ADC Change Delivered Award: Creativity must prove its impact

ADC Switzerland is renaming its previous ESG Award and at the same time sharpening the mechanics: The new ADC Change Delivered Award - ADC CDA for short - only awards prizes to cases that can demonstrate a measurable social or ecological impact and where creativity has enabled, driven or strengthened this impact. Submissions are possible until May 31, 2026.

From the ESG Award to the ADC Change Delivered Award

ADC Switzerland has been awarding a special prize for work that takes ESG principles into account since 2023. However, participation was linked to a submission in another ADC category - which excluded impact cases that are not classic advertising. With the ADC Change Delivered Award, the association is reversing this mechanism: The focus is on proven impact, reinforced by creativity. Submissions are now made independently, without being linked to another category. This expressly opens up the award to cases beyond classic advertising - for example from the fields of film, digital, design or other disciplines.

The prize sees itself as the toughest impact prize in the Swiss creative industry, because the result is exactly one prize - or none.

Two hurdles, no compromises

The application process for the ADC Change Delivered Award is divided into two successive stages, which are not negotiable in this order.

Hurdle one is fact-based and objectively assessable: submitted works must demonstrate a social or ecological impact that can be measured, proven and verified. A special three-member jury examines these impact cases and passes on a maximum of five recommendations to the ADC Gold jury. Independent measurements, before-and-after data, third-party audits, published reports, verifiable KPIs and media evidence with a fact check are accepted as evidence. Not accepted are own estimates without methodology, pure reach figures, awareness metrics without behavioral change as well as intentions and promises.

Hurdle two is subjectively assessable from a creative-professional point of view: The ADC Gold jury only evaluates whether creativity has significantly driven or strengthened the proven impact. It awards exactly one prize - or none at all.

The special jury for the ADC Change Delivered Award

The special jury consists of three people with different areas of expertise: Nina Bieli, President of the Gislerprotokoll association, focuses on social impact and issues of diversity, representation and stereotypes in communication. Dr. Günther Dobrauz-Saldapenna brings expertise in circular economy, sustainability and exponential technologies as well as an investment perspective on impact. Daniel Krieg, brand and business strategist and founder and CEO of KSP, bridges the gap between creative logic and impact logic.

The jury attaches importance to depth rather than breadth: a case can demonstrate impact in one or both dimensions - people or planet - whereby the depth of the impact is decisive.

This is how the submission process works

Anyone wishing to submit a case should send it in writing as a PDF with a brief description and the relevant supporting documents - key figures, added value, surveys or other verifiable documents. A contact person should also be named in case of queries. The submission should be sent by e-mail to [email protected] and is free of charge for this special prize. The closing date for entries is May 31, 2026.

Further information on the ADC Change Delivered Award can be found on the ADC Switzerland website: https://www.adc.ch