Astral Announces Winners of the 2019 CARTE BLANCHE FOR CREATIVES Competition

MONTRÉAL (May 23, 2019) – Astral, a division of Bell Media, announced earlier this week the Toronto, Québec and Western Canada winners of its CARTE BLANCHE FOR CREATIVES competition. Marking its 10^th anniversary, this year the annual competition received 363 submissions from across the country, an increase of 33% compared to last year. To enter, agencies had to create an original ad in the format of a digital superboard for one of their clients.

As in previous years, creative teams in all three markets were given an opportunity to come up with their concept “carte blanche.” Entries were judged by a national jury compiled of six prominent creative directors from different advertising agencies who had the difficult task of determining the winners for each market.

“This year’s submissions were some of the most innovative we’ve seen to date. Whether it was integrating Astral’s digital opportunities into the campaign or pushing the boundaries of creativity, it’s clear that Canada’s affinity for out-of-home advertising is alive across the country,” said Chloé Boissonnault, General Manager, Marketing Communications, Bell Media. “Our wonderful relationship with the creative community continues to grow, allowing the contest to evolve year after year. The impressive numbers of participants and entries proves once again that Carte Blanche is a prestigious contest for the country’s best creative talent.”

Here are the 2019 Carte Blanche winners for all markets:

TORONTO MARKET

GRAND PRIZE Title – Savings Every Minute Client – Walmart Agency – Cossette Copywriter – Rachel Abrams Art Director – Anton Mwewa
2nd Prize Title – Nugget-Cloud Finder Client – McDonald’s Agency – Cossette Copywriter – Dana Ciani Art Director – Alyssa Graff
3rd Prize Title – Cloud Coverage Client – Ontario Science Centre Agency – Rethink Copywriter – Kyle Simons Art Director – Skye Deluz

WESTERN CANADA MARKET

GRAND PRIZE Title – Exact Times Client – Mr. Lube Agency – Rethink Copywriter – Thom Peters Art Director – Sheldon Rennie
2nd Prize Title – Recommended Rides Client – Playland Agency – Rethink Copywriter – Thom Peters Art Director – Sheldon Rennie
3rd Prize Title – PASS GO Client – McDonald’s Agency – Cossette Senior Art Director – Grace Cho Art Director – Kelsey Hughes

 QUÉBEC MARKET

GRAND PRIZE Title – 24H Client – McDonald’s Agency – Cossette Creative Writer: Sébastien Forget Art Director: Jasmin Brochu
2nd PRIZE Title – PORK Client – Le Porc du Québec Agency – lg2 Creative Writer: Guillaume Bergeron Art Director: Marc Guilbault
3rd PRIZE Title – #YOUSHOULDBUYTHE640 Client – Lotto Max (Loto-Québec) Agency – Sid Lee Creative Writer: Laurent Prudhomme Art Director: Francis Gervais

The winning team in each market is awarded a trip to the International Creativity Festival in Cannes in June, with their clients receiving a $50,000 campaign on Astral’s large-format digital network to execute their concept. Each second-place team receives an iPad Pro, and each third-place team wins an Apple Watch.

INDUSTRY FAVOURITE PRIZE

New this year, Carte Blanche introduced the Industry Favourite Prize. All participants had a chance to vote on the competition website for their favourite creative execution in their market. The entry with the most votes won the prize. 

Here are the 2019 Industry’s favourite winners for all markets:

Toronto’s INDUSTRY FAVOURITE PRIZE Title – Binocular Billboard Client – Canadian Tire Agency – TAXI Art Director : Will Cuthbert Creative Writer : Michael Mehrasa
Western Canada’s INDUSTRY FAVOURITE PRIZE Title – Picture Perfect Client – London Drugs Agency – Wasserman+Partners Art Director : Graeme Jack Creative Writer : Matt Mitchell

QUEBEC’S INDUSTRY FAVOURITE PRIZE Title – Big Mini Cash Prizes Client – La Mini (Loto-Québec) Agency – Sid Lee Creative Writer: Jean-Bernard Bastien Art Director: Julien Hérisson

The CARTE BLANCHE FOR CREATIVES competition was launched in 2010 by Astral to recognize and support the best creativity in out-of-home. Projects submitted by winners and finalists are available on the competition website.