Creativity is the mantra of our times — and rightly so. These are turbulent, unstable times, dominated by massive technological change, where people are trying to keep up with artificial intelligence, understand it, and build a partnership that doesn’t cost them their soul.
Creativity remains the last stronghold. It is a way to tame a wild reality and to maintain balance amid the transformations of a world that’s becoming unrecognizable. That’s why it deserves to be celebrated in all its forms: in ideas that change perspectives or bring joy, in projects that inspire communities and dare to try something new.

That’s what the ADC*RO Awards do — Romania’s only competition that celebrates excellence in creativity, design, and visual communication in advertising. It brings together the Romanian creative industry and an international jury of professionals, recognizing valuable work. The festival is an exercise in trust — in the power of ideas to transform the industry and the community.

A Meeting Place for Valuable Ideas and Diverse Perspectives

Why is it important to reward the best and boldest expressions of creativity? Because recognizing valuable ideas helps set essential standards in an age of constant change.
The ADC*RO Awards competition was born for this reason: to celebrate creativity and different ways of seeing the world, and to create a shared energy that fuels the next great ideas and courageous projects.

After several years in which the creative industry lacked a festival dedicated to creativity, ADC*RO Awards has emerged as a landmark event for the industry. Initially linked to the ADC*RO Association’s benchmark program, ADC Top, the competition has evolved into a standalone festival, with a jury made up of prominent figures from the international advertising scene.

The second edition of ADC*RO Awards has officially launched.
Entries can be submitted until October 29 through the IQads platform.
The ADC*RO Awards Gala will take place on Friday, November 14, at Apollo111 Theater.

International Jury, Global Standards

A defining element of ADC*RO Awards is its international jury, ensuring objectivity and alignment with global standards.

This year, the jury president is Pum Lefebure, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Design Army (USA).
Born in Thailand and based in the U.S., Pum Lefebure is a multi-awarded creative known for international campaigns for brands such as Adobe, Netflix, PepsiCo, The Ritz-Carlton, and Hong Kong Ballet.

Throughout her career, she has served as jury president at Cannes Design Lions, One Show Design, AdFest, and London International Awards, and her work has received recognition from D&AD, One Show, ADC, Red Dot, AIGA, SPD, and TDC.

Online judging of the finalists will take place between October 30 and November 6.
Entries will be evaluated by the international jury across the following categories:

• Film & Audio
• Print & Outdoor
• Interactive & Mobile
• Design
• Brand Experience
• Integrated & Innovation

During the ADC*RO Awards Gala, Bronze, Silver, and Gold prizes will be awarded in each category, and the jury will nominate and select the Grand Prix of the festival.

The festival is supported by The Institute, which will exhibit the Design category awards during Romanian Design Week 2026.

Entries

Entries are open until October 29, through the IQads platform, via this form.

Projects that have won monthly in ADC Top benefit from a special entry fee of €100 per entry, while the standard participation fee for other works is €180 per entry.
Those who register between October 8–15 can take advantage of the early bird promotion: €80 for ADC Top winners and €150 for other entries.

Guidelines:

Steps: Online Registration → Payment / Invoice Issuance → Entry Validation

• Since the jury is international, both the campaign description (CONTEXT) and the creative materials (ads) must be submitted in English, with subtitles where applicable.
• After registration, you will receive an email from the organizers with details and the corresponding invoice.
• Payment must be made by the agency/company submitting the work to the association’s account:

IBAN: RO54RNCB0072126565630001
Bank: BCR
Beneficiary: Asociația Art Directors Club România
Amounts must be paid in RON, at the exchange rate on the day of payment.

• A campaign may be entered in multiple categories; each category counts as a separate entry.
• For additional information, please contact Ioana Dogaru at Ioana_Dogaru@heist-industries.com — Project Manager, ADC*RO Awards.

ADC*RO Awards is also an exercise in trusting the power of ideas to change the industry and the community.
The work of those who deal with this unpredictable resource — creativity — deserves recognition and to be passed forward.

The ADC*RO Awards Festival – Romania’s Only Advertising Creativity Competition

After several years in which Romania’s communication festival landscape lacked an event dedicated to advertising creativity, ADC*RO has firmly established the ADC*RO Awards competition.

Initially tied to the ADC*RO Association’s barometer program, ADC Top, the competition gradually evolved into a standalone festival, with a jury composed of leading international advertising figures.
In 2024, the jury was led by Susana Albuquerque, Creative Director, Uzina.

The jury included names such as:

Pum Lefebure – Vice Chairman, The One Show for Creativity & Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer, Design Army (USA)
Stefanie Huber – Board Member, ADC Europe; Independent Creative Director & VP, ADC Switzerland
Emiliano Gonzalez – Chief Creative Officer, McCann Madrid (Spain)
Hannes Boeker – Board Member, ADC Europe; Creative Brand Strategist, Alpha Tauri / Red Bull (Austria)
Janez Rakuscek – Board Member, ADC Europe; Executive Creative Director, Luna/TBWA (Slovenia)
Beqa Meparishvili – Board Member, ADC Europe; Chief Creative Officer, Windfor’s (Georgia)
Rimantas Stanevicius – Board Member, ADC Europe; Creative Director, Milk (Lithuania)
Juraj Kovac – Board Member, ADC Europe; Creative & Strategy Director, This is Locco (Slovakia)
Mihnea Gheorghiu – Global Chief Creative Officer, LePub (Italy)
Romulus Petcan – Executive Creative Director, Publicis Conseil (France)

About ADC*RO

Art Directors Club Romania (ADC*RO) was founded in 2008 and is a non-profit association whose mission is to promote and recognize excellence in creativity.
The organization’s goal is to connect and bring together the strongest creative talents and to provide them with tools to express themselves with solidarity, generosity, and professional excellence.