The 26th International Festival of Creativity Golden Drum in a row is opening its doors again next Thursday, 17 October 2019. “Creativity 4 Change” will be guiding all festival happening over the two festival days, filled with inspiring content on and off the stage, concluded with the Friday Grand Award Ceremony where this year’s competition winners will be announced.
Creativity 4 Change
As change is the only constant, creativity is one of its most powerful drivers. We are aware of how important it is to think globally, but also how crucial it is not to lose touch with the spirit of the place and act locally, where all changes really commence.
The creative industry has developed and became much more than just a sales generating machine. We are increasingly more aware of all the ways we can light up, contribute, and give back to society. The potential for making a difference in the world by driving positive change, engaging, and highlighting topics which are in the most different ways relevant to society as a whole, is tremendous.
The Golden Drum Festival wants to inspire and empower creative thinking, and action for positive change in many different ways, shining a light on it through its competition and congress program. With the slogan “Creativity 4 Change”, we are turning the focus to advertising for the better of tomorrow. Be a part of this change!
Check out the Festival’s programme
We invited speakers, leading, inspiring and empowering by example. Coming from different fields of creativity, we will be seeing different aspects of creativity as well as perceptions and attitude towards change.
Delegates will have the chance to listen to speakers at the Festival bringing together a variety of views beyond the ones more familiar to us, from philosophy with the most published philosopher of the early 21st century, Slavoj Žižek, to science, with Professor Bogdan Draganski, Director of the Neuroimaging Lab LREN at the Lausanne University in Switzerland, artistic storytelling, as we could describe photographer Rena Effendi’s work she has done and people’s stories she was able to share through her work for National Geographic.
Drummers will have the chance to hear Andrea Henao, Managing Director of 360 Agency Berlin and 360 Agency Europe, the first ever-sustainable advertising agency in the world, promoting exclusively sustainable brands across the globe. Dawid Szczepaniak, Executive Creative Director & Partner and Art Director at VMLY&R Poland, Ewelina Wojtyczka will be presenting the Glass Lion vivid example of culture-shifting creativity campaign “The Last Ever Issue”.
This year’s festival wants to appoint also Diversity 4 Change; with a discussion on the topic of LGBTQiA+ community inclusion in advertising, led by Jason Romeyko, Serviceplan, and joining him, Julian Wiehl, VANGARDIST Magazine, and Lady Bunny, multi-talented drag artist. At a time when many brands are accused using the community for marketing purposes, they want to sanity check if we are helping or harming the people the work tries to champion.
The Festival promises also a lot of networking and party opportunities, connected with the purpose to make a change for the better. Also by recycling, which will be powering the Thursday opening Party with a purpose in Piran’s Caffe Teater, presented by Coca-Cola, the 26th Golden Drum official drink and entertained by the multi-talented drag artist and DJ, coming all the way from USA, Lady Bunny. For those creative minds that see a challenge and have a solution for how Coca-Cola can act for a world without waste, Portfolio Speed Dating will enable an opportunity to show their creativity, be part of the change, and compete to win big: 3.000 EUR (Grand Prix), 2.000 EUR (Gold Prize) and 1.000 EUR (Silver Prize).
As this will be the second edition of the first cashless creative Festival in Europe, we have established together with Mastercard, don’t forget to bring your plastic that will also get you that Festival drink for less money.
See the whole amazing 26th Golden Drum Festival speaker’s line-up and programme.
The competition highlights are here
Delegates will have the chance to feel the Genius loci of Portorož and Piran, where we will be, this year for the first time, awarding also the new, The best of Genius Loci award, on the stage of the Grand Award Ceremony to the work with most distinctive local spirit. As the jury started their work, we can share the first competition highlights.
BY ENTRANTS
– 21 different networks submitted their entries
– 208 different agencies submitted their creative work
– 37,3% entries were submitted by independent agencies
– 112 independent agencies competing for Golden Dragon Award
BY COUNTRIES
– 26 different countries submitted entries
– Cyprus has the highest growth of submitted entries (+900% more than 2018)
– Armenia (+300%), Latvia (+160%) and Turkey (+93,4%) have contributed a significantly higher number of entries this year than the year before
BY GROUPS AND COMPETITIONS
– 267 posters submitted by young creatives in the Young Drummers Competition
– H. Craft is the WHAT section leading group, followed by B. Print and A. Film
– X. Engagement and Z. Social Good are the WHY section leading groups
KEY DATES TO REMEMBER
SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED: Wednesday, 16 October 2019 during the day
GOLDEN DRUM GALA AWARD CEREMONY: Friday, 18 October 2019, at 20.30
THE 26TH GOLDEN DRUM FESTIVAL: 17-18 October 2019
