All three campaigns from South Africa get shortlisted in the Craft CUT featuring: 'Dress Yourself' for Simons by Moonlighting, 'Mntana ka Gogo' for Vaseline by VML and 'Ode To The Troublemakers' for Nelson Mandela Foundation by Edelman, says the awards.

Leading the shortlist are the USA with 41 shortlisted entries, Germany with 39, France with 33 and the United Kingdom with 27. Strong performances also came from Spain, Mexico, Sweden, Thailand, the Philippines, Italy, Argentina and Canada, demonstrating the increasingly global nature of creative excellence.

The shortlist reflects the diversity of work being recognised by Gerety's judges, spanning entertainment, innovation, humour, work for good, craft, strategy and effectiveness. Global brands sit alongside local challengers, while independent agencies compete shoulder-to-shoulder with international networks, adds the awards.

For this edition, judging sessions were held in London, Auckland, Toronto, New York, Paris, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, Mexico City, Bangkok, Los Angeles, Berlin, and São Paulo. These in person sessions define the shortlist before the Grand Jury comes together online to select the final winners.

According to the awards, this year, more than 250 judges from over 50 countries take part in the Gerety Awards, bringing together some of the most respected creative leaders from different fields of advertising, marketing, production, design and media.

  • Bulgaria and Tunisia get into the shortlist for the first time at Gerety.
  • Craft CUT sees the most shortlisted entries with campaigns spanning from all craft types: Animation, Art Direction, Cinematography, Copywriting, Direction, Editing, Illustration,Music, Sound Design, Photography, Typography, Production Design and Visual Effects.
  • The most shortlisted campaign is 'Covert Recruiter', from Dentsu Creative France for the French Army Human Resources Directorate.

The Grand Jury will now choose the final winners which will be announced in the first week of September, including Bronze, Silver, Gold, Grand Prix and Regional Winners.

Taking place this week, Gerety's global Jury Insights Panels bring together jury members alongside leading trade press titles to discuss the campaigns, creative trends, and standout work shaping this year's shortlist, says the awards.

Alongside the panels, Gerety will once again share its Shortlist Reel: a curated showcase of the highest-scoring shortlisted work from the executive jury sessions, distributed to agencies, production companies, brands, and industry leaders around the world during shortlist week.

And, as every year, finalists and jury members will be celebrated at the Gerety VIP Diamond BBQ in Cannes, with an exclusive guest list of entrants, judges, past judges, partners and friends of Gerety, concludes the awards.

For more information, visit www.geretyawards.com. You can also follow the Gererty Awards on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of contributor