The leading showcase for the best and brightest young talent in adland is now open for entries, so we thought we’d catch up with this year’s Grand Prix winner at B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards, Anais Read, to get her top tips and find out how her career has evolved since.
Earlier this year, Anais Read, copywriter at Publicis Worldwide, captured the 30 Under 30 judges’ attention with her impressive body of work: from winning an agency internship and mentorship opportunities, to guest lecturing at Queensland University of Technology and, of course, producing award-winning work with her “no bull, just good ideas” approach. All with just five years in the industry!
Since winning, Read told us she’s been enjoying “bigger work, bigger brands and bigger projects, which is awesome!”.
LinkedIn clout, job opportunities, and networking at the awards night itself aside, Read explains how just entering 30 Under 30 is a great opportunity to celebrate your own achievements.
“First of all, in the application, you have to reflect on your own work and what you’ve done. And you’d never really have a chance to do that, usually,” she explained.
With entries for the 30 Under 30 Awards 2022 (presented by Vevo) now open, Read shares with us some words of wisdom for the next round of adland young guns:
1. When it comes to what goes into your entry, remember that “it’s not what you’re doing just in your company, but outside for the bigger industry”.
“Look at some of the past winners and see what they do, not just where they work,” Read said.
“Maybe where they volunteer or what initiatives they’re part of, because that all counts towards the application.”
2. When crafting your entry, “think of yourself as if you were a friend of yours”.
“A mentor of mine told me to write in third person… It makes you look at yourself as if you’re talking about somebody else, so you can really lean into all the great things,” the 30 Under 30 Grand Prix winner said.
Another strong tip Read shared is that even if you haven’t yet accomplished all you have planned, “you can still enter and talk about what you want to do and what you’re going to do”.
3. Finally, “write like a human”.
Making the judges connect with and remember your story is key, according to Read.
“When you’re entering and writing your application, just remember, the judges are probably going through hundreds of these,” she said.
“So, if you can, keep it short, make it interesting. Talk to them like humans.”
So, what are you waiting for? Take Read’s winning advice: “Just put yourself out there and have a go!”
“I didn’t expect to win, but I did. So, if you don’t expect to win, you might.”
Get started on your entry here, as the deadline for submissions (Friday 4 February 2022) will be here before you know it. You can download the criteria for each category here.
However, you MUST be under the age of 30 on the day of the event (Thursday 31 March) to be in the running. So, be sure to include your ID and profile photo with your entry.
Oh, and please save your entry in a Word doc in case so many of you jump onto the awards portal that it crashes. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
The 30 Under 30 Awards, presented by Vevo, are widely regarded as the leading showcase for the brightest young talent working across marketing communications.
Three outstanding individuals will be recognised for their achievements in each of the 10 categories, as well as a Grand Prix award for the most influential individual overall.
You can find all the details on the awards right here and, to avoid disappointment, we highly recommend gathering your crew and securing your spots at the 30 Under 30 Awards night by purchasing early bird tickets (your bank account will thank you later).
