ADCE Awards 2026 – open for entries & changes in eligibility and category structure
The Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) has officially opened entries for the 35th edition of the ADCE Awards, marking the anniversary with important new changes that open access to Europe leading competition’s participants celebrating excellence in creativity, design, and advertising.
The ADCE Awards remain a platform to identify and celebrate Europe’s best creative work, bringing it from local and national competitions to a European stage for recognition and awards.
For the first time in the history of the ADCE Awards, the competition is now open to all participants of eligible regional and national competitions across Europe, not only the winners. This new system significantly broadens access to the ADCE Awards, allowing more creative work from across the continent to compete at a European level.
Entries are open to participants from competitions organised by ADCE’s 25 member clubs, as well as selected eligible competitions run by non-member organisations across Europe. The final deadline for submissions is 25 September 2026.
With the aim to evaluate work through the lens of industry-specific challenges and opportunities, the ADCE Awards introduces a major new discipline: Creativity by Industry Sectors.
The new discipline provides a broader perspective on creative excellence, while recognising the strategic and cultural context behind each project.
The discipline includes 40 categories across the following sectors: Consumer Goods, Health Care, Automotive & Mobility, Finance, Insurance & Retail, Technology & Media, Travel, Leisure, HORECA & Education, Entertainment & Culture, and Sports. Several new categories have also been added to reflect emerging creative practices and industry evolution.
In addition, a new Local Insight category has been introduced across all existing disciplines to celebrate projects rooted in local culture, communities, and regional relevance.
Full category details and submission information are available on the official ADCE Awards platform.
The ADCE Awards jury, composed of leading creatives and designers from across Europe, will meet online in October for the first two rounds of judging. The third and final judging round will take place in person at the Disseny Hub Barcelona as part of the ADCE Creative Week in November.
As one of the highlights of the Creative Week programme, the final judging session will once again be open to the public, giving attendees the opportunity to witness the most decisive moment of the competition: the selection of the Special Awards and the Grand Prix.
Winners of the ADCE Awards 2026 will be announced during the ADCE Awards Gala on 20 November 2026, the closing event of ADCE Creative Week, which will also feature talks, exhibitions, networking events, workshops, and the ADCE Student Awards ceremony.
The Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) is a non-profit based in Barcelona, uniting 25 professional clubs and associations from 24 European countries. Founded in 1990, ADCE promotes creative excellence in advertising and graphic design across Europe, representing more than 7,000 professionals and showcasing top local work.