'It's a self-evident fact the communications industry does not always do its best job promoting the immense value it brings to the business and the wider communities it helps," says Cresta CEO Lewis Blackwell.

Blackwell announced that 2023's Cresta Awards would bring renewed attention to pulling out the stories that help shift the perception of creativity in advertising and marketing.

"We can all learn more from the best work we do in this industry; we need to grow a wider appreciation of the creative work. Cresta takes that as the key part of its mission," adds Blackwell.

"This year, we will increase resources behind sharing winners' stories more widely and, in particular, highlighting how outstanding creativity leads to outstanding performance. Our category development, and shaping and advice to the jury, further reflects this," Blackwell says.

Cresta has updated its categories with a stronger focus on Social Impact and Creative Commerce. Other areas of development areas include:
  • Brand Storytelling,
  • Start-Up businesses
  • Direct Marketing
  • B2B, and
  • Craft.

"There is a need to be more sensitive and insightful on how brand work is recognised," says Cresta president Alan Page. "Cresta aims to give entrants every possible opportunity to demonstrate how their creativity can advance business and social agendas. We’re still open for suggestions of further improvement."

The organisers say they intend to survey and promote the best creative achievements the awards recognise, playing back the best from around the world to the client community.

Besides adding new categories, Cresta has doubled its commitment to being 'the fairest and sustainable global creative award'.

Blackwell adds that Cresta aims to "be the fairest in what we judge, how we judge, what we charge for participation, and how we reward".

The competition is distinctive in having a sizeable rolling jury, where some members stay on for several years while others rotate, the overall selection is carefully balanced to reflect a globally diverse range of creative agencies and their clients.

2023's competition is opening with a Super Early Bird offer, where participants can benefit from a USD$200 saving on the standard rate per entry.

Cresta's trophy was redesigned five years ago by the leading designer Fernando Gutierrez and is highly sustainable. Made purely of certified timber and anodised aluminium, renewable and fully recyclable, it claims to be the most hand-crafted of all trophies, with a simple geometric design based on the golden section.

"We are proud to offer a beautiful piece of design as our trophy, an indicator of how all products need to be more sustainable. It's a standout and, we hope, a pioneer in this industry," concludes Blackwell.

The Cresta Awards is a global creative award founded in New York in 1993 and is now headquartered in London. It has entries from more than 70 countries and is judged by more than 140 leading creatives worldwide.

For more information, visit www.cresta-awards.com. You can also follow the Cresta Awards on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.