Creative Communication Award (C2A) 2026
Competition Brief
The Creative Communication Award (C2A) is an international recognition program for communication designers, graphic designers, advertising agencies, digital media professionals, and creative freelancers worldwide. The program was established in 2019 by the Farmani Group, the same organization behind the International Design Awards (IDA), which has operated for over 15 years. C2A is managed operationally by ProAwards Group, based in Budapest, Hungary.
The award covers a broad range of creative communication disciplines including advertising, branding, books, exhibition design, packaging, online media, and photography. It is open to professionals, freelancers, small businesses, students, and nonprofit organizations from any country. All work submitted must be no older than 5 years.
The C2A positions itself as a promotional platform as much as a competitive award, offering winners extended global publicity, gallery features, and press coverage throughout the following year.
Intent
To promote creativity, excellence, and outstanding execution in communication design, advertising, and digital media, and to recognize the work of individuals and agencies across the global creative community.
Purpose
To offer communication designers and creative professionals international visibility through an established awards infrastructure, including press releases, newsletter announcements reaching hundreds of thousands of industry contacts, website gallery features, and use of the C2A winner seal across marketing materials.
Requirements
- Open to anyone aged 18 and above residing anywhere in the world
- Work must be no older than 5 years at the time of submission
- Digital submissions only — no physical entries accepted
- Image files must be a minimum of 1,000 pixels on the longest side, 72 dpi, saved as JPG in RGB format, maximum 4 MB per file
- Multiple entries and multiple categories are permitted
- The same entry may be submitted to multiple categories (additional category fees apply)
- Nonprofit organizations may contact the organizer for reduced fees
- Copyright and all rights remain with the entrant
Judging Criteria
- Design Excellence — aesthetic, artistic, and visual value of the overall design
- Creativity and Originality — whether the design stands out or provides something new
- Impact and Emotional Significance — benefit delivered to the user and society
- Content — quality of writing, script, and narrative
- Technological Innovation — use of suitable and innovative technologies
- Utility — whether the design meets its intended purpose
- Emotional Quotient — does the design create a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction
Jury
The C2A jury panel is composed of international creative industry professionals from art direction, branding, UX design, publishing, and digital media. The full panel includes the following members:
- Junru (Jennie) Xu – DIRECTV
- Alexia Pascon – Horace, L’Oréal
- Jan Harling – Virtus Asia Consulting
- Yixuan (Sonia) Song – UX Designer, Google
- Xianghan Wang – XR and Motion Designer, Apple
- Yiqi Zhao – Design Lead, Meta Reality Labs. Specializes in AI-driven spatial computing and immersive experiences.
- Zichun Wang – CNN
- Xinyue Guo – XYG Studio
- Mingzhi Cai – Mastercard
- Jiayuan Wang – Vision Studio
- Amber Xu – Google
- Mohamed Zakaria Soltan, Ph.D. – Faculty of Applied Arts, October 6 University, Egypt
- Yaxin Bai – DoorDash
- Kritika Kushwaha – Asana
- Erin Milnes – Catchword Branding
- Dava Guthmiller – Noise 13
- Islam Abouch – Oblik Studio
- Stephen Brett – 500 Designs and Design Force
- Elisenda Franquet – Foundation for the Best World
- Janny Ji – TBWA\Media Arts Lab
- Chiara Aliotta – Until Sunday
- Simo Liu – Freelance
- Cristián Chávez – Inbrax
- Jiayan He – UNICEF, United Nations Children’s Fund
- Palak Bhatt – Freelance
- Min Lu – Chloe L Design Studio, Facebook
- Anna Goodson – Illustration Agency
- Hamda Al Naimi – Freelance
- Anton Suprunenko – Primer
- Debora Manetti – Zetafonts, TypeCampus, Fight for Kindness
- Xi Alice Zong – Alice Zong Design, Apple Inc.
- Arvin Maleki – Futuredge Design Studio
- Daniel Cheng – Metric Design Studio
- My Linh Mac – MMAC Visual Art and Design Studio
- Amyn Nasser – Nasser Studios
- Michael Scantlebury – Impero
- Melissa Jones – DTE Studio
- Octavia J Gilmore – Creative Juice
- Shangning Wang – UNDP, United Nations Development Programme
- Stella Guan – Path Unbound
- Pancho González – Inbrax Chile
- Yuki Wu – YUKIWU. Studio
- Ronn Lee – Beamy
- Anders Bergesen – Superultraplus Designstudio
- Yah-Leng Yu – Foreign Policy Design Group
- ZHOU Wenjun – Zhou Wen Jun Design and 524 Studio(s)
- Robin Milgrim – House of Robin
- Ashwini Deshpande – Elephant
- Gustavo Greco – Greco Design
- Kelley Cheng – The Press Room
- Jesper Thomsen – Mews42 Gallery
- Sherrie Berger – Independent
- Hossein Farmani – The Lucie Awards, IPA
- Susan Baraz – AtEdge, IPA
Entry Fees
| Participant Type | Per Entry | Additional Category (same entry) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional (business with more than 4 employees) | 300€ | 200€ |
| Freelancer or Small Business (4 employees or fewer) | 225€ | 150€ |
| Student | 80€ | 50€ |
| Photography Category – Professional | 50€ | N/A |
| Photography Category – Student | 20€ | N/A |
| Nonprofit Organizations | Reduced fees available upon request | |
Note: No additional fees are charged to winners. All winner assets, publications, and certificates are included in the entry fee.
Rewards
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Cash Prize | None |
| Online Gallery Feature | Work showcased on the C2A main website and online gallery |
| Press Release and Newsletter | Announcements reaching hundreds of thousands of industry contacts |
| Certificate of Achievement | Online certificate detailing project and lead designers |
| C2A Winner Seal | Logo for use on websites, marketing materials, email signatures, and social media |
| C2A Book of Creative Communications | Winning projects featured in the annual printed publication |
| Global Publicity | Ongoing promotion throughout the year following the award |
Key Dates
| Deadline | Date | Discount |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird Deadline | February 15, 2026 | 20% off |
| Regular Deadline | April 30, 2026 | 15% off |
| Extended Deadline | June 30, 2026 | 10% off |
| Final Deadline | September 30, 2026 | No discount |
| Winners Announcement | 4 to 6 weeks after submissions close | N/A |
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
The C2A is organized by the Farmani Group, a commercially active entity with over 15 years of documented history in the international design awards sector through its sister program, the IDA International Design Awards. The jury panel is one of the most transparent in the commercial awards space, with over 50 publicly named members from institutions including Google, Apple, Meta, UNICEF, CNN, and the United Nations Development Programme. This level of disclosure is above average for programs in this category. The program offers no cash prizes; rewards are entirely recognition-based, consisting of digital certificates, winner seals, gallery features, and press coverage. Entry fees reach 300€ per submission for professional studios, which places a notable financial threshold on participation. For creative agencies and independent designers seeking international PR visibility and portfolio credentials, the program provides a functional infrastructure backed by an established organizer. For those seeking financial return or peer-led industry recognition outside the commercial circuit, the value proposition is less compelling.
Final Thoughts
The C2A has operated since 2019 under the Farmani Group, an organization with a verifiable track record in the international design awards space. This institutional backing gives C2A more credibility than newer, independently launched platforms in the same category.
The jury panel is extensive and publicly identified, with members drawn from globally recognized organizations. This is a meaningful differentiator in a market where many commercial awards programs offer little or no jury transparency.
The entry fees are significant relative to what is offered in return. There are no cash prizes, and all benefits are visibility-based. For studios and creative professionals with a strong body of work looking to build international recognition, the program offers a credible channel. For individuals primarily motivated by financial reward or independent peer validation, the program’s commercial structure may limit its appeal.
The categories covered — including exhibition design, branding, packaging, and digital media — are directly relevant to architecture and design professionals working across these disciplines, making C2A a crossover program worth monitoring even for those primarily based in the built environment sector.
Registration Deadline
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