• by Larissa Faw , July 6, 2017

This year's D&AD's 2017 New Blood Awards features animation, hi-tech solutions and advocacy campaigns developed by the next generation of talent. The annual award show honors student-created campaigns based on real briefs and clients, including Adobe, Hasbro, John Lewis and Nationwide. 

The only Black Pencil — the highest honor — was awarded to “Mm-hmm” developed by Kingston University students Hannah McNally and Martha Halliday in response to a brief from The National Autistic Society. Their winning creative incorporated animation to give the viewer added insight into autism. 

This year's program awarded 173 Pencils in total. All Pencil winners are now eligible to apply for the WPP New Blood Academy, where 50 graduates attend a two-week creative boot camp. These students team with WPP agencies on a live brief with the opportunity to land a series of paid placements. 

The annual D&AD celebration is open to anyone in full- or part-time education, recent graduates who finished their course within the past two years and anyone 23 or under.  

Brand representatives and industry experts decide the winners selected from thousands of entries from over 40 countries.