Winners announced for the Young Arrows Awards 2026

The Young Arrows has announced the winners and finalists of the 2026 awards to celebrate the best work from emerging talent in the UK moving image advertising industry. The Young Arrows presented 21 awards across a range of categories, including production, sound design, music video direction and VFX in a thrilling show in central London’s ODEON Luxe Leicester Square, hosted by Reggie Yates.

Now in its fifth year, the awards were completely free-to-enter, removing the financial barrier that often blocks emerging talent from entering. The result of the free-to-enter initiative saw a record-breaking number of entries submitted to the competition.

This year, the New Director – Production Company category has been renamed as the New Director – James Rouse Award in honour of the late James Rouse, celebrating both his remarkable contribution to commercial filmmaking and his commitment to encouraging the next generation of directing talent. Following his posthumous recognition with the British Arrows Chairman’s Award, the British Arrows Board established the award as a lasting tribute to his outstanding body of work, his character and his enduring belief in championing the next generation.

Notable winners included:

Junior Agency Producer: Cera O'Rourke for Channel 4, Educating Yorkshire, School's Back

Production Company Producer: John Mouratis for BBC, Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Trails Will Blaze

New Director – The James Rouse Award: Olivia De Camps for The Ordinary, The Periodic Fable

New Director – Unsigned: Meg Wriggles for Perfect Draft x Stella Artois, The Home Furthest From A Pub

Student Commercial of the Year: Finbar Somers for DISO Supplements, Energy, Your Potential Needs Energy

The full list of winners is available here.

Charlie Gatsky and Dom Thomas, Co-Chairs of the British Arrows, say:

“This year's artistry, inventiveness, determination, problem-solving, originality and craft are higher than ever, and so is the professionalism behind them. The future of craft is in safe hands. They deserve our attention. They deserve our support. And they deserve the chance to prove themselves on the world's biggest stages. Congratulations to every nominee and winner tonight.”

Jury Co-Chair, Shirley O’Connor, Managing Director at Love Song, comments:

“The award itself is only the start. Recognition is lovely, but what changes a career is what comes next... the next job, the next budget, someone senior willing to take a chance on you. So, my ask is to the rest of us. Watch this reel with a producer’s eye. Note the names. Put them on your next shoot, hire them for your next edit, and pay them properly. Some of the best directors I’ve worked with got their first real break from someone who took a chance, and every one of the people in this book is worth a chance.”

Jury Co-Chair, David Wigglesworth, Executive Creative Director at 4Creative, adds:

“…Our job is actually pretty simple. Keep making brilliant things and make sure the next lot want to as well. That’s why the Young Arrows matters so much. Not because we need the next generation to come in and carry on doing things the way we did them. Hell no! We need them to f*** it up. Break bits. Question things. Make stuff we don’t understand. Make stuff we wish we’d made. Become the next generation of crazy thinkers that make this industry feel exciting.”

The Bolt Award, in honour of well-known advertising production figure Barney Richard, was awarded to director Alfie Whiteman for Vibram FiveFingers, Toe Wrestling.

Isabella Parish from All of Us Here remarked:

“There are so many people this year who have gone above and beyond and have pushed their creativity, resourcefulness, their approach and shown such enormous potential. But Alfie’s film really has risen to the top, and Barney would have loved it!”

The not-for-profit Young Arrows Awards had a sparkling team of young talent curating the awards; from production to sound, social media and visuals, the latter designed entirely by a group of young creatives – some of them previous Young Arrows winners; concept designer Emily Shilling at ETC, creative duo Conrad Moody and Rita Viegas at RASCAL, stop-motion animator Ruby Nell Hagan, designer Betty Tzouliou at ETC, multidisciplinary artist Aung Thant Kyaw and motion designer Jack Field at Framestore and supported by British Arrows’ Creative Director, Michael Lenz.

The Young Arrows Awards will return in 2027 with entries opening next June.

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