This year’s call to a new generation of young creatives bears the signature of someone who, just a year ago, was on the other side of the entry process. Brooklyn-based independent illustrator and designer Chantal Jahchan, winner of last year’s YG23 competition, created the visual identity and a new version of the recognizable Cube trophy for ADC Young Guns 24.
Art Directors Club, which operates as part of The One Club for Creativity, has opened entries for the global competition aimed at creative professionals aged 30 or younger. Unlike awards that evaluate an individual piece of work or campaign, ADC Young Guns considers an entire portfolio and looks for authors whose work to date demonstrates a distinctive creative direction.
Creatives with at least two years of professional experience, whether working full-time or as freelancers, are eligible to enter. Portfolios can combine professional projects and personal work, meaning the judging is not limited to a single discipline, client or format.
For years, this approach has attracted a distinctly international field of entrants. Portfolios regularly arrive from more than 45 countries, with more than half of all entries coming from outside the United States. The new generation of winners will be selected by a jury made up of previous ADC Young Guns winners and other creative leaders, whose names will be announced at a later date.
Jahchan built this year’s identity by combining bold typography with a collection of elemental symbols representing memory, expression and connection. The design was based on the idea that making is one of the most fundamental and universal human experiences. The same visual logic was applied to the ADC Young Guns Cube, a special version of which is created each year exclusively for the new class of winners.
The Cube is not the only thing that remains after the winners are announced. Each winner receives a permanent profile on the program’s website, a one-year membership in The One Club for Creativity, a permanent place in the international Young Guns network and the opportunity to be featured at the program’s events. Competition partners also provide winners with additional opportunities aimed at further career development.
The list of previous winners shows how many different creative paths can emerge from a single portfolio. They include Oscar-winning directing duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known as DANIELS, Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, graphic designers James Victore, Stefan Sagmeister, Natasha Jen and Jessica Walsh, and artist and designer Rich Tu.
The program has also previously recognized advertising creatives Rei Inamoto and Menno Kluin, illustrators Christoph Niemann and Deanne Cheuk, fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, artist and filmmaker Calmatic, director and photographer India Sleem, typographers Alex Trochut and Gemma O’Brien, as well as animation artist Todd St. John.
The regular deadline, with a reduced entry fee, is August 27, 2026, while the final deadline is September 24. The winners will be announced in January 2027, while the awards ceremony and party for the new class are scheduled for January 27, 2027, in New York.
