The jury for the 2026 D&AD Awards has been unveiled, consisting of leading creatives from more than 40 countries who will judge the very best in commercial creativity.
For 2026, 40 creatives from the U.S. will join the international jury, including nine jury presidents, reflecting the country’s continued influence across design, craft and creative innovation. The lineup includes Rehanah Spence and Shannon Jager (OpenAI), Becca Morton (Pinterest), Ricardo Casal (GUT), Jonathan Santana (Johannes Leonardo), Daniel Lobaton (DAVID), Matt Sia (Pearlfisher) and Eden Yeung (Spotify), alongside senior creatives from Apple, Mother Design, Dazed and INNOCEAN.
This year’s jury reflects the changing shape of the creative industry. For 2026, independent studios now make up around half of the jury, alongside an increased number of brand-side representatives, including creatives from global brands such as Lego, Unilever and adidas, reflecting the breadth of creative leadership today, spanning world-class agencies, brands and independent studios, while maintaining the rigorous standards for which D&AD is known.
The D&AD Awards 2026 also reflect the organization’s provocation to the industry. In line with its recent Creativity is Alive manifesto, the D&AD Awards challenge creatives, brands and studios to demonstrate that creativity is alive through action, nurturing and making world-class work.
The D&AD Awards return in May 2026, with live judging taking place from May 17-20 and winners announced on May 20. Running alongside this, the D&AD Festival will take place across the Southbank on May 19-20, featuring Insight Sessions exploring the work judges championed and challenged, the debates inside the jury rooms, and the themes and trends that emerged.
The Festival will also include keynote talks curated by D&AD president Lisa Smith, alongside the Yellow Pencil Showcase, where the winning work for 2026 will be revealed and explored with insight from the jury presidents.
This year, D&AD will also offer a number of free festival tickets to support creatives who have recently been made redundant, reinforcing its commitment to the creative community during a challenging period for the industry.
The Black Pencil, D&AD’s highest honor, along with the President’s Award, individual rankings and Company of the Year, will be announced and celebrated separately in September.
Across 46 categories, juries will assess work against the core principles that have defined D&AD for more than six decades: originality, craft and creative excellence. The judging process remains peer-led and focused on work that pushes the industry forward.
In 2025, there were 501 winning entries from the U.S., reinforcing the country’s standing on the global creative stage.
The current list of over 300 international judges can be found on the D&AD website with more to be added in the coming days.
Donal Keenan, COO, D&AD, said, “As a global non-profit, D&AD exists to uphold creative standards for the industry. The awards are judged by creatives, for creatives and this year’s jury reflects the reality of how great work is made today, while maintaining the rigor and integrity that have defined D&AD for more than six decades.”
Smith, D&AD president and Uncommon global chief design officer, said, “Creativity thrives when it’s actively supported, challenged and put into practice. This year’s jury brings together people who are deeply involved in making great work happen and who understand the responsibility that comes with recognizing and championing creative excellence.”
D&AD Awards 2026 is now open for entry.
Here is a full rundown of jurors and jury presidents from the U.S.:
JURORS
Art Direction
Rehanah Spence
Design Lead / Art Director, OpenAI
Book Design
Linda Huang
Art Director, Penguin Random House
New Brand Identity
Alex Center
Founder & Creative Director, CENTER
Brand Identity Refresh
Shannon Jager
Design Director, OpenAI
Brand Transformation
Matt Sia
Executive Creative Director, Pearlfisher
Commerce
Hope Nardini
Global Executive Creative Director, Grey
Creator Content
Becca Morton
Executive Creative Director, Pinterest
Digital Marketing
Ricardo Casal
Chief Creative Officer, GUT
Digital Experience Design
Cheyney Robinson-Andre
Product Design Executive & Consultant, Freelance
Direction
Michael Refuerzo
Global Head of Production, Apple Beats by Dre
Editing
Mah Ferraz
Co-Founder & Film Editor, Church Edit
Editing
L’Jai Brown
Producer & Director, Omnicom Production
Entertainment
Jonathan Santana
Chief Creative Officer, Johannes Leonardo
Experiential: Activation & Participation
Gio Serrano
Creative Director, Translation
Film
Jason Sperling
Chief Creative Officer, INNOCEAN USA
Gaming & Virtual Worlds
Daniel Lobaton
Chief Creative Officer North America, DAVID
Gaming & Virtual Worlds
Jarell Thompson
Vice President, Havas Play
Graphic Design
Alisa Wolfson
EVP Head of Design, Leo Chicago
Graphic Design
Bruno Oppido
Global Group Design Director, Wieden+Kennedy
Health
Angela Williams
SVP, Group Creative Director, Fifth Element
Illustration
Veronica Padilla
VP, Head of Design, Favorite Child/Betty
Impact
Gian Lanfranco
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, L&C
Impact
Kwame Taylor-Hayfor
Founder, Kin
Luxury
Bunny Kinney
Global Executive Creative Director, Dazed
Radio & Audio
Eden Yeung
Creative Director, Spotify
Type Design & Lettering
Mark Sloan
Head of Design, Mother Design
Visual Effects
Lez Rudge
Head of Color & Group Creative Director, Prose on Pixels (Havas)
Visual Effects
Ajit Menon
Visual Effects Supervisor, Arc Creative
Writing for Advertising
Kevin Mulroy
Partner & Executive Creative Director, Mischief
Writing for Advertising
Olga Pope
Creative Director, Freelance
Writing for Design
Talia Cotton
Founder & Principal, Cotton
D&AD JURY PRESIDENTS
New Brand Identity
Cat How
Chief Executive Officer, Founder & Executive Creative Director, How&How
Brand Identity Refresh
Teemu Suviala
Global Chief Creative Officer, Landor
Cultural Influence
Geoff Edwards
Managing Director, Creative, GALE
Digital Experience Design
Teo Connor
Vice President of Design, Airbnb
Direct
Danilo Boer
Global Creative Lead & Partner, President of the Global Creative Council, McCann
Film
Brent Anderson
Global Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Media Arts Lab
Health
Eric Weisberg
Global Chief Creative Officer, Havas Health
Media
Resh Sidhu
Senior Global Director, Innovation & Marketing, Snap Inc.
Music Videos
child.
Director, De La Revolución
