of the jury must answer “yes” on all three questions above.
3. Diverse Panel: The panel is made up of diverse creatives, which means the jury consists of people with various backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives.
4. Changing Jury Members: Since jury members may change each year, the evaluation process could differ slightly from year to year based on the expertise and perspectives of the jurors. However, the core criteria will remain the same.
5. No Award Limit: There is no cap on the number of awards given out, which means if multiple projects meet the standards of originality, innovation, and quality, they will all be recognised.
In summary, the process relies heavily on the unanimous agreement of a diverse jury.
How is the judging process conducted for Ultimate Categories?
↓1. Independent Evaluation: Each jury member will evaluate the submission of each contender while asking these questions:
2. Majority Agreement: To receive an International Creative Award, a majority of the jury must answer “yes” to at least seven of the nine questions above.
3. Jury discussion: All jury members discuss each contender in-depth, each bringing their unique perspective, knowledge and experience to the conversation. While each contenders evaluated, a strong clear profile can be formed for each contender. Through rigorous discussion and analysis the jury must reach a unanimous decision on the single winner for the category. If a decision cannot be made or they do not believe any of the contenders fulfil the criteria standards, a winner may not be selected for that year.
4. Diverse Panel: The panel is made up of diverse creatives, which means the jury consists of people with different backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives.
5. Changing Jury Members: Since jury members may change each year, the evaluation process could differ slightly from year to year based on the expertise and perspectives of the jurors. However, this core criteria remains unchanged.
6. Award Limit: Only one person, team or agency will be awarded annually in each ultimate category. These categories offer the ultimate achievement at the International Creative Awards.
Can I receive feedback on my project entered?
↓We are unable to provide feedback on all individual entries due to time constraints and limited resources. Offering feedback on each project assessed would be unrealistic for the jury, as all jury members are active designers and creatives.
To ensure the awards remain accessible and affordable for all participants, we need to focus on what is feasible within our available resources.
How do I become a jury member?
↓Put your name forward at hello@creativeawards.international
How do I submit my project?
↓1. Click ‘Enter Now‘ on the homepage of the website.
2. Create your personal account.
3. Click ‘Enter New Project’.
4. Complete your entry and submit.
Can I edit my entry after it’s been submitted?
↓What should I submit in my entry?
↓For Defined and Open Categories: you can upload (max 10) images/videos/files etc which showcases your project. This could be photographs, digital images, drawings, moving image etc. A range of file formats (JPEG, PNG, MP4, GIF), links, URL’s are accepted.
For Ultimate Categories you can upload a lot more. You can submit images/videos under Team and Culture, up to 10 hero images of work which do not require a full case study, including experiments and showreels and then up to five complete projects or case studies with up to 10 images/videos in each.
What file formats are accepted?
↓For images and videos, JPEG, PNG, GIF and MP4 are accepted. For larger video files, Youtube or Vimeo links are also accepted.
What happens if I have technical issues while submitting?
↓What do winners receive?
↓Awarded projects will receive an International Creative Award and a handcrafted concrete trophy created by renowned artist Charles Stephen Myatt. Recognised projects will receive a bespoke certificate and concrete certificate holder.
All shortlisted projects are invited to attend the Awards Ceremony in Scotland on Friday 13th November 2026 to collect their trophy or certificate and celebrate their achievement.
All winners will receive a collection of digital International Creative Awards, including a certificate, logos, and social media graphics, all designed to help you showcase and promote your achievement.
Selected projects will also be showcased at the International Assembly festival and featured across social media and INTL channels.
Will there be an awards ceremony?
↓Join us on Friday 13th (woooo) November 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland for a celebration to honour all awarded work and the people behind it.
The Awards Ceremony opens with traditional music, followed by inspiring talks from leading international creatives. Guests will enjoy a private three-course dinner and drinks while winners are honoured with bespoke certificates and handcrafted concrete trophies.
The celebrations will continue into the evening with a Ceilidh – a night of music, dancing, and the chance to celebrate with fellow winners, jurors, and the design community.
How can I promote my win?
↓You can proudly promote your win on your website, social media, CV, portfolio, presentation documents, tenders, applications, and any other platform you choose. To support you, we will provide a digital asset pack to help you showcase your achievement.
Contact Us
↓If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to us at hello@creativeawards.international
