Creative Circle 2026 Gold Jury for Sue, Leah and Alison

"After decades in the creative industry, I’ve seen the landscape evolve in countless ways, and Creative Circle has remained an invaluable way to stay connected to both the people and the pulse of advertising, branding, and design. Sitting on a jury alongside such a diverse range of talent gives me real, firsthand insight into the ideas and perspectives shaping our industry today. I always walk away feeling inspired, more informed, and genuinely grateful to be part of that creative community. When judging, I like to work in small batches of around five projects at a time so I can really focus and engage with each piece. One of the things Creative Circle does so well is not overwhelming judges, which means every project gets the attention it deserves. I’ll often watch entries more than once, take notes, and revisit them for comparison. Truly strong work creates an emotional response. It captures your imagination and stays with you. Even in an industry where it can feel like everything’s been done before, beautifully crafted ideas still rise to the top. And while it may sound predictable given my profession, I’m really encouraged by the renewed appreciation for handmade craft. With AI dominating so much of the conversation, people are starting to tire of work that feels overly polished or machine-generated. There’s a growing desire for tactility, imperfection, and the human touch behind creative work. I’d love to see more ideas that embrace individuality, happy accidents, and creativity that feels authentic, human, and genuinely connected."

"I’m super excited to see illustration sitting in the same category as photography- as static mediums, they are oftentimes compared, but can hold and offer completely different angles of creative expression. Using the awards as a baseline for discussing how these mediums connect to us, will be a fantastic opportunity to chat with experts on what speaks to them, emotionally, and what excites them, creatively. When judging I’m definitely led more by emotional impact and originality. I can of course appreciate technical craft but I leave these observances to the experts that work with programmes and materials. I’m looking for work that reaches high, creates considered noise and total innovation. I really love to be surprised, by work that perhaps I’d not warm to initially, but through narrative or originality, I am exposed to art that I wouldn’t normally consume. Art is a fantastic binder of community, it can be a bringer of truth, joy, escapism. Whilst culture is more important than ever, the industry needs to promote creativity that can remind folk to feel connection and care. Seeing work that celebrates culture, crosses borders and speaks to everyone - be that messaging of hope, resistance or peace - is surely what it’s all about."

"I try not to let my own personal taste influence my judging. Each piece will be very different and will have lots of different factors to take into account. I’ll be looking at the quality of the idea, the core craft, and the standard of the technical execution. It's also important to understand what the intention of a piece is; who is the target audience, how effective the work is at communicating its message. For me, its important that a technique isn’t used for the sake of the technique alone. I think that true art works best when the medium works in harmony with the meaning of the piece and the intended purpose...the craft can’t be the driver. When a piece of art works well, it will have both artistic skill and emotional impact. I truly believe that there is great integrity within a really well crafted piece of work. I hope the winning work will be work that starts with a great idea and that every part of the execution works seamlessly together. I hope to see creative choices being made that ultimately support the great talent that exists within the industry. I want to see work that supports craft and believes that there is value in that craft, and that the creative decision makers ultimately value the work. I want to see work that proves there is creative integrity within the industry. "