European agencies and brands dominated the Epica Awards this year. In fact, there’s not a single North American, South American, Australian, African, or Asian winner among the eight Grand Prix designees.
The jury decided to award two Grand Prix in a pair of closely-fought categories (Film and Responsibility). In Film, which continues to shine in an era of multiple media platforms, two very different films for home improvement brands won.
Film Grand Prix winner, “No Project Without Drama”, from HeimatTBWA\ Berlin for long-running client Hornbach, transforms advertising into theatre with handcrafted sets and choreography that turn a leaky pipe into a “plumbing opera”.
The second Film Grand Prix went to “We Need to Talk About Eli”, by Morgenstern for Maxbo in Norway. It hilariously portrays a little girl who’s picked up some seriously bad language from Dad. The jury felt that it was pure entertainment, perfectly pitched.
The Responsibility Grand Prix – celebrating work for good causes – was also awarded to two different projects. “AXA – 3 Words” from Publicis Conseil in France helped victims of domestic violence find protection as part of a groundbreaking new insurance coverage. And “Miniatur Warmland” from Grabarz & Partner, for Deutsche Telecom, combined technology with the world’s largest model railway to demonstrate the potential impact of global warming to a young audience.
There was a first Epica Awards Grand Prix for South Korea, thanks to INNOCEAN, which won the Innovation Grand Prix for the film “Night Fishing”, shot entirely on the cameras of the Hyundai IONIQ car.
The PR Grand Prix went to McCann Paris and L’Oréal Paris for “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht”. At the campaign’s core was a documentary about the copywriter behind the iconic line “Because I’m worth it.” But the agency used the film’s launch on International Women’s Day to provoke a far wider conversation about the ability of that single line to empower women and its importance in the battle for equality.
The Digital Grand Prix was awarded to “Camdom: The First Digital Condom”, from INNOCEAN Berlin for condom brand Billy Boy in Germany. The unique application for mobile phones blocks the device, and all those nearby, from filming intimate encounters which could potentially be used as “revenge porn”.
The Print Grand Prix was awarded to the “IKEA – Made For Life” campaign, from TRY in Norway. The classic and beautiful print ads link two different IKEA products with a line of touching or humorous narrative. They combine copywriting and art direction to sublime effect.
Network of the year went to Publicis. TRY won both Agency of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year.
Founded in 1987, Epica is the only global creative award judged by journalists covering the creative and communication industries, as well as specialist reporters in fields ranging from automotive to production.
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