ADC*UA Student Awards 2026 is a competition by the Ukrainian ADC*UA Club dedicated to emerging creatives, students, and recent graduates across all creative disciplines. It serves as a launchpad for rising talent, helping young professionals showcase their abilities and take their first step toward a professional career.

The competition paves the way for the next generation of innovators in design, advertising, and visual communications. ADC*UA Student Awards invites aspiring creatives to submit their work across 14 competition categories. Participation offers more than professional recognition — it provides inspiration, visibility, and tangible career opportunities within the creative industries.

Professional creative schools and specialized educational institutions whose students participate in the ADCUA Student Awards competition program earn points that contribute to their positions in the ADC*UA Creative Schools Ranking. For young talents, this is an important step toward future achievements, opening new professional opportunities and strengthening career development. For educational institutions, it is a prestigious validation of educational quality and their commitment to nurturing creative potential.

ELIGIBILITY

The competition is open to individuals aged 18 and above who, at the time of submission, are:

• Students of art academies and schools, colleges, undergraduate or graduate programs
• Students of educational platforms specializing in creative professions
• Recent graduates (from June 2025 onward)

Submitted works must have been created as part of an academic course or project, including coursework, graduation projects, independent assignments, and similar formats.

Both individual entrants and teams are eligible to participate. All team members must meet the criteria listed above.

Not eligible:

• Doctoral (PhD) students
• Students or graduates with more than two years of professional experience in advertising, marketing, design, or communications

ENTRY DEADLINE & FEES

The call for entries is open until April 20, 2026.

The entry fee for ADC*UA Student Awards 2026 is UAH 500 (excluding VAT) per entry, per category.

By registering entries, participants agree to pay the full entry fee. Entry fees are non-refundable. Payment can be made online by card or via bank transfer (invoice). The final payment deadline for invoiced entries is May 10, 2026.

CATEGORIES

ADC*UA Student Awards features 14 diverse categories, ensuring every creative voice can find its niche. Whether you are a designer, storyteller, strategist, or innovator, this is the stage to showcase your talent and let your work shine.

• Advertising
• Architecture / Interior / Environmental Design
• Artificial Intelligence
• Brand / Communication Design
• Experiential Design
• Gaming
• Illustration
• Interactive
• Motion / Film Craft
• Packaging Design
• Photography
• Product / Fashion Design
• Publication Design
• Typography

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

General entry guidelines, media formats, and technical specifications are available in the main rules section via the provided link.

JURY

The ADC*UA Student Awards 2026 jury will include members of the ADC*UA Club — leading Ukrainian creative professionals with extensive experience in advertising, design, branding, and communications.

As active industry practitioners working with real briefs, brands, and market challenges, jurors help shape creative standards and contribute to the development of Ukraine’s professional community. Entries will be evaluated based on the strength of the idea, quality of execution, creative thinking, and relevance to the contemporary industry landscape.

The jury will select finalists and winners, ensuring a professional, objective, and industry-relevant perspective on the work of emerging creatives.

PRIZES

ADC*UA Student Awards 2026 is presented within the framework of ADC*UA Awards as a standalone competition with its own set of categories. Following the evaluation of all submitted entries, the jury will determine the winners.

The competition recognizes Finalists (Shortlist) and award recipients in Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

The number of finalists and winners is not limited. The jury reserves the right to withhold awards if, in its opinion, entries do not meet the judging criteria.

Winners of ADC*UA Student Awards 2026 will receive official diplomas.

AWARDS CEREMONY

The ceremony will be a special moment for students — an opportunity to shine on stage, celebrate their creativity, and discover the most outstanding work of 2026.

The awards presentation will take place on May 28 as part of the ADC*UA Awards 2026 Ceremony.

CREATIVE SCHOOLS RANKING

Following the results of the ADC*UA Student Awards, the Creative Schools Ranking will be compiled. It will include all educational institutions providing professional training for specialists in advertising and communications — from new-wave professional schools (such as KAMA, Projector, SKVOT, and others) to traditional higher education institutions (universities, institutes, academies, etc.).

The ranking is based on students’ competition results and reflects the quality of training for future professionals as well as each institution’s contribution to the development of the creative industry.

Important: During registration, the “Entrant Name” field must include the student’s full name (or names, in the case of a team), followed by the name of the educational institution in parentheses (mandatory). This information is used by the organizing committee to ensure accurate results calculation and ranking formation.

RANKING METHODOLOGY

All awards are evaluated using a single scoring system without coefficients.

Points allocation: Shortlist — 2 points, Bronze — 4 points, Silver — 6 points, Gold — 8 points