PHNX Awards adds WTF category
PHNX Awards added to this year´s competition a new category, WTF, designed as home for the boldest, most unexpected creative work out there. The new category recognizes and celebrates campaigns that defy convention, provoke strong reactions – and earn admiration for their creative courage.
WTF is dedicated to ideas that don’t fit neatly into traditional award classifications. It’s a celebration of campaigns that surprise, unsettle, amuse, or spark debate. So come with us to the uncanny valley and see what weird and wonderful creations we find.
“With AI now embedded in the creative process, creativity itself is under closer scrutiny than ever,” said the AdForum PHNX Awards team. “WTF exists to defend risk-taking. Not shock for shock’s sake, but bold ideas that challenge expectations, divide opinion, and prove that creative bravery still has the power to deliver.”
Here are a few examples of the types of work the WTF category is designed to recognize:
- “Violine” by Åkestam Holst /NoA for Telia,
- “Grandma Speed” by VML Thailand for Thai Health Promotion,
- “All Hail Gravy” by Mother London for KFC.
The category is open to work across all formats, industries, and geographies. What unites the entries is not a medium or discipline, but an attitude: bold thinking, clear intent, and the willingness to challenge norms. With the introduction of WTF, PHNX reaffirms its commitment to being democratic, accessible and innovative, while reflecting the realities of today’s creative industry.
Entries for the current PHNX Awards season are now open until March 13. If a campaign made you say “WTF,” PHNX wants to see it!
Launched by AdForum in 2020, the PHNX Awards celebrate creative excellence from around the world through one of the industry’s most accessible and democratic award programs. Open to all disciplines and markets, PHNX is judged by a diverse, international jury of creatives, brand leaders, journalists, and industry experts. Entries are free to submit, with fees applied only to shortlisted work, ensuring broad access and fair competition. The winners of the AdForum PHNX Awards 2026 will be revealed during an online celebration on May 14.