Imagination Australia has held onto one of the world’s most recognisable events, Sydney’s New Years Eve celebrations.

The independent communications agency beat five other agencies in a pitch for the chance to establish a new creative vision for the event.

The City of Sydney appointed Imagination to direct the event’s design and creative for the next three years, meaning that by 2016 Imagination will have created six New Year’s extravaganzas.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said: “The eyes of the world turn to Sydney on New Year’s Eve as the first global city to welcome the New Year.”

“About 1.6 million people gather around our harbour each year to enjoy the night. Images of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect and fireworks reach more than one billion people around the globe. This event also generates $156 million for the local economy.
 

“The City is ensuring Sydney’s status as the New Year’s Eve Capital of the World with a strategic plan to keep it sustainable, innovative and exciting.”
 

In a release, the City said it chose Imagination Australia “because of the quality of its creative work and its unique vision for the future of the event”.

Imagination Australia will provide the following for the event:

• A cohesive creative team;
• An annual creative theme;
• An annual logo or master brand device, including all subsequent art collateral;
• A motif for the Sydney Harbour Bridge Effect and artwork for the Pylon Projections;
• All creative elements for the City’s sites, including the Lord Mayor’s Picnic;
• Musical soundtracks for the 9PM Family Fireworks and Midnight Fireworks displays; and
• All print and digital marketing collateral.

The pitch kicked off in April this year with applicants asked to provide a “roadmap” for the next five years of the event, detailing an “overarching creative vision” and how each event would stand out from the last.

This year’s New Year’s Eve creative ambassador is Reg Mombassa who has developed the ‘shine’ theme for NYE 2013/14.

Last year’s creative ambassador was pop star Kylie Minogue.

Imaginationa's logos for the event from 2011 to 2013 are below.