DMA Breakthrough Award 2016 shortlist announced

DMA Award celebrating the next generation of creative and marketing talent announces its trio of shortlisted entries from the widest field ever

Today, the three finalists for this year’s DMA Breakthrough Award, sponsored by The Economist, have been revealed. This year’s shortlist was decided from a field that includes entries from 11 different Universities around the UK, with students studying anything from advertising and marketing to graphic design and psychology.

The three entries that made it to this year’s shortlist are:

• Alis Hâf Rees and Amy Armstrong-Jeffery, University of Gloucestershire
• Jennifer Grieve and Sam Haynes, Edinburgh College
• Ash Kinsella and Steph Brown, Southampton Solent University

The Award gives students an opportunity to shine in in front of some of the biggest names in marketing, while working on a real creative brief for a real client or business. This year’s brief was provided by The Economist and invited students to come up with head-turning ideas to boost the publication’s female readership. The ultimate winner will take home a paid internship at a top agency and a £1,000 cash prize, with second place pocketing £500 and third place receiving £250.

Cordell Burke, joint chair of the Graeme Robertson Trust (GRT), comments: “We’ve been really impressed by the quality of all the entries this year and the variety of different ideas, especially considering the particularly challenging brief that was set. Shortlisting the entries down to just three was not easy and I’m sure finding a winner will be just as hard. We look forward to meeting our shortlisted trio and having their ideas pitched to us in person in a couple of weeks’ time.”

Kate Burnett, MD of DMA Group Employability, said: “The quality of the Award entries we receive from students around the country seems to go up every year. Each set of entries offers us a snapshot of the next generation of talent that we have coming into the industry. In challenging times for many sectors, this Award demonstrates that marketing’s future remains positive.”

GRT, founded in memory of legendary Brann creative director Graeme Robertson, originally created the DMA Breakthrough Award as part of its mission to help fresh creative talent break into the industry. Stephen Chandler, joint chair of the GRT, explains, “The DMA Breakthrough Award is unique in the marketing industry, for giving young creatives exactly the step-up they need to get a break, in what is an otherwise notoriously difficult sector in which to get a job.”

Final judging for this year’s DMA Breakthrough Award takes place on Tuesday 6 December in Central London, with the final winner being announced that night during the DMA Awards Night at Old Billingsgate.

The DMA Breakthrough Award is one of marketing’s leading awards celebrating the next generation of talent coming into the industry. It’s supported by GRT and is also part of the DMA and IDM’s joint Employability team that work to help fresh creative talent break into the industry.