This year, the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce for the first time organized a competition for students – Young Creative Hopes. Organizers made this creative challenge possible so that students, who don’t have agency experience but have the creative spark in them, could have as many opportunities to gain practical experience as possible. The contest also gives them the opportunity to present themselves to the advertising industry, and thus make it easier for them to open the door to the advertising world.
The winners of the first ever competition were Taja Marčetič and Nikolas Kristovič.
The Young Creative Hopes took place in Triglav Lab’s premises, because the brief that was adapted for students was sponsored by Triglav Insurance. The event goes along to similar rules to those of the Young Creatives competition, that takes place each year at the Slovenian Advertising Festival, and where the winning pair has the opportunity to participate in the Young Lions competition in Cannes.
Having in mind that students, who still don’t have practical experience, are hardly equal competitors to young creatives who already have agency experience, they were given their own competition – so they could have greater opportunity to stand out and prove themselves.
“It’s important that as a profession we give the new generation more experience and opportunities to set themselves in the advertising landscape. With Young Creative Hopes, students can check their creativity, learn something and enjoy the adrenaline boost that comes with creativity. Agencies and advertisers had the chance to meet their future colleagues in the industry,” said Ana Ivandič, Creative Director at Innovatif Agency and the founding initiator of the competition.
The works were judged by the jury: Aljoša Bagola, Executive Creative Director, Pristop, Petra Krulc, Executive Creative Director, Grey Ljubljana, Milena Jakovljević, Strategic Director, Mediodrom, Alenka Jančar, head of brand management, Triglav Insurance, Sara Vehovec, Senior Associate, Triglav Lab and Tine Lugarič, Creative Director of Luna \ TBWA.
Aljoša Bagola, Jury president, said: “The magnetism of advertising seems to be dwindling lately, and attracting young people into their ranks has become a key challenge for the agencies. That is why I welcome the initiative of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce to organize, besides the competition for young creatives at SOF, the competition for ‘creative hopes’ among Slovenian students, and I would like to thank them for the confidence they showed me by selecting me to chair the work of both juries. We have already done our first job, and were delighted with the quality of ideas. Their thinking is all but ‘novice’, because it is sovereign, strategic and, in most cases, inspiringly creative. That is why I’m already looking forward to the next series of competitions and the new ‘transfusion of ideas’ on the upcoming SOF in Portorož.”
The winning team gets the right to participate free of charge at the Young Creatives 2019 contest within the 28th Slovenian Advertising Festival, where the main prize is worth nearly 6,000 euros – participation in the Young Lions competition in the Digital group, as well as a cash reward from the NLB Bank and free accommodation in the center of Cannes, courtesy of Collegium Mondial Travel.
All the participants of the competition were given the opportunity for particularly favorable registrations for the Slovenian Advertising Festival and Triglav Insurance Awards. The top three pairs were also given the book Creative Portfolio.