24 students. 6 Pencils. 2 Cubes. 6 Merits. 1 Portfolio Win. And for the second year in a row, No. 1 Graduate School in the U.S.
The Brandcenter community showed up big at the 2025 Young Ones Student Awards, hosted by The One Club for Creativity. Across the One Show, ADC, and Portfolio competitions, 24 Brandcenter students were recognized as finalists and winners—bringing home coveted awards in the industry for their creative work.
This year’s honors were awarded across 4 campaigns in the One Show and 4 projects in the ADC competition, with student work spanning experiential, social, integrated, interactive, and design for good categories. Check out the winners:
YOUNG ONES ONE SHOW
Heinz: The 13th Egg
- Gold Pencil – Experiential & Immersive
Alex Ward (Art Direction, 2025), Henry Coffey (Copywriting, 2025), Callum Leitenberg (Copywriting, 2025), Boyan Zlatarski (Copywriting, 2025), Emma Kerencheva (Creative Brand Management, 2025)
We ate lots of eggs, got grossed out by them, found out other people were also getting grossed out by them, and then voilà, the 13th Egg was hatched.
Callum Leitenberg (Copywriting, 2025)
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Subway: Cookie.io
- Gold Pencil – Gaming
- Merit Award – Interactive, Online & Mobile
Nithya Charles (Art Direction, 2025), Mia Kasper (Art Direction, 2025), Kedi Hickman (Copywriting, 2025), Jackson Wald (Copywriting, 2025), Erin Kang (Creative Brand Management, 2025)
We had a lot of fun pushing against traditional platforms and leaning into streaming and social… That shift not only gave us more creative freedom, but also helped us land on a stronger execution.
Mia Kasper (Art Direction, 2025)
Duolingo: McDuo’s Global Mobile Menu
- Silver Pencil – Experiential & Immersive
- Merit Award – Interactive, Online & Mobile
- Merit Award – Integrated Campaign
Reagan Tate (Art Direction, 2025), Logan Furey (Copywriting, 2025), Kameron Franks (Strategy, 2025), Sarah Jones (Creative Brand Management, 2025), Yanna Nguyen (Experience Design, 2025)
Vaseline: Not For Sex
Silver Pencil – Social MediaBronze Pencil – Integrated CampaignBronze Pencil – Interactive, Online & MobileMerit – Experiential & Immersive
Smera Dahl (Art Direction, 2025), Nico Morris (Art Direction, 2025), Joe Wint (Copywriting, 2025), Joy Zhou (Strategy, 2025), Caleb Mayer (Creative Brand Management, 2025), Yanna Nguyen (Experience Design, 2025)
At first, I really wanted the brand to be red, sultry, and sexy, but then it all clicked when watching a documentary clip about sex work on Instagram. All the girls were wearing blue eyeshadow, and we recognized a ‘sleazy’ association with the color. We leaned into blue hues, not only because it’s a classic Vaseline brand color, but also to reference and reclaim that visual language in a bold way.
Nico Morris (Art Direction, 2025)
YOUNG ONES ADC
IKEA: Two Night Stands
- Bronze Cube – Advertising / Integrated
Bailey Wood (Art Direction, 2025), Hoang Ho (Copywriting, 2025)
In a world where dating apps are everywhere and commitment feels rare, we thought it was a fresh perspective for IKEA to say love is something you build together, and it can start in their stores.
Hoang Ho (Copywriting, 2025)
Cutco: Not Cake
- Bronze Cube – Advertising / Art Direction
- Merit Award – Advertising / OOH, Press & Promotional
Lori Tsai (Art Direction, 2026)
North Face: The Next Place
- Merit – Design for Good / Advertising
Mia Kasper (Art Direction, 2025), Niani Patterson (Art Direction, 2025), Henry Coffey (Copywriting, 2025)
Montenegro: Best at Nothing
- Merit – Advertising / Art Direction
Emme Schumacher (Art Direction, 2025), Jackson Wald (Copywriting, 2025)
YOUNG ONES PORTFOLIO
Boyan Zlatarski (Copywriting, 2025)
In addition to the student wins, Brandcenter was named the #1 Graduate School in the U.S. and #2 Graduate School globally in the One Club’s Global Creative College Rankings. We also ranked #5 in the U.S. and #8 globally across all creative programs, including undergraduate, graduate, portfolio, and certificate programs.
For our students, this recognition is more than an award—it’s a reflection of the collaboration, curiosity, and courage they pour into their work.
Working on Young Ones felt like the culmination of everything we learned in our two years at Brandcenter. It’s so fun to work with your favorite people and see your friends making their best work.
Henry Coffey (Copywriting, 2025)