According to the ADC, when it was founded as the Art Directors Club in 1920, its highest award accolade was the medallion created by famed sculptor Paul Manship — renowned for the Prometheus sculpture in New York's Rockefeller Center.

The medallion trophy was later replaced with today's ADC Cube.

In celebration of ADC's first century, The One Club has revived the Manship Medallion but with a different focus. This aims to honour a select group of industry innovators who played a significant role in the ADC's history and development over the years, according to the group.

"As ADC moves into its second century, we thought it was the perfect time to bring back this historic medallion, not to award work but as a rare honour bestowed upon a select group of creative leaders who have played enormous roles in shaping ADC throughout its first 100 years," says Kevin Swanepoel, CEO of The One Club.

"While congratulations are in order, a sincere thanks is also appropriate. Without the efforts of these honourees, ADC would not have played such an important part in the world of advertising and design," Swanepoel adds.

The Manship Medallion honourees are:

Gail Anderson
Anderson is a designer and chair of BFA Design and BFA Advertising at the School of Visual Arts, a past host of ADC Saturday Career Workshops and a current board member of The One Club.

Brian Collins
CCO at COLLINS, Collins is an ADC board member who initiated the club's annual 'Designism: Design for Social Change' forum and Designism Cube Special Award for work that promotes positive societal and political change. He organised numerous exhibitions and talks at the ADC Gallery and is a current One Club board member and treasurer.

Myrna Davis
Davis is a ADC executive director emeritus, who served 13 years as ADC executive director.

Olga Grisaitis
Grisaitis served 22 years as ADC associate director, director of operation, acting director and executive director.

George Lois
Lois was ADC's past president when ADC and The Copy Club joined forces to create The One Show. He initiated the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame while being president and is an ADC Hall of Fame laureate.

Philippe Meunier
Co-founder and creative chief at Sid Lee, Meunier was an ADC past president when ADC came together with The One Club to form The One Club for Creativity.

Bill Oberlander
Oberlander was ADC's past president, co-creator of ADC Young Guns. He is responsible for moving the Art Directors Club to the ADC Gallery space.

Georg Olden
A graphic designer who was the first African-American member of the Art Directors Club, he served as an ADC officer and contributed to the design of ADC Annuals.

Paula Scher
Designer and partner of Pentagram and an ADC Hall of Fame laureate, Scher designed a number of Annuals and reiterated the club's monogram in 2002.

Eileen Hedy Schultz
Schultz is a professor of graphic arts at the School of Visual Arts and was the first and only woman to serve as ADC president.

Rich Tu
Tu was GCD at Jones Knowles Ritchie, Young Guns eight winner, a perennial active supporter of club initiatives, cofounder and underwriter of Young Guns COLORFUL grant programme for BIPOC creatives.

Richard Wilde
Wilde is a former chair BFA Advertising and BFA Design departments at School of Visual Arts. Wilde is also an ADC Hall of Fame and The One Club Educator's Hall of Fame laureate, a past ADC board member and is actively involved in the early years of the club's Saturday Career Workshops for high school students.

The awards say that the ADC's commitment to the ideal of art is underscored by the choice of Manship (1885-1966) to design the Art Directors Club's first award medal. According to the awards, he had a strong personal style with elements of both the realist academicians and the avant-garde.

The Manship Medallion depicts Apollo, god of the sun and leader of the Muses, flying on Pegasus, the symbol of inspiration. The Muses are represented by the strings of his lyre.

In addition to celebrating the Manship Medallion honourees and 2022's top winners including Best of Show, Best of Discipline and other special awards.

The evening will feature a belated celebration of ADC's historic 100th anniversary, which was postponed in 202 due to the pandemic and include important members and winners from throughout ADC history. 

For more information, visit www.adcawards.org. You can also follow the One Club for Creativity on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.