The shortlists for the 2021 AICP Awards–the AICP Post Awards, the AICP Next Awards and the AICP Show–have been released. Winners in each of these three competitions for excellence will be revealed during a series of free virtual premieres set to take place in late July–the AICP Post Awards will debut July 27, followed by the AICP Next Awards on July 28, culminating in the premiere of the AICP Show on July 29. The work on all three shortlists can be found here. Details to register for the virtual events will be made available at aicp.com. This marks the 30th anniversary of the AICP Show; the 20th anniversary of the AICP Post Awards; and the 15th anniversary of the AICP Next Awards.
The AICP Show
The AICP Show, The Art & Technique of the Commercial, is more than just an awards show judging the best work of the year. It’s an ongoing archival project with cultural and artistic significance. Since the Show’s inception in 1992, the honored work is preserved in The Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Film’s state of the art archives for future generations to study and are available for use or exhibition by the museum’s curators. Each year, the AICP Show honors the craft and creativity of marketing in the motion image.
Among production companies, MJZ topped the AICP Show shortlist with 20 mentions (including two with Scoundrel). SMUGGLER had 14 nods on the shortlist, with Biscuit Filmworks appearing 11 times (including three with Revolver). PRETTYBIRD appeared 10 times, while Chelsea and SOMESUCH each had eight mentions.
On the advertising agency front, Droga5 was noted 19 times, followed by Apple with 13 nods. Various offices of TBWA, including TBWA/Chiat/Day and TBWA/MAL, appeared a total of 12 times. Offices of Wieden+Kennedy appeared seven times, while Forsman & Bodenfors and Translation each appeared six times.
Apple topped the shortlist for brands, appearing 22 times. Volvo followed with eight mentions; Facebook was listed seven times, followed by Beats by Dre and the New York Times, which each had six nods. Libresse/Bodyform was listed five times on the shortlist.
The AICP Next Awards
On the brand front, Verizon topped the Next Awards shortlist with 13 nods, followed by Michelob ULTRA/Microsoft/NBA with six mentions. Apple scored five spots on the shortlist, followed by Reddit with four. The Ad Council, Miller Lite, and the NAACP Atlanta each had three mentions.
On the agency side, various offices of R/GA topped the Next shortlist with 17 mentions (including four with Momentum Worldwide). Following R/GA were various offices of Leo Burnett with eight nods; BBDO New York and Verizon each appeared seven times on the shortlist; FCB New York appeared six times, followed by DDB Chicago with five appearances. McCann appeared five times (twice with McCann Health).
For production/development companies, R/GA again topped the list with 15 mentions (four with Momentum Worldwide). Appearing seven times on the Next shortlist are: m ss ng p eces and SMUGGLER. Ntropic had six mentions, followed by BBDO Studios and Momentum Worldwide (including four with R/GA) with five each. Hungry Man, Tool of North America and Unit9 each had four mentions.
The AICP Next Awards recognize outstanding work and the creative forces behind it, but are much more than an Awards competition–it’s also a platform for thought leadership and analysis. Annually, the Next Awards seeks out the work that defies convention and effectively utilizes new technologies as well as storytelling. The honored work is preserved in The Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Film’s state of the art archives for future generations to study and are available for use or exhibition by the museum’s curators.
The AICP Post Awards
Leading the shortlist on the artist front is editor Sam Ostrove of Cabin Editing Company, with nine mentions–seven solo and two shared with fellow Cabin editor Emma Backman. His mentions came in the following categories: Dialogue/Monologue/Spoken Word, Docu-Style Montage and Storytelling for Scandinavian Airlines; Cause Marketing/PSA for The Swedish Heartchild Foundation, Stockholm; Music Video for aYia; Fashion/Beauty for Apple; and Coca-Cola (along with Emma Backman) in Dialogue/Monologue/Spoken Word and Storytelling.
Editor Scott Butzer, also of Cabin Editing Company, had five mentions on the shortlist, in Montage, Cause Marketing/PSA, Storytelling, Dialogue/Monologue/Spoken Word and Existing Footage for Google. Cabin’s Emma Backman had four nods on the shortlist in Automotive for Root Insurance and Fashion/Beauty for Vogue. Her additional two mentions were shared with Cabin’s Ostrove for Coco-Cola.
Editor Geoff Hounsell of Arcade Edit also had four mentions: Comedy for Bud Light and Tide; and National Campaign for Klarna and Samuel Adams. Colorist Sofie Borup of Company 3 was mentioned four times, for Color Grading over :90 for Volkswagen, Volvo and Hyundai; and for Color Grading: Music Video for Orville Peck. Rounding out artists with four mentions on the Post Awards Shortlist is editor Tom Lindsay of Trim at Cosmo Street for the New York Times in Montage, Docu-Style and Storytelling; and National Campaign for Apple
On the company front, Cabin Editing Company led the list with 19 mentions, followed by Company 3 with 15 nods. Cosmo Street and Trim @Cosmo Street appeared on the list nine times. Cut + Run also appeared nine times (including two with the Quarry), followed by Arcade Edit, Electric Theater Collective, EXILE, Stitch Editing and Work Editorial, each with seven nods. Scoring six mentions are Blacksmith, Blinklink, The Mill, and MPC. Scoring four listings on the shortlist are Cutters, Modern Post, WAX and Whitehouse Post.
The top-mentioned agencies on the Post Awards shortlist are various offices of Wieden+Kennedy (16); Droga5 (15); Apple (7); Google Creative Labs (6); Highdive (6); and adam&eveDDB (5). Brands that topped the list include: Apple (8); Nike (7); Facebook (6); Google (6); The New York Times (5); Volkswagen (5); and Scandinavian Airlines (4).
The AICP Post Awards honor the best postproduction work of the year. Artists are recognized for their contributions in specific crafts within the overall categories of editorial, audio mixing, sound design, color grading, graphic design, visual effects and finishing.
