Isle of Any, the New York shop launched by Droga5 refugees only last year, took two Black Pencils and two Agency of the Year titles at D&AD 2026. The agency’s Coinbase campaign, Your Way Out, took the top creative award for both Visual Effects and Production Design, helping Isle of Any to victory in the Independent and Small Independent agency categories.
Havas’ Uncommon Creative Studios also had a good year: the agency’s Periodic Fable campaign for skincare brand The Ordinary claimed a Black Pencil in Art Direction, contributing to its overall Advertising Agency of the Year accolade. The fourth Black Pencil (for Impact) went to Publicis Conseil’s Three Words for insurance giant AXA.
All three Black Pencil recipients were also standout winners at Cannes Lions (Axa in 2025 and the others in 2026), and all feature an unexpected solution that gets right to the heart of the client’s challenges.
The United States topped the country rankings followed by the UK, France, Brazil and Germany, with Canada, Spain, Japan, Australia and the Netherlands completing the Top 10. Ogilvy was named Agency Network of the Year, ahead of TBWA in second and Havas Creative Network in third. Apple won both Brand of the Year and Brand-Side Agency of the Year, while Unilever was named Client of the Year.
David Patton, D&AD CEO, said: “What stands out in this year’s rankings is the breadth of creative excellence at the very top. The three highest-ranked advertising agencies come from three different countries, while independents are competing alongside the major networks at the highest level. Isle of Any embodies that, and with Mother and Serviceplan Germany [Independent Network of the Year] also in the Advertising Top 10, it’s a reminder that exceptional creative work isn’t defined by geography or agency model.”
Uncommon global chief design officer Lisa Smith, who is also president of D&AD, handed the President’s Award to Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom. Smith said: “I chose Irma because she doesn’t simply design books, she continually challenges what a book can be, through scale, material, structure and extraordinary craft. Irma represents something incredibly important: curiosity, conviction and a point of view.”
D&AD handed out Yellow Pencil winners at its round-one award ceremony in May.
