Courage, curiosity and perseverance

In 2024, AKQA was honoured with 69 industry-leading awards, most notably is the Grand Prix for Glass: The Lion for Change at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. AKQA also received the inaugural Network of the Year and People’s Choice Gold award in the Creativepool Annual and 11 of Newsweek’s Most Loved Workplace certifications.

This recognition underscores AKQA’s ability to deliver cutting-edge, technology-enabled products and services to many of the world’s most respected brands – a true testament to the exceptional talent and unwavering dedication of our people.

The Lion for Change

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity recognised AKQA’s exceptional world-changing work that propels social progress. AKQA won six Cannes Lions, including three Gold Lions for Glass: The Lion for Change, Sustainable Development Goals and Creative Strategy with Pink Chip. The Glass Lion honours culture-shifting creativity, recognising work that addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice, through the conscious representation of gender. The project also won a further two Silver Lions for Direct and Innovation.

UN Women NL and DEGIRO’s Pink Chip was this year’s most awarded creative work receiving three Grand Prix awards and eight Golds across Cannes Lions, LIA, Eurobest and the Lovies. The project is a world-first collection of indices that measures the performance of women-led companies. The initiative, backed up by research, shows how investing in women can boost returns whilst also supporting female leaders.

Network of the Year and People’s Choice Winner

Creativepool honoured AKQA as its inaugural Network of the Year Winner and People’s Choice Winner in their 2024 Annual. This achievement marks AKQA’s 82nd and 83rd Agency of the Year award since its founding, highlighting the unwavering commitment to creative prowess and visionary leadership over the decades. The AKQA family has also won two People’s Choice, Gold and Silver awards and three Bronze awards across AI, Animation, Application, B to B, Digital and Graphic categories.

Commenting on the win for AKQA, the Creativepool jury said: “Outstanding focus on employees and fostering an open and inclusive culture with a commitment to DE+I, as seen with their internal and external initiatives to support, mentor, nurture and give back to future leaders and the wider creative community. The results of this global focus are reflected in the accolades and metrics relating to workplace culture and employee engagement scores. This engagement and commitment clearly comes through in the work.”

Most Loved Workplaces

AKQA has been recognised in 11 Most Loved Workplace lists, celebrating creative organisations that go above and beyond to inspire and motivate employees throughout global companies. The curated lists represent a commitment to employees, highlighting how company culture promotes warmth, empathy and respect which is key to creating environments where employees can truly love their workplace.

Newsweek commented: “AKQA’s culture is built on trust, recognition and accountability for living the company values. The culture calls for actions over words, stresses transparency and respect, and encourages collaboration and growth. Employees are empowered to create their own work through the AKQA Framework. There are ample opportunities for employees to collaborate with the aim of making the customer’s life better.”

World Changing Ideas

Congresso em Foco’s Transparency Card was honoured with Fast Company’s World Changing Idea for Politics and Policy. Making this the third time AKQA has been recognised for groundbreaking work.

Every year, Brazil loses about $40bn to corrupt political spending, which is difficult to monitor and allows room for corruption. Transparency Card accesses complex government databases and sends notifications when politicians spend taxpayers’ money, simplifying the visualisation and monitoring of political spending. Brazilians can now receive real-time, information with a simple push notification in a straightforward format.

D&AD Pencils for progress

D&AD recognised AKQA work that has made commendable impact in local communities and within global markets. Receiving nine Pencils for work with clients across a range of categories AKQA is also honoured with two inaugural Pencils for work in the Luxury category including for Louis Vuitton, The LV App and Loro Piana the Gift of Kings.

Congresso em Foco, AKQA, Transparency Card receives two Yellow Pencils for Digital Design, Digital and Social along with a Wooden Pencil for Impact. Bethesda Softworks’ Starfield and Free Fire’s Anitta Squad were recognised in the Gaming, Visual Effects and Animation categories.

Clio Entertainment Awards Grand Prix for Design

AKQA received nine Clio Entertainment awards, including the Grand Clio, two Gold and six Silver accolades, for Bethesda Softworks’ Starfield. The award-winning project captures the spirit of exploration and celebrates those who dare to dream beyond earthly limitations. The project’s recognition highlights AKQA’s creative excellence in bringing the immersive world of Starfield to life.

The best of the internet at the Webby awards

Free Fire’s Anitta Squad received the People’s Voice Webby Award for Public Service and Social Impact, alongside Loro Piana’s The Gift of Kings, which received the Webby Award for the Best Use of Web3 Technology. AKQA’s work has also been recognised with five Nominees and four Honourees, making it AKQA’s most successful year yet.