Why Awards Are So Much More Than Trophies

It's not about winning, it's what comes before and after winning that moves us forward: the risk, the drive, the culture, the people. 

- Per Pederson

This is not another rant. Every now and then, the debate about “awards for awards’ sake” pops up in our industry, and I think that’s good. I think that’s healthy. No doubt the skeptics have a point when they point their fingers at ideas created purely for juries.

We’ve seen the trend of big winners being small ideas that wouldn’t survive the brutal world of real brands. But we can’t let a few dishonorable works make the real work any less honorable. The shows and wins and trophies and titles push our people, brands, agencies and our industry forward.

I openly and wholeheartedly believe in awards. This is not a love affair in disguise or an obsession in denial. I’ll be the first to admit that winning is an exciting game, but no matter how well you play it, at the end of the day it takes an exceptional idea to win. An idea so smart that others hate it purely because they didn’t do it. We celebrate these internally, the ideas we wish we had.