AUT wins advertising capstone challenge
Two teams of advertising and brand creativity students took out the winning and highly commended places at the 2024 Advertising Capstone Challenge.
200 university students from participated in the Advertising Capstone Challenge, designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice.
TBWA and NAB have announced ‘Bullseye’ from Auckland University of Technology (AUT) as the winners of the 2024 Advertising Capstone Challenge (ACC). ‘11th Hour Studios’, a second team out of AUT, received highly commended.
For this year’s challenge, participants were tasked with solving real business problems presented by NAB. Students from across four universities were given a real-world brief, challenging them to connect with Gen Z audiences and build awareness and positive associations with the brand.
200 students — hailing from Swinburne University of Technology, Western Sydney University, University of the Sunshine Coast and Auckland University of Technology — developed full-service campaigns, spanning strategy, creative, media and evaluation.
Eight shortlisted teams presented their campaign ideas to a panel of judges from TBWA\Melbourne and NAB before this year’s Capstone Challenge winner was decided. The winning team has been awarded sought-after mentorships with the agency, shadowing leaders across various departments.
Sarah Tukua, client partner, TBWA\Melbourne, said, “we’re so pleased to have been part of this year’s Capstone Challenge. The level of talent from each university and student group was impressive. Hats off to all involved and a massive congrats to the winners."
Tom Dobson, acting chief marketing officer, NAB, added, "it was wonderful to see the energy and fresh thinking of this emerging marketing cohort. There were so many strong entries - choosing a winner certainly was not easy!”
Dan Fastnedge, lecturer, AUT, said, “considering the calibre of the competition, we're extremely proud of the students. It was a tough brief, targeting a difficult audience, but the students identified a range of really strong insights. As it's only the second year participating, we are stoked to take out the top two places.
It's not often that students get to don balaclavas in the name of helping a bank — but this year’s campaign took bold risks that paid off. The brief pushed our team to think outside the box, and their ability to engage with such a tough audience truly set them apart.”
Lola Ella Bellay-Hill, student, AUT, said, “it was such a privilege to represent AUT at ACC with my cohort. The Aussies brought tough competition, but in the end we couldn’t be more ecstatic to bring home a clean sweep. Thank you so much to TBWA Melbourne, NAB, and ACC for such an unforgettable experience.”
Launched in 2016, the Advertising Capstone Challenge is designed to help bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice, ensuring students have a competitive edge upon graduation. The program equips the next generation of talent with practical experience, industry connections and the skills necessary to thrive in their future careers.
More than 1200 students in 240 teams have participated, with over 40 industry internships offered to winners from among 230 Australasian finalists since the first challenge commenced in 2016.
11th Hour Studios: (Highly Commended)
● Lola Elle Bellamy-Hill
● Mitchel Buckland
● Orlando King
● Pablo Perez
Bullseye: (Winners)
● Amber Ayers-Hughes
● Logan D'Souza
● Levi Mcmillan