AWARD School Sydney graduation tonight
AWARD School graduations will take place in Sydney and Melbourne in August, starting tonight in Sydney. In each city, AWARD will be announcing the top student of the year, plus the work of students will be on display. AWARD School lecturers will be there as well as invited creative directors on the look out for the top graduates. Ray Black (left), the co-founder of AWARD School will be attending the Sydney gaduation.
AWARD School Sydney:
Wednesday August 4
The Loft, 3 lime Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney. Starting 6.30. There will be a hundred students graduating. The top ten will get a place at AWARD Craft Academy, while 20-30 will get a mentor to guide them through the murky waters of job finding.
AWARD School Melbourne:
Wednesday August 11
The Smart Artz Gallery, 2 Alfred Place, South Melbourne, (just off Clarendon St), 7pm. Same concept, except there will be 51 graduates and a top ten who will get a mentor.
CI STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE GIVING 6 LUCKY AWARD GRADUATES THE CHANCE TO BRING THEIR CONCEPTS TO LIFE.
CI Photographers, Retouchers and Producers will be attending the Award School Graduation nights in both Sydney and Melbourne on the look out for up and coming creative talent. Armed with stickers they’ll be selecting 3 pieces of work from each city to produce, shoot and retouch over the coming months.
An idea is one thing, but its execution is another and with help from some of Australia’s leading commercial photographers you’ll be able to learn how to take your idea from brain to billboard.
Below: 2008 Award School Runner Up Chris Andrews’ Career One Concept shot by CI Photographer Christopher Tovo and retouched by Todd Riddiford.
46 Comments
I can’t wait!!!
Since our $2000 hasn’t gone towards anything as of yet, I’m assuming at the graduation there will be gold plated prawn cutlets, deep fried flamingo wings, Moet on tap, semi-naked waitresses riding live panthers, Isaiah Mustafa, and an awesome A4 piece of paper with our names on it…with a plastic sleeve.
I also hope we get another showbag filled with 3 year old industry magazines like we did on registration day.
See you guys there!
wow…
I hear the standard of tutors is average.
They should be seniors who have done Award winning work don’t you think?
I’ve heard many complaints.
5:53 if you don’t like it, go your own way.
As a supposed aspiring creative, you should gain an understanding of consumer behaviour, specifically your own. You paid the money. What did you get in return?
I think all the cash went into writing that PR release. Top stuff:
“Ray Black (left), the co-founder of AWARD School will be attending the Sydney gaduation.”
Way to spin it!
“…the work of students will be on display.”
That’s the money shot, right there.
That kind of writing doesn’t come cheap.
wow aren’t you an ungrateful bunch – it took me 3 years to get into AWARD school and to get in out 1000 is pretty cool – yes it breaks you and wears you down but it’s in amazing experience I did it 2 years ago and i still think about how good it was…
But why am I bothering defending it your probably just an ungrateful young gen y’r
Woah. What’s with the negativity?
I did the course this year and thought it was brilliant.
5:53 I’d get use to it.
Once you eventually get into the industry you’ll be feed the crap briefs no one else wants all the while being paid less than you’d earn at McDonald’s.
You’ve got a long way to go before it gets better.
But stick at it – there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As much as everyone bags the industry, I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather do.
5:53 – you remember the lecture hall and film crew? We weren’t just squatting in there you know.
Anyway, I personally can’t wait to be slogging it out as a 25 year old art direction on $35k…
35?
Wait a couple of years.
If you want to go somewhere good.
@10:21… I couldn’t agree more. Those errors speak volumes about the Creative Establishment in this country. And besides, wouldn’t a ‘gaduation’ be a more appropriate ceremony for ‘Group Account Directors’?
noone mentioned squat about the brisbane award school graduation. what the deuce?
yeah there was a film crew, but as of yet we have only seen a minority of the videos.
AWARD is a great course, the first tutors I had were brilliant, the second not so much.
I just find it hard to take the heat, if you don’t get in the top 30 it ain’t the end of the world, just go back to the book and workshop that thang
Don’t believe the mentor promise for 11th to 30th.
It never happens.
Also, with each brief taking 30 seconds to write, where does the 2K go?
Charity?
Guys, I don’t care what anyone says. I had a super time and have already registered my interest for next years course!
There’s only one way to succeed in this business:
Work harder and smarter than everyone else.
If there are any award-winning creatives out there that don’t agree with this, I’ve yet to meet them.
Anyone want to bet on a winner?
Do AWARD school, don’t come top 10, go on to do great stuff.
Proven formula.
Shucks I’m so bummed I missed this years course. I’m already working my jazz hands off to get into the top 10 next year!
Anyone fancy a quick schooner before tonight? I’m feeling a bit nervous and tingly!
YEAAAHHH!!
Adelaide has to wait till the 22nd!! WOOOOOOOOOOAAAAHHH!!!
Why you ask?
Because we’re always fucking behind.
one day i hope to come to australia to do award school. we have not anything like this in croatia.
hi to my very special lady friend in sydney 😉 x
Vlad
Hey Richard
I’ll go for a beer, maybe you could give me some tips on how to do well next year?
A lesson to you AWARD school kids:
We like enthusiasm, don’t get us wrong, but the amount of zeal on this thread is making me feel queasy.
Sounds super Sam. What time and where?
I’ll see if i can round up some of the other chums i’ve made on the course!
I’d be up for a beer too Richard- but i’m working until it starts.
Is there an open bar tonight?
Hopefully this years 11-30th ranked students actually do get a mentor.
12 months and waiting….
What ho chaps!
Let’s all reconnoiter pre-soiree for a spot of drinky poos so’s we can whittle the turtle, so to speak, before the champagne pops at go time, eh what?
Hmm, 3.31… Not sure if it’s a free bar. I sort of hope it’s not because I don’t want to get over tiddly 🙂
Espesh with all the industry heavyweights there looking to be impressed!!!!!
You go Coco~!
I’m wondering why the tutors told one student not to go with 4 of his idea’s,and discussed them in great detail
Then the student finds his idea’s were used by others and were on the wall and the one’s the tutors told him to go with, didn’t make it?……something seems very odd about this?
Along with other comments I have read, seems to be who you know, not what you know?
I personally found the whole thing quite depressing.
There was less work on the wall than ever before, and most of it was very ‘first thought’ stuff, discarded by myself and most other tutors in the actual course.
This isn’t D&AD for fuck’s sake.
Oh, and based on the amount of tears and frustration I saw last night, can I recommend ditching the whole ‘top thirty’ thing?
Everyone graduates, there’s a top three. End of story.
All books should be put online after judging and Award should be able to put us in touch with students we like.
Seventy kids saw two and a half thousand bucks and three months of hard work go up in smoke last night.
Harsh.
@11:30
Tutors don’t know everything. That’s why you go with your gut instinct. If you don’t you’ll never make it in the industry.
So who won?
lol 4:01
Thank you
Mr (I personally found the whole thing quite depressing.) for your perspective .
It was very insightful. Your suggestion of a top three would be less heart breaking for many of the students, some who have studied years in advertising and who have the passion burning desire inside and wonderful creative idea’s and were looking at Award school to be the icing on the top of the cake.
I can imagine it would be a further stab to the back, when the tutors said throw away those idea’s you can dig deeper and come up with better… and you find that you do, come up with brilliant stuff. Then to find the stuff you know was poor, made it to the wall?
And this suggestion was very good: “All books should be put online after judging and Award should be able to put us in touch with students we like. ”
Mr (go with your gut instinct. If you don’t you’ll never make it in the industry.)
Why would you go with your first idea’s?.. when the stuff you produced after the tutors prodded you to dig deeper, was much more creative?
Remember kiddies, finishing AWARD school is just the beginning, not the end, if you want to get into the industry.
And you better hope that they don’t put your folio’s online. It’s just another way for CDs to say they don’t have enough time to see you cos they can see your stuff online. Most of the AWARD students won’t start calling the CDs to show them your book. They will give up. It’s the ones who really want it who will start cold calling the CDs. So you’ll be in front there. You’ve got to see the CDs, it’s important that they meet you, because while you may think your just finished AWARD folio is brilliant, in the cold light of day (or cold light of online) it’s not as good as you think. Also everyone has the same briefs, so it’s hard to be original. Throw out all your AWARD work as soon as possible cos the CDs are already sick of them.
And also remeber AWARD school is not the real world. Answering one line briefs with no mandatories, no strategy, that you present to other creatives with no client to convince and approve is like losing your virginity to a Supermodel hooker your Dad has paid for.
I never said go with your first idea: I said go with your gut instinct. BIG difference, young friend.
If you think one idea is better than the other then bugger what the tutors say. You’ve got to make your own mistakes, not someone else’s. I mean, that’s why I’m reading all these poor award school kids saying how the ideas on the wall were ones they had but tutors told them not to submit them. Obviously some kids ignored their tutors advice, and obviously some kids ranked.
At the end of the day, everyone sounds super depressed. Don’t be. In my experience I haven’t seen many Top 10 Award students go on to do great work.
is that you stan?
What 11.11 said. It doesn’t matter if you finished 1st or 70th, it’s what you do now. Years ago I finished virtually last, then spent months annoying the tits off everyone who mattered and got a job. As long as you got some solid knowledge out of the course then whom gives a shit?
I finished third when I did it. It helped a bit but the real value in AWARD School is the people you meet. Be known to them, stay in touch and if they’re nice, get them to look at your book after you’ve got rid of 60% (or better all) of your AWARD stuff.
Be persistent.
If you are depressed, If you’re disappointed, If you’re frustrated, if you’re heartbroken, after AWARD school, then welcome to advertising. Shake it off, and keep going. And good luck. If you can’t, please, find something else to do. This is a tough industry at the best of times and there’s already too many whiners. (just have a look at the comments above). Congrats to all winners. Best of lucks to the rest.
2000 dollars to do a course which doesnt even include a free grad night. Very poor form in my opinion. The first half of which I spent at an agency that dissmissed every single idea I showed. What made it worse is they were juniors at the agency and had only finished the course a yr or two before we had done it. We are not gurus no did we hink we were, i understand that you need to be told to keep digging but helping people into having better ideas, instead of putting them down time and time again gets you no where .Nor will we produce Award winning work every time. FACT!
On the other hand a big change in direction from the second agency, who got us exited about all the cool shit we could produce made for a happy ending.enthusiasim is key…. Who also seemied to really like alot of work produced in the first half.
Ideas are about having fun, exploring your mind, Then trying to cash in on them.
As for award too many people claiming to be right. Stick with the people you trust and go for it .
@4:53
Mate, let’s just hope you see yourself as an art director.
In defense of Award school, although the graduation and the results were soul destroying for so many, and most of the wall entrants were first thought idea’s and not very creative at all, with most of the winners already having positions in advertising already.
I cannot fault the tutors and what they had taught my son, and the way they continue to support his efforts even now that the course is finished. I always knew he had a warped ,strange, funny imagination. I do like the fact that the tutors pushed him to dig deeper, and he is producing some brilliant ,different, interesting and captivating idea’s which leave me in awe. I did wonder why he was told not to submit some of his first thought idea’s for judging, and then seeing those first idea’s were up on the wall..was crushing. I do truly believe though, that his final idea’s that he did submit were far more creative, interesting and delivered the message much better.Although he was not a winner on the night, I know he will be a winner in advertising in the future.His passion, and love for the industry, his sense of humour and creative idea’s ,his work ethics and most of all, the inspiration and support his tutors provided and continue to give him all REALLY DO HELP in him achieving his goal. At present he is only 21, and has spent the past three years studying every aspect of advertising and producing some amazing works. I know he has a big future ahead of him in this industry, he didn’t come top 10 or even top 30. And when he does make it, he can be thankful that he experienced the wonderful guidance his tutors gave him, and as a mother, I also thank the tutors for believing in him, and nurturing his passion and dreams, and the confirmation they gave him, that he really does have the right stuff to win awards in advertising in the future.
WELL DONE AND THANK YOU TO THOSE AMAZING TUTORS, that don’t get the credit they deserve, for giving their time and experience, and sharing it to help bring creativity to their profession.
Interesting to read all this. Just graduated in Melbourne the other day and can’t say my experience was anything like this. Sure I was told my ideas were shit almost the whole way through the course, but at the end of the day, it’s only up to you, how hard you’re willing to work and how much you want it.
Award School isn’t the be all and end all, it’s a massive achievement to have been accepted and completed the course regardless of results. The worst thing you can do now is give up and waste time being bitter, I know, because I have been there in the past.
It’s tutors’ job to get the best of you and if you want to hear that you’re great you’re in the wrong industry. Wouldn’t you rather be told you’re shit and and use that as ammunition to prove everyone wrong? I know I did, and it got me to top ten.
You have to fail, time and time again before you are ever successful in life, so take a few days to feel like shit and get the fuck up and keep working at it. If I can do it after losing a family member then you guys can too. Good luck.