YOUNG ONES STUDENT AWARDS
Through the acclaimed Young Ones Student Awards, we aim to identify the best young creative talent from around the world in a variety of creative disciplines. The Young Ones Brief competition tasks students with creating work for different types of clients for the chance to earn a One Show Pencil. The Young Ones ADC competition offers students the chance to earn an ADC Cube by competing in the same disciplines and categories as the ADC Annual Awards. The Young Ones Portfolio competition is an opportunity for students to showcase examples from their portfolio in a variety of creative disciplines. The Young Ones TDC Competition is for font fanatics and lettering lovers looking to make their mark upon the typography community.
To qualify for entry, national and international college students must be enrolled in, or recently graduated from, an undergraduate or graduate college program, or other program approved by The One Club's Education Department.
Submissions to the competitions are judged based on creativity and originality. Winners are awarded during the Young Ones Education Festival, held each May in New York City.
LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUNG ONES 2026 & 2027
The winners of Young Ones 2026 will be celebrated at the Young Ones Student Awards Ceremony on May 11 in New York City as part of Creative Week 2026.
By day, Creative Week features speaker sessions, workshops, and reviews, designed to foster discussion, reflection, and connection in the advertising and design industries. By night, Creative Week rolls out the red carpet as it recognizes the very best work of the past year by way of four internationally acclaimed award shows: the lauding of "big ideas" at The One Show; the celebration of design and craftsmanship at the ADC Annual Awards; and the salute to the next generation of talent at the Young Ones Student Awards.
Winners and rankings will be publicly revealed on May 11, 2026 in The One Club for Creativity archives.
At the same time, The One Club for Creativity is already planning for Young Ones 2027. The 2027 Competition will launch in September 2026 with updated categories and new brief sponsors. You can be the first to know when we launch by signing up for the Education newsletter
CEREMONY DETAILS
May 11, 2026
6:30pm to 11pm
Sony Hall
(235 W 46th Street,
New York, NY)
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REVISITING YOUNG ONES 2025
Young Ones is thrilled to celebrate the winners of the 2025 Student Awards! Students from around the world competed across four disciplines, showcasing exceptional talent and creativity. The celebration of excellence in student work brought together brilliant ideas and unforgettable moments.
Dive back into the highlights—explore the winners, see who topped the rankings, meet the jury, and browse event photos from the ceremony.
Winners
Explore the groundbreaking student work that earned recognition across all disciplines. Discover the ideas that defined excellence last year.
View Winners
Rankings
See which schools and students led the competition. The rankings reveal who earned the most recognition last year.
View Rankings
Jury
Meet the global panel of creative leaders who judged Young Ones 2025. Their expertise and high standards defined what rose to the top.
View Jury
Event Photos
Relive the energy and celebration of the Young Ones 2025 ceremony. View highlights from the unforgettable evening in NYC.
View Photos
HISTORY & LEGACY
For over 30 years, The One Club for Creativity's student competitions have been decorating the resumes and portfolios of talented advertising and design students. In 2026, Young Ones is home to the One Show, Art Directors Club, and the Type Directors Club Student Competitions, plus a unique Portfolio Competition. Between all four shows, there is an opportunity to celebrate up-and-coming creatives in almost any discipline imaginable.
As a global creative competition, Young Ones challenges students to put their best foot forward in hopes of winning one of the first honors in their professional journey. And, as a creative community, The One Club for Creativity exists to support and celebrate those same artists, designers, writers, technologists, and filmmakers through today, tomorrow, and beyond. For countless creatives worldwide, winning a One Show Pencil or ADC Cube is a dream come true, but those dreams have to start somewhere...
AWARDS
YOUNG ONES PENCIL
Entrants in the Young Ones One Show discipline compete for a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Pencil, plus a place in the archives.
YOUNG ONES CUBE
Entrants in the Young Ones ADC discipline compete for a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Cube, plus a place in the archives.
YOUNG ONES TYPE HIGH
Entrants in the Young Ones TDC discipline compete for a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Type High Award, plus a place in the archives.
YOUNG ONES PORTFOLIO AWARD
Entrants in the Young Ones Portfolio discipline compete for a Portfolio Award, plus a place in the archives.
SCHOOL OF THE YEAR
The school with the highest number of cumulative top award wins across all disciplines is awarded School of the Year.