Berlin's Biggest Ace Awards Haul
Our team had a wonderful time at the ACE Awards last Saturday night, taking home 22 awards including 12 ACE Awards and 10 Distinctions. It’s the biggest haul we’ve ever walked out of there with and also the first time we won more than any other agency. We won the most ACE Awards as well as the most number of awards overall.
We won for:
- Alberta Forest Products Association - Real Wildlives of Alberta Forests
- Alberta Forest Products Association - Two Things at Once
- Alberta Forest Products Association - Fire Fuel
- Alberta Forest Products Association - The Safety Guy
- Alberta Society of Radiologists / Alberta Cancer Foundation - Venn Mammograms
- Seachange Brewing - Non-to-Five Collection
- Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation - Snowflake Gala Fun Raiser
- Whistlebouy Brewing - Find Your Courage
- 3x3 Basketball Association - Hoop City
- Edmonton Downtown Business Association - Downtown Farmers’ Market
It is gratifying to win for work on 7 clients across 10 projects, showing the breadth and consistency of the work the team is delivering.
We did not win Best in Show this year though; that went to our friends at FKA for a wonderful piece of work they did for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Bravo to the team at FKA and their client for the win. We tip our caps to you.
This was the first year we were the Creative Sponsor for the show. Each year, an agency or sometimes a group of independent collaborators volunteers their time to come up with the theme of the show and then makes all the creative assets. It is a heavy lift, and after many years of attending and enjoying the show, we thought we’d better take our turn as the creative sponsor.
The theme we used was “Creativity is never final,” featuring last-minute edits throughout the evening triggered by real-time feedback—including decor updates, costume changes, a replacement emcee, and even an under-the-sea theme change midway through the show. The dress code for guests continued the concept by showcasing a range of non-finalized attire.
Even though it was a lot of work, it was great fun and made the show that much more special as we could see our vision for the event come to life. Julian Faid was the MC and nailed the assignment, leaning right into the concept and providing a wildly entertaining experience. You can tell he’s a trained actor and a great sport.
Two of our team members, Shannon Glassford and Matt Brownoff, were shortlisted for the newly created Rising Star award, which was handed out for the first time this year and will be part of the ACE Awards going forward. It recognizes an early-career creative (under 30 and/or less than 5 years in the industry) who shows exceptional potential. We were delighted that Shannon won, adding another special aspect to the night.
The ACE Awards are an incredible feature of the creative industry in Edmonton. It is unusual for a market as small as ours to have a show as good as this. There’s really nothing else like it in Canada west of Toronto. The quality of the event, the seriousness with which the work is judged, and the industry's commitment to entering work and showing up each year all contribute to a fantastic tradition that’s now 47 years strong, without missing a year.
In Berlin’s first year in existence, all those years ago, we were thrilled and shocked to win two ACE Awards, and because of that, we thought the hits would keep on coming. But it took a few years before we ever won one again, and for a long time, we’d try as hard as we could but struggle to take home much hardware. For the past four or five years, we’ve generally been in the mix, and this year was the first time we won the most. We don’t take that for granted because we know how hard it is to win, and we’ve clawed and scratched our way here. If you’re just starting a career or just starting an agency, it probably feels like a big hill to climb. Well, someone is going to do it. In 15 years, someone else will be reflecting on having won the most ACE Awards. Maybe it’s you. Go get it.
We have so much respect and admiration for all the other fantastic agencies, clients, vendors, producers, freelancers and educators in this town who push for creative excellence year after year. Having the ACE Awards as a motivator elevates creativity across Edmonton and benefits the industry as a whole. This is a crazy business in a lot of ways. Hold Co mergers, AI, shrinking budgets, offshoring, and who knows what else are nipping at our heels. But the people who do this work just keep doing this work, and doing it as best as they can. And that’s what the ACE Awards are all about.
Now let’s get back to work. We need some stuff for next year.
