Victory for RUN Manaakitanga Pencil at D&AD

LONDON, Today: Shaking up the industry, RUN Aotearoa’s Manaakitanga Pencil snags a D&AD award in graphic design self-promotion!

RUN Co-founder and CCO, Raymond Otene McKay (Ngaati Mahuta, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Pūkeko), remarked, “We turned one of the world’s top awards into a spotlight on the racism and prejudice still faced by indigenous creatives.

At last year’s D&AD Festival, McKay was a judge and speaker and faced racist and micro-aggressive comments. RUN responded with manaakitanga, staying true to te ao Māori values.

“It’s our goal to be the best cultural agency in the world. We’re intentionally small, but the creative vision of the RUN team and the accolades the Manaakitanga Pencil has received show our work can still be awarded with the best on the global stage.”

The Manaakitanga Pencil was created to honour D&AD for opening up space for indigenous and smaller voices. It was presented in 2023 after McKay’s keynote on homogeneity in advertising.

“It’s our goal to be the best cultural agency in the world. We’re intentionally small, but the creative vision of the RUN team and the accolades the Manaakitanga Pencil has received show our work can still be awarded with the best on the global stage,” says Raymond.

The Manaakitanga Pencil now sits proudly under a glass bell at the D&AD offices in London. It’s a reminder to broaden the judging pool and include new cultural perspectives in the creativity conversation today.