AWARD has announced the jury for the inaugural AWARD Lab GenAI Sprint, bringing together leaders from creative, production, technology and media to judge the first-of-its-kind competition.
The sprint, a collaboration between AWARD, Leonardo.AI, and the Outdoor Media Association, challenges AWARD Crash and AWARD Uni alumni to use AI to develop campaign ideas for a live not-for-profit brief, with the winning work set to run across premium digital out-of-home sites.
Ben Cooper, Global Executive Director, AI Products at R/GA, who will serve as Jury Chair, said: “The true promise of GenAI isn’t just making the old ways of advertising faster; it’s building entirely new creative solutions we couldn’t have imagined yesterday. I’m looking for ideas where the technology is invisible, and the human ingenuity is unmistakable.”
2026 Jury, AWARD Lab GenAI Sprint
- Ben Cooper, Global Executive Director, AI Products, R/GA (Jury Chair)
- Mandie van der Merwe, CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia & AWARD Chair
- Sharon Edmondston, ECD, The General Store
- Hilary Badger, ECD, Leo Australia
- Bridget Jung, Joint ECD, Ogilvy Australia
- Scott Dettrick, ECD
- Ross Colebatch, EP, Photoplay
- Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO, Outdoor Media Association (OMA)
- Dwayne Koh, Head of Creative, Leonardo.Ai
Mandie van der Merwe, AWARD Chair, said: “This jury reflects what AWARD Lab is all about: strong ideas, creative leadership, craft expertise and the smart use of new technology.
“We’re excited to see how teams respond to the brief, and to recognise the work that fuses human intuition with infinite possibility.”
Registrations close 5pm AEST, April 23, with the sprint running from 7–9 May. The winning team will be announced on 19 May. For more information, visit the website.