News

Ocean Outdoor has relaunched its annual creative competition, extending it from the UK, Nordics and Netherlands into Germany and creating a new prize in which the winners from each country compete for the annual Grand Prix.  

In its 15th year, Ocean’s annual competition calls for bold ideas and imaginative concepts which push the creative boundaries of out of home (OOH), using the latest digital out of home (DOOH) technology across premium outdoor formats and environments.

Campaigns from previous winners have gone on to win several Cannes Lions.

Entries for all seven competitions, which will be judged in their countries by expert panels, open on March 25. The closing date is August 23 and the winners will be announced simultaneously at seven industry events on October 9 (October 10 in the Netherlands).

Ocean Group CMO Richard Malton said: “Ocean’s competition was originally designed to show the capabilities of what was then a nascent premium media channel. Fifteen years on, we continue to foster the best original ideas, elevating out of home as a brand building channel and the gateway to global success.

“Out of home continues to evolve; a combination of better screens, new formats, sophisticated technology and audience data providing even greater opportunities for brands, agencies and creatives to create pioneering work which will be seen and remembered well beyond the physical realm.”

All you need is an idea

There are two award categories for brands and charities and the competitions are free to enter. Prizes will be awarded to the top three ideas in each category. The winning concepts will be given airtime on Ocean’s network of DOOH screens in their country of entry, sharing prize pots of £500,000.

This year, the 14 first prize winners will go forward to compete for the Grand Prix which will be announced in January 2025. The Grand Prix prize is a campaign on premium screens across all seven Ocean countries, creating a global platform for the winning entry.

Ocean operates in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands. The company opened an office in Germany earlier this year.   

To keep the entry process simple, concepts should combine jpeg images or a short video with a written narrative of 200 words. The competition is free to enter.

To find out more please visit https://oceanoutdoor.com/digital-competition/how-to-enter/?

15 years of the Digital Creative Competition

• 2010 – the competition launched in the UK in association with Westfield London
• 2021 – the competition was extended to the Nordics and the Netherlands
• More than 2,000 entries received so far
• 100 competition winners to date
• Over £10 million invested via Ocean advertising space
• 450 influential judges convened