Ocean Outdoor opens 2026 Digital Creative Competition for entries across Europe
One agency will win the European Grand Prix.
Entries for Ocean Outdoor’s annual Digital Creative Competition are now open in the UK, the Netherlands, the Nordics and Germany.
Now in its 17th year in the UK, and sixth year across other Group markets, Ocean’s competition calls for bold ideas and original concepts that push the creative boundaries, using the latest techniques and technology available across premium DOOH formats and Out of Home environments.
Campaigns from previous winners have gone on to win several Cannes Lions and other international awards.
The 2026 competition opens for entries on 7th April. The closing date is 21st August.
Entries for all seven competitions in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK will be judged in their respective countries by independent expert juries.
There are two main categories for commercial brands and non-profit organisations with awards for Gold, Silver and Bronze positions.
The total prize fund across all seven markets is valued at Euros 2.675 million, with 25 trophies awarded in all.
The winners will be announced simultaneously across six industry events on 8th October. The 17 Gold winners from each territory will then go forward to compete for the European Grand Prix, an incremental prize which will be announced in January 2027. The Grand Prix winner is awarded space on Europe’s best DOOH screens across all seven Ocean markets.
Last year’s Grand Prix winner was UK agency TBWA\MCR and the charity Prost8. Their campaign, the world’s first billboard to be controlled by a bottom, unfolded during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, combining humour with gaming – two of men’s favourite things. Dodge the Finger featured two playable billboards using Ocean’s skeletal tracking technology to deliver the important message that getting checked for prostate cancer is a simple blood test, and not a finger up the backside.
Helen Haines, Ocean Outdoor Group director of strategic projects, said: “Storytelling was a significant feature amongst last year’s cohort of winners who used the full capability of interactive DOOH technology to deliver ideas that ranged from the simple but serious to the humorously unconventional. Above all, they were incredibly memorable.
“Over 17 years, our competition has become THE playground for brands and agencies to set new creative standards and expand what’s possible, using space on Europe’s best DOOH screens to educate, engage and entertain.”
All you need is an idea
For Swedish entrants there is an additional category seeking entries specifically for The Halo, part of Westfield Mall of Scandinavia. New for the UK this year is a category for design students which will be supported by a series of masterclasses in universities and colleges. Similar competitions for schools also run in Sweden and Norway.
The competitions are all free to enter. The winning concepts will be given screen space across Ocean’s network in their country of entry. To keep the process simple, entries should combine jpeg images or a short video with a written narrative of 200 words. To find out more, visit https://oceanoutdoor.com/digital-creative-competition/
The Grand Prix will be judged by an independent European panel of industry experts in November.
