The One Club for Creativity is shaking up its flagship awards with the debut of The One Show Indies, a new, dedicated track inside The One Show 2026 built to spotlight work from truly independent agencies, design studios, production houses, creators, and freelancers.
Eligibility is intentionally tight to keep the field indie: entrants must be at least 51% founder- or staff-owned and operate no more than the physical offices. The goal, says The One Club, is simple: make the global halo of a One Show Pencil more accessible to the makers driving so much of today’s creative heat without holding-company scale.
“Independent agencies and creators are some of today’s most dynamic drivers of creative excellence… The One Show Indies is like a new rebel wing inside The One Show,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity.
The framework leans “creator-first” with streamlined, cost-sensitive rules:
- A cap of 10 total entries per company.
- Each piece can only appear in up to three categories.
- Limits on where time-consuming case films can be used in judging.
- Entry fees discounted 20% off standard One Show 2026 pricing.
Key dates for Indies: regular deadline January 23, 2026; final deadline February 20, 2026. A dedicated jury of top independent creatives will evaluate entries using The One Show’s established judging platform, awarding Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merits—plus a new Crystal Pencil for “Best of Indies.”
Plans are underway for a more casual Indies celebration during Creative Week in May, separate from the formal One Show ceremony.
The One Show 2026 at a glance
Entries for the overall competition are open now, with fee increases after each window: super-early deadline October 30, 2025; early December 12, 2025; regular January 23, 2026; extended February 6, 2026; final February 20, 2026. Jury Presidents and full juries will be announced soon; early judging begins in January, finalists in May, with winners revealed during Creative Week in New York.
All winners are showcased in The One Club archive (free to view for one year) and receive a complimentary one-year One Club membership. Results feed The One Show Creative Rankings and The One Club’s Global Creative Rankings across The One Show, ADC, TDC, ADCE and ONE Asia. As a nonprofit, The One Club reinvests awards revenue into programs across education, inclusion & diversity, gender equality, and creative development.
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