DMA Talent Breakthrough Award 2024

The DMA Talent Breakthrough Award gives aspiring marketers across the UK the opportunity to work on a creative brief for a well-known brand, get their ideas in front of senior marketers, and see their names in lights at the DMA Awards.

This is your opportunity to:

• Experience what it’s like to work on a real-life client brief.
• Add real client work to your portfolio.
• Gain invaluable presenting experience.
• Win a major marketing industry award.

Barclays have provided the brief for 2024’s Award, and they’re asking you to come up with ideas to drive consideration for them as the go-to choice for student banking.

If selected to take part in one of our regional heats, you’ll get to present your idea to a panel of industry experts, getting advice from them. Then, if you’re selected as a Regional Winner, you’ll present your creative campaign to Barclays in their Canary Wharf offices, and be invited to attend the prestigious DMA Awards in central London on the night of Tuesday 3 December 2024.

The DMA Awards ceremony is attended by some of the most successful advertising and marketing agencies in the country who have created some of the best campaigns of the year, and you’ll have the chance to network with them. The connections you make could be career-changing.

Get your hands on the brief here - The award is open to students, interns and non-professionals.

Submit your entry here - Entries close on Sunday 27 October 2024 at 23:59.

If you have any questions, please email us on dmatalent@dma.org.uk and a member of the team will get back to you as quickly as possible.

The judging process

We will review all entries and, if we like your idea, will invite you to one of our regional heats taking place in:

Edinburgh: Wednesday 13 November 2024 at Inspace (Creative Informatices, 1 Crichton St, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9AB)

London: Friday 15 November 2024, Rapier House (40 Lamb's Conduit Street, WC1N 3LB)

Manchester: Friday 8 November 2024, Manchester Met University Business School (Oxford Road, M15 6BH)

South Wales: Tuesday 5 November 2024, University of South Wales (86-88 Adam Street, Cardiff, CF24 2FN)

Online: November 2024 (exact date tbc)

Here, you will present your creative idea and approach. You will join us for the day to refine and practice your presentation and then during the afternoon session you will have a maximum of 15 mins to present to a small judging panel and there will be time for some questions at the end.

One team from each regional heat will be crowned a DMA Talent Breakthrough Award Regional Winner and will go forward to the grand final in London.

Grand final

The five regional winners will take part in the grand final on the morning of Tuesday 3 December 2024. This will see them present their creative campaign to the senior leadership team at Barclays in their Canary Wharf offices.

An overall winner will then be selected to take away the big prize - They'll be asked to take to the stage at the DMA Awards to be presented with a DMA Awards Gold trophy. There's also a £500 prize for the winning team. If you enter as an individual you’ll take home the lot, if you entered as a team of two you’ll each receive £250.

All necessary travel & accommodation arrangements will be made for the finalists nearer to the time.

Get your hands on the brief here - The award is open to students, interns and non-professionals.

Submit your entry here - Entries close on Sunday 27 October 2024 at 23:59.

If you have any questions, please email us on dmatalent@dma.org.uk and a member of the team will get back to you as quickly as possible.