| Type | Judging |
|---|---|
| Organisation | D&AD (Design and Art Direction) |
| Field | Technology builders, Designers and UI/UX and Social impact leaders |
| Open to | Global |
| Career stage | Early, Mid, Senior and Founder |
| Cost | Free to apply. No fee appears on the programme's own pages; this is an absence of a fee rather than a quoted statement. |
| Cycle | Rolling · Annual |
| Deadline | D&AD 2027 Judge Nomination Form (form open; 'All information provided will be kept for up to 2 years, then deleted.') |
| Selection | Highly selective |
| Evidence | Verified 17 September 2026. 10 verbatim quotes from the programme's own pages are held on file. |
What this is
D&AD Awards judging - Judge Nomination (juror route, distinct from paid awards entry) is a judging run by D&AD (Design and Art Direction). It is aimed at technology builders, designers and ui/ux and social impact leaders. Open to global. Career stage: early, mid, senior and founder. Free to apply. No fee appears on the programme's own pages; this is an absence of a fee rather than a quoted statement.
Eligibility
D&AD states its juries are made up of creatives plus broader experts in categories such as PR, Media, Gaming & Virtual Worlds, Impact and Brand Transformation, and that judges may be established industry leaders, award-winning practitioners, rising stars, previous D&AD judges, peer-nominated talent or people recognised by the industry as ones to watch. The 2027 Judge Nomination Form is openly accessible and permits self-nomination, asking for the nominee's job title, company, country, professional profile, primary and additional areas of expertise, whether they have won or judged at D&AD or other reputable awards, and why they would make a strong judge. There is no geographic restriction and no fee.
How you apply
Registering interest is a free, open web form (the 'D&AD 2027 Judge Nomination Form') that any individual can complete for themselves or for someone else; there is no fee, no membership requirement and no third-party nomination needed. D&AD states that submitting a nomination does not guarantee a judging place - every recommendation is reviewed and kept in mind for ongoing jury selection, the team contacts a person directly if it wants to extend an invitation, and 'we do not extend judging invitations without a strong rationale'. Jury Presidents are invited to lead the room rather than applying.
When it closes
Rolling: applications are accepted continuously, or per event, rather than in one window.
What you receive
Selection as a D&AD Awards or New Blood juror means joining a curated room of roughly seven judges per jury to assess work against D&AD's criteria, with the role publicly listed in D&AD's Judges directory (searchable by name, job title, employer and jury year and discipline) - i.e. visible professional recognition. D&AD frames the benefits in jurors' own words as the chance to 'debate, learn from and build relationships with peers from around the world', and to have your work recognised by the giants of the field; note that judging itself is not a paid role and no fee is charged either to nominate or to serve.
How competitive it is
Selection type: highly selective.