Welcome back to the Creative Awards London blog where we showcase the very best in custom made awards and trophies. To celebrate our second year anniversary with the unforgettable Immortals Awards, we speak with Awards Director Paul Moran about the event and what inspires him. 

Hi Paul, thank you for taking the time to speak to us. Tell our readers about The Immortals. 

The Immortal Awards is a global, free-to-enter advertising award for all Little Black Book’s members. Launched in 2018 as a modern award for the new world of advertising, The Immortal Awards is simply about celebrating the best creative work in the world – with no confusing categories or chunky entrance fees. Inspired by Sir John Hegarty’s belief that creative companies rarely create more than five genuinely award-worthy pieces per office a year, The Immortal Awards only allows entrants a maximum of five entries. The limit ensures only the very best creative work is entered, creating a level playing field for all entrants and recognising the creative ideas – and the creative talent behind them – that will live forever.

Entry comes at no additional cost to our members because we understand the importance of awards in furthering the careers of creatives but recognise just how tough the industry is now, particularly financially. As long as your company or office is a member of Little Black Book, you’ll be able to enter the award show free of charge. Whilst entering the awards is easy, winning an award is difficult - because that’s the way it should be. The world’s best advertising should be judged by the world’s best creatives, which is why we put together the strongest jury that we possibly can. Our world-class jury is under no obligation to Immortalise entrants or award Commendation and Finalist status, so only the very best will be taking home a prize. We have no quotas to fill and there are no numbers games from our side, with just four projects taking home iconic Immortal awards in our debut year. With every entry receiving a score from our jury, every entry really does count. The results power our League Table of Creativity, a transparent ranking of the world’s creative companies. And the winning work is taken on a global roadshow for The Immortal Awards Showcase tour, bringing creative immortality to the world – from London and LA to New York and the Netherlands.

Great, what distinguishes a great idea from an 'immortal' idea?

A good question and one that is best answered by our wonderful jurors! Immortal is a big word - and to achieve creative immortality is something very few have done in our first two years. Immortal work will stand the test of time. It will look as good in 20 years as it does today. It will be a yard-stick, a reference point that creatives will go back to time and time again in their lives. It's work that pushes the boundaries of creativity, changes laws, affects real change - it's a big word!  

Going beyond the awards, what inspires creativity within your organisation?

We are lucky enough to see the latest and greatest creative work being sent in to Little Black Book and submitted into the Immortal Awards every year. Being able to see all of this work is a privilege, as many don't get the chance to consumer work from all corners of the world - so our aim is to inspire creatives, young and old, all over the world each year by showcasing the very best of this work in screenings and events in a whole host of countries. Seeing the work, and the reaction to it from the audiences, inspires us to keep doing what we do and take it even further.

On a personal level, what is the advertising/PR campaign that has most stood out for you last year? 

I shouldn't pick favourite but can't look beyond the four projects that picked up an Immortal trophy this year, all of which are incredible ideas that have been exceptionally executed. They're each brilliantly relevant for their time and at the heart are Immortal.

Finally, what does 2020 hold in store for LBBOnline? 

With regards to the Immortal Awards, we are expanding globally and developing an increased physical international presence with a series of local competitions, judging local work with a local jury. There will be regional finals in LATAM, North America, Europe, MEA and AsiaPacific, with the highest scoring work from each region making it through to the final round of judging in New York, where a hand-picked grand jury will decide which projects – if any – will receive an Immortal statue.

Creative Awards London would like to say thank you to Paul and all at The Immortals for sitting down with us. For more information on the event and awards, visit https://lbbonline.com/immortals/.