The Art Directors Club (ADC) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to advancing excellence in creativity. Through its renowned awards, education programs, and industry initiatives, ADC supports creative talent worldwide, reinvesting award revenues into education, access, and long-term career development across the creative industries.
The global ADC has announced a new partnership with Dreamina AI, part of ByteDance, introducing a dedicated AI Visual Design – Dreamina AI category within this year’s ADC Annual Awards. The new category, free to enter, is designed to spotlight the emerging craft of generative creativity and the role of AI in shaping contemporary visual expression.
Since its inception in 1921, when illustration and photography were the only awarded disciplines, the ADC has consistently evolved alongside the tools and technologies that define creative practice. More than a century later, that tradition continues. With the launch of the AI Visual Design – Dreamina AI category, the ADC extends its 105-year legacy by recognising creators who treat artificial intelligence not as a shortcut, but as a creative collaborator, pushing visual craft into new, uncharted territory.
The new AI Visual Design – Dreamina AI category will remain free to enter until March 16, 2026, with no deadline extensions. Entries will be evaluated by a dedicated jury of leading designers and industry figures, who will assess work based on the strength of the idea, quality of craft, and overall execution.
Top-scoring entries will be recognised with both financial awards and the ADC’s iconic Cubes: one Gold Cube winner will receive a $6,000 cash prize, three Silver Cube winners will each receive $4,000, and six Bronze Cube winners will be awarded $2,000 each, underscoring the Art Directors Club’s continued commitment to rewarding innovation at the forefront of creative practice.
Entry brief: “Imperfection”
In an era where technology makes flawless execution effortless, creativity risks becoming overly polished, and emotionally empty. The new brief for the ADC AI Visual Design – Dreamina AI category flips that logic, challenging creators to rediscover the value of imperfection: the tension, irregularity, and human contradictions that fuel originality and meaning.
For this inaugural category within the ADC 105th Annual Awards, entrants are invited to create work that embraces imperfection rather than smoothing it away. AI is positioned not as a tool for erasure, but as a creative collaborator, one that enhances human intuition, lived experience, and expressive nuance. Submissions may take multiple forms, including video, motion graphics, animation, or poster design.
As Presenting AI Partner, Dreamina AI powers the challenge, encouraging professionals to demonstrate that even at the cutting edge of generative technology, the human spark remains irreplaceable. By responding to the “Imperfection” brief through Dreamina AI’s advanced generative capabilities, entrants are asked to show how sophisticated tools can amplify, rather than dilute, the soul, friction, and unpredictability of professional craft.
The competition is open to participants aged 18 and over. Entrants must register on both the ADC 105th Annual Awards platform and Dreamina AI to access the tool. Upon registration, participants receive 1,000 credits in their linked Dreamina AI account, which can be used to generate images and videos for their entry.
In addition to submitting completed work via adcawards.org, entrants are encouraged to share their projects on Instagram or X using the hashtags #DreaminaAI, #ADCawards, and #AImperfectionism. Those who include a link to their social post in their official submission will receive an additional 1,000 complimentary Dreamina AI credits.
Full details and entry information are available on the ADC AI Visual Design – Dreamina AI entry site.
