The Art Directors Club für Deutschland (ADC) will accept entries for its 2027 Competition starting November 3, 2026. New is Social Media as the seventh discipline alongside Advertising, Digital Media, Spatial Experience (Space and Trade Fair), Editorial (Book and Magazine), Film & Audio and Design. In 2026, the ADC specified six disciplines, and Social Media was missing.
Eligible are works that were published or developed between January 1, 2026 and February 15, 2027 in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg or German-speaking Switzerland. You do not need an ADC membership.
What deadlines apply to the ADC Competition 2027?
For works from 2026, the ADC offers an early-bird discount of 10 percent until November 26, 2026. The regular entry deadline is February 18, 2027; with a 20 percent surcharge, the ADC accepts works until March 4, 2027. For works that were only published in 2027 up to February 15, both deadlines are postponed by two weeks to March 4 and March 18, 2027.
Deadlines for works from 2026
Submission via the ADC's entry platform; the date of release is decisive
- November 3, 2026Submission opens
- November 26, 2026Last day for 10 percent early-bird discount
- February 18, 2027Regular entry deadline
- March 4, 2027Final deadline, with 20 percent surcharge
For works from January 1 to February 15, 2027, the deadlines are March 4 and, with surcharge, March 18, 2027
Sources: ADC Competition 2027, Guidelines ADC Competition 2027
The entry date is the day on which you bindingly release the submission on the platform. A submission that was only created but not yet released on November 26 does not receive the discount.
What does a submission cost?
The fee depends on the number of components, such as presentation board (Board), key visual, film or link. A submission with up to five components costs almost twice as much as a single work. Compared to 2026, the ADC has raised the tiers with up to five and up to eight components by around ten percent; a single work costs almost as much as in the previous year.
The surcharge for latecomers is also changing: instead of a fixed amount as in 2026, 20 percent of the fee applies in 2027. For multi-part submissions, late entry thus becomes more expensive than before, for single works cheaper.
What rules apply to Creative Impact and AI?
Creative Impact, the category for proven effectiveness, is divided by the ADC into "Business" and "For Good"; in addition, there is for the first time a Europe category for works from all over Europe. Only works that were awarded in 2025 or 2026 at the ADC, the ADC of Europe, Cannes Lions, D&AD, LIA or The One Show may enter. A board based on an InDesign template with goals, key figures and results is also mandatory; the submission deadline is March 4, 2027.
As in 2026, AI tools are permitted as aids, but you must flag every work with AI-generated content at submission, otherwise exclusion is a risk. For projects that deliberately use AI as a design tool, the Design discipline has its own categories such as "AI-Assisted Creative Processes in Photography" for AI-assisted photography.
What this means for you
If you work alone or in a small studio, the obvious path is via the Independent categories for freelance work, such as Illustration, Poster Art (poster design) or 2D Animation. Unpublished freelance projects may also enter there. Agency names and logos must be removed from every work; only for self-promotion may you remain visible as the creator.
- It's best to decide on the category before you upload the first files. Once you upload, the category can no longer be changed; a switch counts as a paid change at the ADC.
- It's best to plan the release for works from 2026 by November 26 and to finish writing the short description of at most 1,500 characters beforehand.
- If you are studying or have been working in the profession for at most three years, the ADC Talent Award 2027 may be an option. The entry deadline there is March 18, 2027.
On November 10, 2026 at 1 p.m., the ADC is offering an info session via Microsoft Teams. For the Creative Impact Board in InDesign, the overview of keyboard shortcuts for InDesign will help you.
The ADC last updated the call for entries on October 30, 2026; the call documents are dated October 23, 2026.
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