kwpx&partners, VML, Wildlings, Block Branding, Hypnosis and Inhale Content score Gold Skulls at annual PADC awards: 12 Gold, 37 Silver and 49 Bronze Skulls awarded overall

The 2024 PADC Skull Awards returned to the WA Museum Boola Bardip on Friday night and saw 12 Gold, 37 Silver and 49 Bronze Skulls awarded. As announced on CBWA yesterday, kwpx&partners won 2 Gold Skulls and the prestigious Best of Show for their WA Police Union film, ‘Cop Enough’. VML had a huge performance, winning half of the Gold Skulls handed out on the night. Wildlings Creative, Block Branding, Hypnosis and Inhale Content each walked up to the stage to collect Gold Skulls.

View the agency by agency breakdown of the Gold and Silver Skulls. The Bronze Skulls are listed below the agency, followed by the entry title and sub category. View the Diamond Skulls winners here.

kwpx&partners’ ‘Cop Enough’ film entered the night as a favourite and one of WA’s strongest campaigns of the year. The spot took out Best of Show plus a Gold in Film for Good – Single and also in Integrated for Good – Community/Charity/NFP. ‘Cop Enough’ also picked up a Silver Skull in Art Direction & Design.

Bronze
‘Better With Age’ (Out of Home – Campaign)
‘Better with Age’ (Copywriting)
‘Better with Age’ (Art Direction & Design)
‘Better with Age’ (Typography)

The VML creative team was welcomed to the stage multiple times to collect awards, including their 6 Gold Skulls. Their KitKat ‘Snap Decisions’, created in Perth, received 3 (Integrated Campaign – Brand, Social Campaign and Creator or Influencer Collaboration), West Australian Ballet ‘Van Gogh’ scored 2 (Print Advertising – Single and Photography) and Luma ‘HER Board’ (Integrated for Good – Community/Charity/NFP), which also picked up Silver in Design for Good.

Bronze
‘HER Board’ (Film for Good – Campaign)
‘Christmas Isn’t Always Merry’ (Out of Home – Single)
‘Hellmann’s Mayo On The Outside’ (Interactive, Installations or Experiential)
‘Hellmann’s Mayo On The Outside’ (Integrated Campaign – Brand)

Wildlings Creative picked up a Gold (Design for Good) and Silver (Innovation) for Clothing Please ‘ESME’. Their Australian Marine Conservation Society print work, ‘Animal Defenders’, was awarded Silver in Print for Good – Campaign and Print for Good – Single for the ‘Numbat’ execution.

Bronze
‘Let Us Get The Next One’ (Film: Up to 60 sec – Single)
‘The Voice’ (Audio for Good – Single)
‘The Voice’ (Innovative Use of Audio)
‘Animal Defenders’ (Out of Home – Campaign)

‘The Support Project’ for Avivo by Block Branding scored a Gold Skull in the Interactive, Installations or Experiential category, as well as Silver in Design for Good and Spatial Design. Their ‘PICA Identity’ rebrand scored Silver in Design: Brand Refresh – Small to Medium. Silver awards were also given to their Business News ’Book of Lists’ Ad in Print Advertising – Single and State Library of WA Identity in Design: Brand Refresh – Large.

Bronze
‘Joy 2024’ (Design for Good)
‘Perth Design Week 2024’ (Art Direction & Design)

Hypnosis scored a Gold Skull in Out of Home – Single for their topical stunt with Lightning Minds for ‘Barnaby’s Blunder’. They also won Silver for Gage Roads Brew Co. ‘Beige Roads – Single Bin’ in Strategy, Media, PR and Promotion.

Bronze
‘Memories Like no Other’ (Film: Up to 60 sec – Single)
‘Beige Or Gage?’ (Integrated Campaign – Brand)

WA Police Union’s ‘Cop Enough’ picked up another Gold via Matt Pitcher’s Inhale Content, which scored the Skull for Direction.

The Brand Agency were regular Silver award recipients on Friday night scoring a total of 11. The Brand’s top performer was ‘The Hunger Ghrelins’ for Foodbank WA, winning in the Design: Campaign Branding, Design for Good, Integrated Campaign – Brand, Integrated for Good – Community/Charity/NFP, Digital for Good and Campaign Strategy categories.

Their other Silver winners were: Water Corporation ‘Toilet Paper’ (Design: Packaging), Road Safety Commission ‘Everyday Journeys 2.0’ (Integrated Campaign – Brand), Kleenheat ‘No Song and Dance’ (Digital Visual Effects and Animation) and Valued Lives in both Design: Brand Refresh – Small to Medium and Typography.

Bronze
‘No Song and Dance – Queenheat’ (Film: Up to 60 sec – Single)
‘The Hunger Ghrelins’ (Social Campaign)
‘The Hunger Ghrelins’ (Digital Visual Effects and Animation)
‘The Hunger Ghrelins’ (Motion Design)
‘The Hunger Ghrelins’ (Art Direction & Design)

Moonsail scored 3 Silver awards, along with an additional 2 Silvers won by Sundeck Productions – the agency’s production arm. Their powerful ‘Enjoy Your Night’ film for Salvation Army/Oasis House picked up Silver in Film for Good – Single, Direction, and Cinematography. Public Transport Authority ‘P!nk’ (Out of Home – Campaign) and ‘Brains Around Trains’ (Digital Visual Effects and Animation) were their other Silver winners.

Bronze
‘Shocking Facts’ (Film: Up to 60 sec – Campaign)
‘Anti Vaping – Pineapple’ (Out of Home – Single)
‘Transperth WWE – Transporter’ (Social Video Short-form)
‘Anti Vaping – Pineapple’ (Digital Image Manipulation/Finished Art)
‘Day in the Life of a Transit Officer’ (Editing)
‘Brains Around Trains’ (Use of Sound)

Rare picked up 2 Silver awards in the Design: Logo category for Department of Training & Workforce Development’s ‘Clean Energy Skills’ and Development WA’s ‘Let’s Talk’.

Bronze
‘Oakstone’ (Design: Brand Identity (New) – Small to Medium)
‘Brindle Group’ (Design: Logo)
‘Clean Energy Skills’ (Design: Brand Identity (New) – Small to Medium)
‘Got 15 Minutes to Burn?’ (Integrated for Good – Community/Charity/NFP)
‘Got 15 Minutes to Burn?’ (Campaign Strategy)

‘Anyone Can Save a Life’ created by 303 MullenLowe for St John WA also picked up two Silver awards in Film: Up to 60 sec – Single and Film for Good.

Bronze
‘Don’t Assume You’re Immune’ (Film: Up to 60 sec – Campaign)

Marketforce’s Bell Tower ‘BINGE Bells’ activation for BINGE picked up a Silver in Interactive, Installations or Experiential.

Bronze
‘Timing is Everything – Film Set’ (Radio, Streaming & Audio: Up to 30 sec – Single)
‘BINGE Bells’ (Social Campaign)

The final Silver awards were awarded too MDS’ Tim Count for St John WA ‘Save A Life’ in Use of Sound; Sandbox Productions for Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation ‘Save Karijini’ in Social Video Short-form; Sam Price for Argyle Pink Diamonds ‘Born of this World’ in Motion Design; Forest Studio’s for Rhythm Films/Tourism W.A. ‘Drive The Dream’ in Original Composition; and Smart Casual Signs for Bloodhound Barbers ‘Bloodhound Barbers’ in Art Direction & Design.

The remaining Bronze Skulls can be seen below. Click here to view the finalists.

Anthologie – Bronze
‘Policy Cures Research Impact Report’ (Design: Spatial Design)
‘This is Manly’ (Social Campaign)
‘This is Manly’ (Social Media: Community Engagement)
‘Policy Cures Research Impact Report’ (Websites – Brand Experience)
‘Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index’ (Digital for Good)

Start Digital – Bronze
‘RTRFM Brand Refresh’ (Design: Brand Refresh – Small to Medium)
‘RTRFM Website’ (Websites – Brand Experience)
‘Matso’s Website’ (Websites – Brand Experience)

Juicebox – Bronze
‘The Floating Forest’ (Design: Brand Refresh – Small to Medium)
‘SORA’ Design (Brand Identity (New) – Small to Medium)

Freo Creative – Bronze
‘Lamborghini Immersive Dining Experience’ (Interactive, Installations or Experiential)

MITP Agency – Bronze
‘Spearmint Shake N’ Shake’ (Social Campaign)

Humaan – Bronze
‘Humaan Website’ (Websites – Brand Experience)

Lush – Bronze
‘Aboriginal Cultural Centre Key Messaging’ (Long-form Copy)

The Speech

Delivered on stage by PADC Co-Presidents Dan Agostino and Leigh Wood last Friday.

Dan: What a year it has been.

When Leigh and I stepped into presidency, there were a lot of questions around the validity of the Club. It’s relevance; did we even need it; and why on Earth should we protect it?

However, as the Club is a representation of our industry. And our industry is a collection of the individuals who make it – if this club is no longer relevant, then what questions does that pose about our industry, but also, the parts we play within it?

It was about a year ago when Leigh and I first came together about taking over the role of presidency. While we are both from opposite worlds; a boutique design studio versus large integrated agency; a studio with a first nations focus versus a global network; we realised that what brought us together was our passion for this industry and our desire to protect it.

This is an industry build on change, and as such, it made us reflect on the shifting sands within own journey of the PADC. For Leigh, it began as a student at North Metro TAFE, Class of 1999, and winning the PADC Award for Best Advertising Portfolio. For me, it was in 2006 as a young designer at Marketforce, winning my first ever bronze. Something I had worked so hard to achieve, it left me wanting more of that magic.

Now fast forward around 20 years, and how the industry has changed, and how we have both changed. I bet we never thought back then as young creatives we would be standing at the front of the room giving THE speech.

Whilst the industry is changing all around us, so should the club which represents it.

To be more relevant means being more inclusive and more accessible to the entire creative community. Regardless of big or small, it’s an industry for everyone, and therefore, a club for everyone. It needs to be a true reflection of the industry that we value and hold so sacred. It’s something wonderful.

We’ve spent this year trying to broaden who the club represents. We’ve had many conversations with members and non-members, we’ve collaborated with industry groups, meetings with our counterparts at the AADC in Adelaide and the BADC in Brisbane, 11 podcasts, 5 communes (including one this morning) – and next year we plan on doing even more so.

We hope that by opening up the club we’ve made it more welcoming, bringing together people of all kinds within this industry. And looking around tonight, I think the individuals in this room are a reflection of that.

It’s not just the big agencies, or the ‘advertising folk’, or the designers creating the beautiful work. It’s the tech industry that we rely so heavily on; our production partners that literally artisan our ideas into something real; the account managers, the clients, business owners, strategists that hold every single one of our ideas and string them all together; the students coming through. Every single part and every single cog in this wheel we call commercial creativity is integral to the next. It’s not a one-man band or a one person show. It takes each and every one of us to come together to create beautiful work steeped in wonder.

And it’s that which we all need to protect.

Amy, I remember the look on your face when you won best of show a couple years back. Dav, I remember the moment you fell off the back of the stage accepting an award. Look around and you’ll see so many smiling faces who have experienced winning here at the PADCs and how wonderful it was – why would we not want to protect that?

The ability to do what we do and work with the brightest minds – why would we not want to protect that? I have an eight-year-old son who wants nothing more than to be a designer like his dad – so why on earth would I not want to protect that?

So as things are changing at rate than we can barely keep up with, maybe we should all come together and reflect on some of these core values that we believe in that are worth protecting for the future of the club, and the future of our industry.

Look around and you’ll see so many aspiring young graduates and students in the back of the room volunteering to help on a night like tonight just so they can be a part of this industry. There’s the young UX designer, the young content creator, production assistant, strategist and account manager, and as we stand here and think to ourselves, who knows, maybe in 20 years from now it could be one of you up on this stage giving ‘the speech’ because the Club helped make space for you, and we protected it.

Leigh: We can’t and don’t run the show on our own, so it’s time for the thankyou segment and some more stories of coming together.

First thanks go to our 2024 PADC Committee, who each represent a segment of our industry: Tara, Calle, Clare, Tim, Ting, Mauro, Maurice, Josh, our Patron René, and our subcommittee who have also worked really hard behind the scenes.

We didn’t forget Laura (how could we). We wanted to highlight the tireless work she has done. Simply, the awards and tonight’s celebration wouldn’t have happened without her. Laura and Tim gave days and days of their time over the judging process, the production of the presentation, and all the awards-related tasks. Please make sure their glasses are kept full all night.

Laura can you please come up, we have a little gift for you – because we love you and also, we want you to come back next week.

Thanks also to our fellow industry and training associations: Ad Council Australia, Australian Graphic Design Association, IN:WA, WA Marketing Association, North Metro TAFE and Curtin University.

The Club isn’t just about tonight. We’ve had a whole year of creativity.

Thanks everyone who appeared on a PADCast, Commune panel, all of our generous sponsors and to everyone who came along to events throughout the year.

A special thank you from me to my Co-Prez, Dan. Thank you for holding my hand – metaphorically, not physically. Dan doesn’t do PDA’s. Thank you for nudging me to do things I said I didn’t want to do. Including ‘the speech’ (this speech). It’s been amazing, I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. I think we’ve now found at least two more things we have in common. Definitely not our taste in music.

When Dan and I took on the Co-President roles, ex-Prez Josh let us know about a few priorities to take care of. One of those was sorting out this bad boy, the Gold Skull.

We needed to reimagine and recreate the skull – we’d run out of them, and it turns out they’re made from toxic materials. It’s okay, they’re safe unless you melt them down. Don’t do that.

It was an opportunity to create something more sustainable, less toxic, and to celebrate creative talent home-grown in WA. Home grown talent like everyone here and on the stage tonight.

We brought together two local craftspeople – a visual artist and a ceramicist to reimagine what the skull could be.

If you’re the winner of a gold skull tonight, you’ll be taking home a one-off piece of art. Each skull is hand-crafted and unique, as we are as makers and creators.

We all know the power of creative storytelling, so through the brainchild of PADC committee member, Mauro Palmieri and the creativity of our friends at Supaflr, we’re going to let the craftspeople do the talking.

Thanks again everyone. We hope you have a wonderful night.