Going for Gold: Tips for Entering the One Show

If I have learned anything from grad school, it’s that you get out of it what you put into it. Which is one of the many reasons why participating in competitions really add to the experience. Other reasons include: something to add to your resume, another avenue of inspiration, or perhaps even, an item for your portfolio (I mean… who needs sleep anyways….)? This past semester I took Jason Stefanik’s class, Competition Ready. The class was entirely centered on The One Show, Young Ones Competition. One of the most acclaimed advertising, interactive and design student competitions, The Young Ones Competition, challenges students to compete in two briefs every year. This year, the briefs were Lego and a less defined brief that challenged students to tackle Gender Inequality.

            My team worked incredibly hard and was thrilled when we learned that our entry “Effigies for Equality”, a project that sought to give historical women recognition in Central Park, won a gold pencil. As our reward, we attended both ceremonies for the Young Ones and the One Show, a competition for professionals in the advertising industry. While it was pretty amazing to be given the red-carpet treatment all night, the best part was walking across the stage to accept our pencils. It was an incredible experience that I would encourage all future BICsters to try for. Here are a few tips from my experience of participating in the competition.

            First, don’t be afraid to fail. In the process of trying to come up with an idea for the Young Ones, I went through two different teams, and literally months of ideas that were tossed out. I can’t tell you how many times we had to face the fact that our idea just didn’t stick enough. Even when we had an idea, numerous executions were nixed in the end for a streamlined cohesive entry.

            Second, take inspiration from your classmates. Our One Show entry was inspired by one of the insights that another team presented during one of our brainstorming sessions. Once we got going we managed to turn that idea into one of our own. Your classmates will be some of the most intelligent and inspired people you’ll ever get to work with, so take advantage of that.

            Next, while we went with a video, I don’t necessarily think that is the best route for most. The Young Ones gave us the option to either submit a video or a print image. After attending the Young Ones Ceremony it was clear that other students were using animation video software that was well beyond our team’s proficiencies. Some of the best works presented were still images. What more, even those still images consisted of packaging design, logos, print ads, allowing for an amazing diversity of work.

            If you do decide that a video is your best bet, editing is key. We were told to not go over two minutes. The best videos presented were a fraction of that. While it was my gut to explain a lot of our strategy in the video, it was most successful when we did a quick overview of the problem and jumped right into our solution. Look at past winners in the Young Ones archive. For our team that was the best and easiest way to gain the inspiration needed to edit our video.

            Use your resources! The BIC program is lucky in that it has an entire team of experts just dying to help the students out. There’s no way our project would have been realized without the advice and feedback of the faculty. We spent many a late night doing Google Hangouts with Jason, and emailing Gerardo and Nancy. Without a doubt, their feedback got us to the finish line.

            Lastly, have fun with it. I know it’s not easy when you’re faced with a deadline, or when you’re being challenged to be creative and you’re simply drawing a blank. At the end of the day this is your moment to shine; it’s a rare opportunity for us to pick our own clients or our own creative direction - so run with it!

            Participating in The One Show competition made me wish I had partaken in more contests during the course of the program. Not only is it a great way to get recognition for your work, but it’s also a fantastic mechanism to get inspiration when you’re in a rut. Win or lose, you’ll have something for your portfolio that can be expanded upon. Just by putting yourself out there, you’re a step closer to gold.