Kate Stanners’ picks three for Jury Chair Awards

Each year Cresta’s Jury Chair gets to make a personal statement, drawing on the decisions of the jury but acting alone.

They sit down and review the winners, on which they have previously abstained from voting, leaving it to the Grand Jury votes to decide on whether a work can win an award, and what level it might reach.

From the 2026 winners, our Jury Chair Kate Stanners decided on three special awards. These are for specific works. The winners are:

‘Sheep Happens’ by St. Elmo’s Germany/plan.net Germany (both parts of the Serviceplan Group).

‘WingSentry’ by Horizon FCB for Behavioural Ecology & Conservation Group.

‘Drop In’ by Riff Raff Films for EA Skate.

Of her selection, Stanners comments: 

“I am a huge believer in the craft of work. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is painstakingly and expensively executed. It means how an idea is executed is as important as the idea itself. it’s the difference between getting noticed or ignored, between people spending time with the work or skipping, it’s between a fleeting flirtation or a lasting legacy.

These pieces are a demonstration of that.

‘Sheep Happens’ for Penny supermarkets: this is a social campaign that went further. Its craft was its speed. A real moment, that was totally embraced by the brand, but never losing its raw, fun, authentic spirit. From a humble social post, the story ran and ran, over news, on their promotional ads and even changing the signage on the store. Huge impact for a brand that moved at the speed of culture.

‘WingSentry’ crafted its data into a beautiful tool that has the power to make real positive change.

‘Drop In’ for EA Skate is a film that wears its craft on its sleeve. Here the how becomes the idea. Magnetic, anarchic and fun. It doesn’t put a foot wrong. Watch on repeat.”