The Shark Awards

02/06/2026

We're in full swing now, another great signing for Kinsale 2026. We're thrilled to announce our first judge in the Advertising (idea) Section, Winona Wee, creative at a recently-formed and exciting creative agency, Ace of Hearts

Winona has over 12 years of experience across Asia Pacific & Europe. Originally from Singapore, she’s been recognised as one of the country’s most awarded creatives, with work awarded at The One Show, LIAs, Clios, D&AD, and Cannes Lions — including Singapore’s first Glass Lion.

Her work consistently centres the underrepresented: championing British Sign Language with Ford BSL Covers, bringing real-world Asian delicacies into League of Legends with , challenging nepotism with , and pressuring the Delhi High Court to criminalise marital r**e with . In 2024, she represented the UK and Singapore at Cannes Lions See It Be It — a global programme championing female creative leaders. In 2025, she was a juror for the Direct Lions and recognised as a One Club Next Creative Leader.

A passionate advocate for DE&I, Winona sees cultural work as creative work. She created TodayIs.Gay, a platform housing 365 days of global q***r history, and the South East Asian Creative Club, a network for SEA creatives.

Born into a working-class family, she believes in the transformative power of education - mentoring through D&AD Shift, Outvertising, W+K Kennedys, BBH Barn, and guest lecturing at King’s College London on creativity and AI.

She’s also a regular in London’s female skateboarding scene, where is a co-founder of Other Skate Co CIC — a skate collective for everyone who feels othered at the skatepark.



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Sharks - this year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (Weds) and finish on Friday (16-18 Sept) with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

02/06/2026

We're thrilled to announce the appointment of Daisy Mellors to our stellar panel of judges booked for the Kinsale Advertising Awards 2026.

Daisy is an Executive Producer at Biscuit Filmworks. Biscuit has been named #1 Production Company by Campaign Magazine for four consecutive years and by Televisual in both its main and peer-reviewed lists. In 2026, Biscuit took the top spot at The British Arrows and was named Production Company of the Year at the AdAge A-List & Creativity Awards. In 2025, Biscuit won Production Company of the Year at both Ciclope and Creative Circle, and took the third spot for Cannes’ prodigious Palme D’Or.
 
Before Biscuit, Daisy worked as an EP at Anonymous Content, lured over to the production company side by a curiosity and passion for film craft after over a decade in London ad agencies.  As an agency producer Daisy worked on award winning and often complex, non-traditional campaigns for Uncommon Creative Studio, Grey and Anomaly, where she served as Head of TV.  Whilst at Anomaly, Daisy received the Achievement in Production British Arrow award for her work on Cancer Research UK’s ‘Right Now’ campaign in 2017.
filmworks
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This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (Weds) and finish Friday night (16 - 18 September) with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition form May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

02/06/2026

‘HAPPINE$$’

there are 3,428 billionaires in the world (a significant increase from previous years). These people control a total combined net worth of $20 trillion. What does $20 trillion mean in real terms?

Well a single $20 trillion investment in the planet right now could fundamentally transform global society by eliminating extreme poverty, achieving net-zero emissions, and providing universal healthcare and education. This amount (roughly 20% of global GDP) could finance a total energy transition by 2030, drastically reduce climate change risks and provide 50 years of food security for the entire world.

What are we trying to achieve?

The world’s billionaires are distant to most of us and almost seem like a different species. But they're not, like us most of them are simply looking for things to make them happy.

However, given many of them don't look in the least bit happy (see Musk, Trump, Bezos, Zuckerberg etc) it could be suggested that none of them have found true happiness.

Maybe they've been looking in the wrong places.

Gold Palaces, private islands, rockets to Mars and vast mountains of cash don't appear to be having the desired effect.

We believe we may have the answer.

’HAPPINE$$’

And what is ‘HAPPINE$$’?

Simply put, it's all about the joy you (a billionaire) can bring to others. HAPPINE$$ would be a fund set up by billionaires to achieve two things.

1) To bring happiness to millions of vulnerable and poor people around the world.

2) To bring REAL happiness and fulfilment to 3,428 billionaires

A simple sum…

We don’t expect billionaires to approach us with their entire fortunes and say “here’s the lot.”

But if each year, the controllers of that $20 trillion dollar pot contributed 5% of it, that would be $1 trillion a year.

A figure that, if donated each year, would genuinely change lives and the planet for the better.

And it would allow those donating to discover that it truly IS better to give than to receive.

Brief
To persuade the world’s billionaire community to join the HAPPINE$$ fund and to be remembered as a saint rather than a sinner.

Media:
We’re looking for a double page spread to appear in Forbes magazine.

02/06/2026

Well, another year has come around and we are now open for new entries to the various 2026 competitions.

Just head to our website to download the Full List of Categories Brochure to browse the sections available to you and scope the various Early Bird and Bulk Entry discounts available.

Don’t miss out, go early, go big!

02/06/2026

30/04/2026

Our fantastic music video jury for 2026 seen here at Brighton Beach House, left to right:

Ella Lindsay - Sony Music
Fiona Bamford-Phillips - Prettybird
Ruth Morris - Warp Records
André Reid - RepMedia
Suzanne Doyle - Arts & Music Professional
Martyn Poyner -British MV Association
Charlie Roberson - Rogue

The shortlists will be revealed Friday 1 May.

Winners announced 15 May.

Winners Screening and Awards Presentation 4 June.

23/04/2026

Thrilled to announce another big hitter from the world of advertising film production to the Kinsale 2026 Jury, David Webb, managing director at Final Cut

David is also an award- winning editor. In his role, David oversees global operations, strategic partnerships, and creative development across offices in London, New York, and Los Angeles. His leadership has been instrumental in positioning Final Cut as one of the most respected post-production companies in the industry.

David began his career editing commercials, collaborating with some of the industry’s most celebrated directors, including Edgar Wright, Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton, Traktor, Malcolm Venville, Walter Stern and Philippe André, before transitioning into longform work at the request of director Jim Field Smith. The pair have since developed a close creative partnership, collaborating on several acclaimed series including The Wrong Mans (BBC/Hulu), Criminal (Netflix), Defending the Guilty (BBC), Truth Seekers (Amazon), and Litvinenko (ITV Studios), starring David Tennant. Many of these projects have received major recognition, including BAFTA, EMMY and RTS nominations.

Under his leadership, Final Cut continues to set the standard for editorial storytelling across formats and genres.



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Sharks - this year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition form May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/04/2026

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It may seem a little while off yet, but it'll come around pretty quickly! Yes, it's Kinsale, and we're thrilled to announce our first judge for the 2026 festival, The Sweetshop's Morgan Whitlock.

Morgan joined Sweetshop in 2011, helping to launch the London office and establish it as one of the UK’s leading production companies. As Managing Director / Executive Producer, he manages the company's productions and talent across the UK and Europe. He has Exec Producer and Produced multiple innovate AI-led projects as part of AI-Studio TheGardening.Club.

Throughout his career Morgan has been passionate about the craft of directing and facilitating the careers of the most talented and exciting directors. He has brought a number of renowned world-class directors to the Sweetshop’s global roster, and has continued to support emerging directors, introducing new voices to the industry. Today he drives Sweetshop’s Diversity & Inclusion policies and initiatives, working as a mentor and with social enterprises and industry organisations in London to create pathways for the next generation of diverse talent into commercial filmmaking.



@

This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition from May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/04/2026

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As Summer approaches so does Kinsale, and we're thrilled to announce our second judge for the 2026 festival, Richard Adkins from Wieden+Kennedy London

Rich has been working in the industry for the past 18 years, starting his career at BBH producing anything from ad-funded TV programming to early virtual reality and social content for brands including Johnnie Walker, Vodafone and Burberry.

His focus shifted towards film craft and after several years at BBH, he freelanced in the world of TV commercials at various agencies as an Agency Producer.  He's been at W+K London for the past 9 or so years, starting as a Producer working across global, award-winning productions for Three Mobile, Sainsbury's, Warner Brothers, Nike, TK Maxx, and Malibu before becoming joint Head of Production in 2022.  
He oversees the team of Producers, ensures a consistent quality of craft on the agency's output, and has more recently been spear-heading W+K's foray into longform entertainment. 


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This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us), staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking of course.

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition from May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/04/2026

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It may seem a little while off yet, but it'll come around pretty quickly! Yes, it's Kinsale, and we're thrilled to announce our third judge for the 2026 festival, Superprime London's EP Francesca Roberts

Francesca leads Superprime’s expansion into the UK as Executive Producer, marking the company’s first formal presence in the region. In this role, she is focused on building new creative partnerships and connecting Superprime’s globally acclaimed roster of filmmakers with agencies and brands across the market.

Roberts brings 15 years of agency production experience to the position, where she produced award-winning commercial work with some of London's best agencies. With strong ties to the UK advertising community and a sharp creative sensibility, she brings a distinctive blend of cultural fluency and industry insight to her work, positioning her to drive Superprime’s continued growth and creative impact in the region.





This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition form May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.