2003 D&AD Student Awards program showcases the best emerging design talent in the world

Boston, MA (January 7, 2003) - For the second year in a row, Aquent has joined forces with British Design & Art Direction (D&AD) to sponsor the 25th annual Student Awards program. The program is part of D&AD's educational outreach to help the industry identify talented graduates and provide gateways to employment within the design industry. Aquent, along with other companies worldwide, contributed to the call for entries pack of 29 briefs covering a wide range of creative disciplines including graphic design, multimedia, and advertising. Entry packs and individual briefs can be downloaded at D&AD's website at www.dandad.org under "The 2003 D&AD Student Awards" link. The deadline for entries is March 28, 2003.

"Aquent has always been a staunch supporter of quality educational programs in the creative field," says Kimberly Kapner, Aquent's director of sales in the UK and co-creator of Aquent's competition brief. "We are pleased to partner with D&AD on this awards program which provides an essential connection between design, advertising, education and the commercial world by inviting students, worldwide, to work on real business problems proposed by real clients."

As a "Partner" sponsor of the D&AD's Student Awards program, Aquent provides monetary support, co-writes and sponsors one of the briefs, provides judging support, and hosts several student finalists at the awards ceremony. Aquent is sponsoring the "TV Graphics" category in partnership with BSkyB the UK's number one pay-TV provider. For this category, entrants are required to create an on-screen identity sequence which brands a personalized TV service. The goal is to use corporate animation to establish the logo and represent the unique aspect of this service.

"Twenty-five years ago it was considered a soft option to be an art or design student. These days there are thousands emerging into the lime light each year, competing for a limited number of job opportunities," says Dick Powell of Seymour Powell and D&AD's Education chairman. "Students need to do everything within their means to stand out, to be noticed, to gain that elusive advantage. D&AD Student Awards offers a platform from which they can demonstrate their creativity and kick start their careers."

The award purse for the program totals approximately £60,000 (US $85,020), which includes £1,000 (US $1,417) per winner and two £5,000 (US $7,085) bursaries, each with a three-months paid work placement with the WPP Group, one of the world's leading communications services companies. The WPP Group Bursary and three-month paid work placement is open to participating students whose work is selected for inclusion in the D&AD Student Annual. Aquent and BSkyB are offering an additional reward in their category of a work placement at BSkyB. A baby "Yellow Pencil" award, a recognized symbol of excellence in the design and advertising community, will be awarded to first and second prize winners.

The D&AD Student Awards highlight the best student talent and promote them to leading design and advertising creatives worldwide. The best entries are published in the D&AD Student Annual, required reading for creative directors. Winners are also showcased on the D&AD Getty Images Bloodbank, the first worldwide online showcase of top, young creative talent. Last year, more than 2,100 individual entries from across the globe were submitted for this awards program. More entries are anticipated this year, which will be judged by juries of more than 100 internationally renowned creative practitioners.

For more information and to download an entry pack, go to www.dandad.org.

About Aquent
Aquent (www.aquent.com) is a professional services firm specializing in creative and IT solutions, including staffing, outsourcing, executive search, and consulting services. For more information contact Kimberly Kapner at kkapner@aquent.com.

About D&AD
D&AD is a long-established UK-based professional association and educational charity that works internationally setting creative standards in advertising and design and educating and nurturing the next creative generation D&AD invests £1.5million each year on running a range of innovative education programs which seek to identify talented graduates, support colleges and develop and train young creatives. For more information on the association visit www.dandad.org. For further press information contact Josie Ballin at Josie@dandad.co.uk.