AWARD has partnered with Leonardo.ai and the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) to launch the first AWARD Lab GenAI Sprint, a competition testing how teams use AI to craft ideas for live campaigns, with human creativity and production expertise leading the work.
Open to AWARD Crash and AWARD Uni alumni, the sprint will run from 7–9 May. Teams will tackle a not-for-profit (NFP) partner brief, using Leonardo.ai to produce creative ideas within a 60-hour window.
Production specialists from Commercial Producers Council (CPC) member companies will collaborate with teams during the sprint, ensuring craft and production are embedded from the outset.
Mandie van der Merwe, AWARD Chair, said: “AWARD Lab is a first-of-its-kind initiative that moves the conversation beyond AI’s potential into more sophisticated application. It puts people at the centre, showing how creative teams and production partners shape the work, with AI supporting ideas driven by human insight.
“This is about strong ideas, craft and technology working together, not one replacing the other.”
To support the process, the NFP partner will provide a suite of approved, high-resolution images to ensure all work meets licensing requirements. Teams will also submit process logs documenting how their ideas evolved, enabling judges to assess human creative direction, decision-making and originality throughout the work.
Dwayne Koh, Head of Creative, Leonardo.ai, said: “Generative AI is changing the pace of the creative process, but the most important ingredients remain human insight and expertise. Leonardo supports teams as they explore and develop ideas, working alongside creative, craft and production partners to help bring those ideas to life.”
The winning team will see their work further developed with production partners before running nationally across premium digital out-of-home (DOOH) sites provided by OMA members.
Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO, OMA, said: “Digital out-of-home is the world’s most public gallery. This sprint highlights how strong creative ideas, developed through a combination of people, craft and technology, can reach audiences at scale.”
Key dates:
- NFP brief reveal: 12:00 pm, Thursday 7 May
- Competition closes: 11:59 pm, Saturday 9 May
- Judging commences: Monday 11 May
- Winning team announced: Tuesday 19 May
- Winner's work goes live nationally on DOOH: w/c 25 May
For more information and to register, visit: https://bit.ly/47IzfJa