The Technical Innovation Award was chosen from a shortlist of three by delegates at the Congress.

 

 

 

 

According to WOO, the award winners are:

  • Creative Award — Classic: The Hidden Eye Test, 1001 Optometry, VML Australia, Wavemaker, Australia.
  • Creative Award — Digital: Blue Jays "hit it Here, TD Bank, COMMB, Starcom, Canada.
  • Creative Award — Special Build: if you can take it it's yours, Selleys (Dulux Group), Howatson+Company, IPG Mediabrands, Australia.
  • Sustainability Award: Carbon Reduction through intelligent illumination and remote monitoring, Outdoorlink USA.
  • Technical Innovation: Mastercard's Transit Tales Mastercard / Hero Australia.
  • Chair of Judges Award: Flex Forward, Goonj, Publicis OOH, Publicis Groupe, India.

According to WOO, the following personal awards were presented at the Gala Dinner in the evening:

  • Rising Star Award: Melanie Blood, Ocean Outdoor, United Kingdom.
  • Leadership Award: John O'Neill, QMS, Australia.
  • President's Award: Ichiro Jinnai, Perion, Japan.
  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Antonio Vincenti, Pikasso.

Chairman of the Judges and Co-Founder of Alight Media, Matthew Dearden, says, "2025 has been an outstanding year for in out-of-home. We saw brands across the globe deliver bold, innovative campaigns that pushed the boundaries of audience engagement and impact. Powerful innovations and technology created new growth potential, and sustainability initiatives abounded."

"All driven by the greatly talented people in our medium, from rising stars to lifetime achievers. The quality of entries was exceptional and showcased the talent, expertise and ambition of the people and teams behind every idea," adds Dearden.

"I'm incredibly grateful to my fellow judges for their insight, dedication and expertise as we undertook the difficult task of selecting winners from such a strong field of entries," says Dearden.

"Congratulations to all of this year's winners and finalists. It was great to celebrate their achievements and the creativity that continues to drive our industry forward," adds Dearden.

Dino Burbidge, Creative-in-Residence at WOO says, "The step-change compared to last year, in entry quality, quantity, and location was very noticeable. It's both a signal that the OOH advertising landscape is getting more sophisticated globally, but also that the tangible value creativity brings is shining through."

"Special Builds was a hugely competitive category, yet Classic really stole my heart this year. In a world increasingly driven by digital, paper still has the power to push creative boundaries, innovate and stop audiences in their tracks. Congratulations to all the entries. You certainly made the judges work hard, and long may that continue!" concludes Burbidge.

For more information, visit www.worldooh.org. You can also follow the World Out of Home Organization on LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of contributor