The Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) has officially released the shortlists for its 2025 slate of juried competitions: the AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the Commercial, the AICP Next Awards, and the AICP Post Awards. Winners of each program will be revealed during AICP Week, which culminates with a gala presentation at The Museum of Modern Art in New York on June 5.
Show Highlights
Leading this year’s AICP Show shortlist is SMUGGLER with 40 entries across 22 categories, including co-productions with Exit Films and Soft Citizen. Other top production contenders include Iconoclast (17 entries), MJZ (16), Biscuit Filmworks (15), and O Positive (14).
On the agency front, TBWA\Media Arts Lab leads the pack with 19 shortlisted entries, followed by BBDO, Special Group, and Wieden+Kennedy—each with 12 entries. The in-house creative team at Squarespace earned eight mentions.
Among brands, Apple dominates with 21 entries, trailed by Uber One/Uber Eats (14), Libresse and Squarespace (eight each), and Nike (seven, including Jordan Brand).
Next Awards
The Next Awards shine a spotlight on groundbreaking creative thinking and innovation in marketing. Again, Apple led the shortlist with nine entries, with AT&T Business, Michelob ULTRA, and Google tying for second place (five entries each).
Agencies sharing the top honors with nine entries each include FCB (New York & Chicago), R/GA (including R/GA Japan), and TBWA\Media Arts Lab. SMUGGLER also topped production companies with 11 Next Awards entries, followed by m ss ng p eces (nine), Biscuit Filmworks (seven), and The Mill (five).
Post Awards
The AICP Post Awards, unique in recognizing individual artists, are headlined this year by Sam Ashwell of 750mph, with seven entries. Editors Geoff Hounsell (Arcade Edit), Graham Chisholm (Nimiopere), and Rick Orrick (Work Editorial) follow closely with six each.
Electric Theater Collective leads all post-production companies with 14 mentions, followed by Arcade Edit (13), Work Editorial (11), and Untold Studios (nine).
Wieden+Kennedy received the most recognition among agencies with 18 entries, while Apple’s in-house agency earned eight. Nike earned 13 mentions on the brand side, including collaborations with Travis Scott and Brand Jordan. Gucci (seven) and Ford (five) also performed strongly.
Curatorial Committees
Final shortlist selections were confirmed during curatorial meetings held April 2–4 in New York. These sessions were chaired by:
- Patrick Milling-Smith (SMUGGLER) – AICP Show
- Judy John (Edelman) – Next Awards
- James Razzall (Framestore) – Post Awards
Other notable curators included David Droga (Accenture Song), Tor Myhren (Apple), Margaret Johnson (Goodby Silverstein & Partners), and Michelle Ross (Superprime), among many others.
AICP Week will kick off on June 3, 2025, in New York City, featuring panels, events, and networking opportunities, and conclude with the MoMA gala on June 5.
All awarded entries are archived in perpetuity in the Department of Film at The Museum of Modern Art and are viewable online at here. Stay tuned for full winner announcements in June.
REELated:
O Positive’s David Shane headlines AICP Show in Los Angeles
