A diverse group of 32 talented creatives in 14 countries and regions have been named winners in the prestigious Young Guns 19 competition, celebrating creative professionals age 30 or younger.
A program of The One Club for Creativity, the world's foremost non-profit organization recognizing creative excellence in advertising and design, Young Guns is the industry’s only global, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates today’s vanguard of young creatives.
This year’s entries were received from 38 countries, and judged by a diverse jury of 88 top creatives, nearly half of whom are past YG winners.
Young Guns 19 winners, and the disciplines they are recognized in, are:
- Raphaël Ajuelos, creative sound designer, New York/Los Angeles (Sound Design)
- Magnus Atom, multidisciplinary animation director, Saratoga Springs, NY (Animation)
- Andre Bato, director, creative director, Andre Bato Corp., New York (Film)
- Erik Berger Vaage, graphic designer, San Francisco (Graphic Design)
- Douglas Bernardt, director, Stink, São Paulo (Film)
- Dani Choi, Illustrator, Brooklyn (Illustration)
- Roco Corbould, art director, Buenos Aires (Advertising)
- Daukantė, illustratress, Vilnius, Lithuania (Illustration)
- Nate Edwards, filmmaker, Invisible Collective, Houston (Film)
- Julija Fricsone-Gavriss, production designer, Cosmic, Berlin (Film)
- Andzej Gavriss, director, HALAL, Berlin (Film)
- Farhad Ghaderi, cinematographer, director, Vancouver (Film)
- Danaé Gosset, animation director, Paris (Animation)
- Lam Ieong Kun, art director, graphic designer, illustrator, indego design, Macau (Graphic Design)
- Boma Iluma, filmmaker, Los Angeles (Film)
- HeeJae Kim, graphic designer, illustrator, art director, Los Angeles (Graphic Design)
- Kathryn Kvas, creative director, writer, filmmaker, Spotify, New York (Advertising)
- Raxenne Maniquiz, graphic designer, illustrator, Bulacan, Philippines (Illustration)
- Alfred Marroquín, director, New York (Film)
- Kiyotaka Mizukoshi, artist, Mozu Studios, Tokyo (Animation)
- Gabriela Namie, designer, art director, Google, New York (Graphic Design)
- Catherine Prowse, animation director, Model Maker, London (Animation)
- Bouk Ra, type designer, Paris (Typography & Lettering)
- Emily Rhyne, journalist, filmmaker, The New York Times, Brooklyn (Digital)
- Claudia Rubín, graphic designer, The New York Times Magazine, Brooklyn (Graphic Design)
- Alexander Slobzheninov, type and graphic designer, Prague (Typography & Lettering)
- Tina Smith, graphic designer, art director, Denver (Graphic Design)
- Kosuke Takahashi, inventor, communication designer, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo (Industrial & Product Design)
- Ana Cecilia Thompson Motta, design director, Playlab, Inc., Los Angeles (Architecture, Environmental & Interior Design)
- Khyati Trehan, designer, 3D visual artist, New Delhi (Illustration)
- Sean Wang, director, Los Angeles filmmaker, (Film)
- Vikki Zhang, illustrator, artist, Shanghai (Illustration)
Information about each Young Guns 19 winner, with examples of their work and links to personal websites, can be viewed here.
“This latest class follows in the footsteps of past Young Guns winners as a diverse group of exciting new talent from around the world who push the creative boundaries in their fields,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club. “They are making their mark, and we’re proud to celebrate and elevate this next generation of creative leaders.”
This year’s winners will be recognized at the in-person Young Guns 19 celebration and party, taking place on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at Sony Hall in New York.
The One Club is also holding the Young Guns 19 Creative Choice Award, where the global creative community can explore the work of this year’s winners and vote on which one they believe stands above all others. Voting is open now through November 12, 2021, 11:59 pm ET, with the winner announced at the Young Guns 19 awards ceremony.
For the eighth consecutive year, international artists management agency and Young Guns sponsor Levine/Leavitt will also announce their Artist-In-Residence winner at the November 17 event.
The honor is presented each year to the newly crowned Young Gun whose body of work stands out from even their fellow winners, as selected by a special advisory board of industry professionals across a range of disciplines. Recipients of the Artist-In-Residence Award receive a full year of professional management, guidance and mentorship from Levine/Leavitt.
Young Guns 19 is made possible in part through the generous support of partners including Levine/Leavitt and Shutterstock.
"The pandemic has led to a surge in demand for creative content worldwide, and this year's Young Guns winners have risen to meet this growing need through their artistic excellence," said Flo Lau, Creative Director at Shutterstock. "Through our deep-rooted partnership with The One Club, Shutterstock is proud to celebrate these trailblazers in our global creative community."
All Young Guns winners will receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this year’s incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website. Winners also receive a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, a chance to be featured in Young Guns events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from Young Guns sponsors.
This year’s YG19 branding and award are designed by Simon Chénier-Gauvreau (YG12), head of design at TUX Creative, Montréal. Themed “Bright Days Await”, the branding draws parallels between the bright future that Young Guns brings to a creative's career, and that of a post-pandemic world. The campaign features vibrant, bucolic visuals to create a lighthearted and reassuring feel.
The One Club for Creativity, producer of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Type Directors Club Communication Design and Typeface Design awards, Young Guns and Creative Week, is the world's foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. The One Show is a top global awards show for advertising, design and digital marketing, focusing on the creativity of ideas and quality of execution. Established in 1921, the global ADC Annual Awards are the world’s longest continuously running creative award for advertising and design, honoring excellence in craft, design and innovation. Creative Week takes place in May, and is the preeminent festival celebrating the intersection of advertising and the arts.
