MDS alumni David Gillard + Anja Pienaar win People’s Voice Award at the 2024 Webby Awards

MDS alumni team David Gillard and Anja Pienaar recently scored the People’s Voice Award in the Advertising, PR & Media Student category at the 2024 Webby Awards.

“Winning a Webby”, says the New York Times, “is the internet’s highest honour”.

Says Kate Humphries, programme director of the creative advertising programme at MDS: “So, feeling duly honoured (and no doubt giddy with excitement at being honoured alongside the likes of Taylor Swift, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Obama), David and Anja flew over to New York on Monday last week, to collect their award for Take a Bloody Break, which they created at Media Design School”.

Presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) the Webby Awards honour excellence on the Internet in 9 major media types: Websites & Mobile Sites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps & Software, Social, Podcasts, Games, and AI, Metaverse & Virtual.

Says Claire Graves, president, Webby Awards: “This year’s Webby Winners represent work at the cutting edge of creativity and innovation. They are best-in-class creators, entrepreneurs and companies who are taking giant strides to make something entirely new to entertain, help or inform people through the Internet.”

Says Humphries: “Anja and David’s Take a Bloody Break, which encourages gamers to take a break by using ketchup blood to fake their own avatar’s death, has already picked up several global awards. They’ve not only won a D&AD NEW Blood Pencil; they also picked up several trophies at MAD STARS. And, we couldn’t be more excited to see the idea now being celebrated stateside with another prestigious global award.

“As always, a huge thank you to David and Anja’s industry mentors Lizzie Baird, Sarsha Drakeford, and Gary Steele from DDB Aotearoa for nurturing the idea, and a standing ovation to Brett Colliver and Mike Felix for helpful guidance and creative direction on the case study film.”