Winners chosen for The 49th Annual AADC Awards

Last night, South Australia's creative communications community gathered at Adelaide Town Hall for the 49th Annual AADC Awards, presented by News Australia. Under this year's theme, Chosen, the industry came together for a night of recognition, celebration and divine judgement, honouring the very best of the state's advertising and design work from the past 18 months.

Over 400 entries were put before an esteemed jury of local, national and international creative leaders across Advertising, Design, Craft, For Good and Student categories. But as the campaign promised, many would enter; few would be chosen.

And last night, the chosen few took their place in the spotlight.

The iconic Silver Watering Can is awarded by the AADC Co-Presidents each year to recognise an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to South Australia's advertising and design industry, going above and beyond the call of duty.

This year, the honour went to Joe Godsell, Managing Director and Co-Owner at NATION, recognising his achievements, character and impact on the local industry.

AADC Co-President Corey Swaffer described Joe as a ‘real people person [who] leads with the utmost integrity’.

The Gold Chair, representing the pinnacle of advertising excellence, was awarded to Pat Parisi from Simple for Integrated Campaign, Toast Don’t Roast, created for TOAST.

The personality-packed campaign, which picked up a total of 10 Awards on the night, convinces Aussies that it’s not worth dying for a tan.

Recognising exceptional creative craftsmanship, The Master's Chair was awarded to David Ockenden from Proetic under the category of Film & Video – Direction for CFS’s Ready or Not ad.

David’s craft was distinguished for its urgency and impact. It was a scary reality check that felt truly plausible. The result was a very short, confronting domestic horror film used not for spectacle, but to make complacency impossible to ignore.

Named in honour of the late Rita Siow, the Rita Siow Design Chair recognises the most outstanding design entry of the year.

This year's Chair was awarded to Nic Eldridge from Super Studio for the design of Blanco Horner’s book Restaurant Botanic: A Year In The Life.

Over a year in the making, and described as a ‘real career highlight’ by Nic, the book captured the rhythm, philosophy and people behind one of Australia’s most distinctive dining experiences.

Introduced in 2022, The Chair for Good celebrates outstanding creative work that makes a meaningful contribution to society.

This year's honour went to Alice McKenzie from NATION for Until Never Again, created for Cure4 Cystic Fibrosis.

The campaign used immersive storytelling to champion relentlessness, leveraging effective repetition across copy, imagery and edit.

The night's Award winners

Beyond the major Chairs, creative excellence was recognised across Advertising, Design, Craft and For Good, with Awards presented to the following agencies, studios and individuals:

Simple – 13
Showpony – 6
KWP+Partners – 2
NATION – 2
Toolbox Graphic Design – 2
Born – 1
Proetic – 1
StudioBand® – 1
Super Studio – 1
The Audio Embassy – 1
Voice® – 1

The evening also celebrated the next generation of South Australian creative talent, with the Student Awards recognising emerging creatives who are already making their mark.

This year's Student of the Year was awarded to Mhari Dougal.

Mhari’s was awarded the major prize for her Craft in A Language Dies Every 40 Days – a booklet discussing Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: everyone has the right to nationality. It aims to raise awareness of the severity of the increasing issue of disappearing languages through the history of Scottish Gaelic.

The night's Student Award recipients included:

Keeton Pearce – 5
Mhari Dougal – 2
Ella Joyce Adam – 1
Furkan Erbasi – 1
Matt Mojares – 1

From bold ideas and exceptional craft to creative work driving meaningful change, this year's winners are a testament to the talent, ambition and ingenuity of South Australia's creative industry.

Explore all Finalist, Award and major Chair-winning entries in the official 2026 AADC Awards Gallery: https://aadc.awardsplatform.com/gallery

The AADC extends its sincere thanks to the jury, sponsors, committee and volunteers whose generous contributions make the Awards possible, and to presenting partner News Australia for its support of this year's event.

To everyone who entered, congratulations on the work. To those who took home an Award, enjoy the recognition. It has been earned.