The stars of the ad world aligned last night at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as the 2025 AICP Awards wrapped with a gala screening and celebration. The event marked the 33rd year that MoMA has partnered with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers to honor excellence in advertising and preserve that work as part of the museum’s permanent film archive.
Three shows. Three Best of Show winners. One massive celebration of craft, innovation, and postproduction artistry.
The Big Winners:
- AICP Show (Advertising Excellence): “Flock” for Apple, directed by Ivan Zachariáš of SMUGGLER
- AICP Next Awards (Most Next): “SHT” for IKEA Canada, created by Edelman Canada
- AICP Post Awards (Best of Show): Denial is a River for Doechii, edited by Sebastian Zotoff of MakeMake Entertainment/Rock Paper Scissors
A Week of Winning
The AICP Awards unfolded across three jam-packed days of screenings, premieres, and celebrations that brought together some of the most influential voices in advertising and production. Things kicked off June 3 with the Next Awards Premiere at The Times Center, followed by the AICP Show screening on June 4 at MoMA, and wrapped with the AICP Post Awards earlier in the day on June 5, culminating in a gala that evening back at MoMA.
Each show was helmed by a powerhouse jury chair: Patrick Milling-Smith of SMUGGLER for the AICP Show, Judy John of Edelman for the Next Awards, and James Razzall of Framestore for the Post Awards.
AICP CEO Matt Miller joined them at the podium during the MoMA gala to spotlight the winners and reflect on the state of the industry, one defined right now by creative resilience, bold experimentation, and the value of shared experience.
The AICP Show: Art + Technique in the Spotlight
The crown jewel of this year’s AICP Show was Apple’s cinematic entry, “Flock,” which not only took home the top prize for Advertising Excellence but also won in the categories of Animation, Concept, and Direction. The film was directed by Ivan Zachariáš of SMUGGLER, and it helped secure Apple’s place as the most-awarded brand in the AICP Show with ten total honors.
In the directing race, Vania and Muggia of ICONOCLAST led the pack with five wins, followed by Zachariáš with four, and David Shane of O Positive, who picked up three awards. SMUGGLER was named the most-honored production company with nine wins.
Meanwhile, the Best New Director title went to Leve Kuehl for “Through My Eyes,” a moving brand-direct piece for UNHCR. Kuehl now directs via The Sweetspot.
The Next Awards: Ideas That Push Boundaries
At the Next Awards, IKEA Canada’s disruptive “SHT” campaign—created by Edelman—tackled the issue of “double taxation” on secondhand goods and earned the coveted Most Next title. The campaign not only won in the new categories of Creative Commerce and Public Relations, but also carried real-world impact: Edelman donated its $10,000 AICP Foundation grant to Chicago’s Off the Street Club, a nonprofit focused on youth development.
Agencies making the biggest splash included Edelman and FCB, with five honors each across their global offices. TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Apple Marcom, Meta’s Creative X, and Mojo Supermarket each brought in three wins.
On the brand side, Apple, IKEA Canada, and Meta all tied for the top spot with three wins each, while AB InBev, Powerade, and Dramamine followed closely behind with two apiece. The most celebrated production and development shops included The Mill, Sweetshop, and Mojo Supermarket, each earning three honors.
The Post Awards: Craft at the Core
The Post Awards put a spotlight on the talent behind the scenes—editors, designers, and finishing artists whose invisible magic makes everything pop. This year, that spotlight was squarely on Sebastian Zotoff of MakeMake Entertainment/Rock Paper Scissors, who took home Best of Show for his editorial work on Doechii’s Denial is a River. The video also won in the Editorial: Music Video category and was directed by Carlos Acosta and James Mackel via LOTUM.
Editor Rich Orrick of WORK Editorial stood out as the most-awarded artist of the evening, with three wins across categories, including Dialogue/Monologue/Spoken Word and Cause Marketing. His work for Channel 4’s Paralympics campaign, Considering What? and Life360’s Family-Proof Your Life earned high praise.
The agency 4creative picked up two wins, and top brands in the Post category included Apple and Channel 4 Paralympics. Not to be outdone, artist Doechii also claimed a second win, reinforcing her growing creative footprint in both music and advertising.
AICP continues to lead the industry in not only honoring top-tier creative but preserving its legacy. All 2025 winners — along with decades of past honorees — are housed permanently in MoMA’s Department of Film and can be viewed at the AICP Awards Archive.
Framestore handled design language for all three competitions, Human scored music/sound design, and Cutters delivered the showreels.
As Patrick Milling-Smith aptly summed it up: “Makers, shapers, and creators are never going out of style. It’s up to us to embrace new tools and shape the industry’s next chapter — together.”
The winning entries for 2025, as well as each year’s collection of winners, can be viewed exclusively at www.aicpawards.com, the AICP Awards Archive website.
REELated:
Shortlists Announced for 2025 AICP Awards
