2026 Super Jury announced
The Australasian Writers and Art Directors (AWARD) has announced the lineup of international ‘Super Jurors’ who will select the national top student for AWARD School 2026.
They include a stellar group of ECDs, CCOs and agency leaders who follow in the steps of global ad industry leaders in choosing the winner of the region’s premier course for aspiring creatives.
The 2026 Super Jury members are:
Joe Staples, Vice President Creative, Coinbase, USA / LA
Dave Bowman, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe, AUS / SYD
Justine Armour, Chief Creative Officer International, 72andSunny, GLOBAL
Tara Ford, Chief Creative Officer, Droga5, UK
Simon Vicars, Chief Creative Officer, Colenso BBDO, NZ
Emma Robbins, Executive Creative Director, Droga5, AUS / MLB
Kirsten Rutherford, Executive Creative Director, DoorDash, USA / LA
Dan Watts, Chief Creative Officer, Pablo London, UK
Gunjan Poddar, Creative Head, Amazon, INDIA
Tom Lawrence, AWARD School National Co-Head, said: “The Super Jury plays an incredibly important role in recognising the very best emerging creative talent each year, so having work reviewed by creatives of this calibre brings enormous credibility to the process. These are people shaping world-class work every day, and there are very few opportunities for emerging talent to have their ideas judged at this level.”
State graduation events will take place across NSW, VIC, WA, QLD, SA, and virtually for the Online Program on 4 August, with all state winners automatically qualifying for the Super Jury round.
The national top student will be announced on the evening of 13 August at the 47th AWARD Awards.
The 2026 program is supported by Outdoor Media Association (OMA), Meta, Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA), and Eardrum, alongside B&T and Creative LIAisons.
