B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards, presented by Vevo, celebrate the next generation of talent shaping Australia’s media, marketing and advertising industries. As we look ahead to 2027, we thought it was time to revisit the standout talent from the 2026 cohort.
Through this series, we’ve been getting to know the people behind the accolades, exploring the career moments that have shaped them, what’s driving their ambitions and the changes they’d like to see across the industry.
Last week we spoke with 2026 Media Sales/Account Management winner, Will Mithcell. This week’s instalment, B&T caught up with Howatson+Company’s Gabriella Dudman, the 2026 Creative category winner, to chat about her journey so far, the ideas inspiring her work and what’s to comes next.
There’s no time like the present! Enter B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards now.
For Dudman, the path to becoming one of Howatson+Company’s standout creatives has been shaped by a willingness to take on responsibility early and learn by doing.
When she first interviewed for the agency, her portfolio and approach had already made an impression. It didn’t take long for her to prove she could back that up, becoming the agency’s youngest-ever senior designer at 24.
Throuhgout her career, she’s been tasked with developing brand guidelines where precision was paramount, delivering work that has gone on to earn a D&AD Pencil and a Cairns Crocodiles Award.
The wins are significant moment in her career, building her confidence and cementing her reputation as a rising talent not only at Howatson+Company but in the industry.
Her recognition as the winner of the Creative category at B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards adds another milestone to that journey.
Want to see all the 2026 winners? Click here to see the entries that secured their wins!
B&T: After winning a 30 Under 30 Award where do you see yourself in 3, 13 and 30 years’ time?
Gabriella Dudman: 3 years: In three years I hope to have worked on some international projects, ideally something that has taken me somewhere I haven’t been and feel more confident in my position to lead and guide with more experience under my belt.
13 years: By 2039, I hope to have established myself as a creative known for my passion for art-centered projects. I want to be the person who can still jump in and get their hands dirty on a project I’m art directing or gets to know the gritty, intimate details of the company I’m rebranding. Most of all I hope I’m still painting and taking photos of silly little moments, and my curiosity lives on.
30 years: If you ask me in three decades’ time if I’m where I thought I’d be when I was 26, I honestly hope I say no. I hope to have had a career and life that at times felt unexpected and exciting. The thing that appealed to me most about the career path I have taken is that it didn’t follow a linear path. At the very least, I hope I can say I’m proud of the people I have impacted around me and brought a bit of joy and colour to the world.
B&T: Why did you choose to enter the Awards?
GD: I chose to enter as an exercise of personal reflection. Most, if not all, creatives I encounter fall victim to imposter syndrome, and I think it’s important at times to take a step back and see your work through the lens of other people; it often adds up to more than what we give ourselves credit for. Vouching for yourself, even if it’s just listing your achievements big and small, counts for something regardless of the result.
B&T: What would you do differently if you were to enter the Awards again?
GD: On a practical level, keep it short and precise. I had to cut a lot out of my submission because I spoke for too long! On a more conceptual level, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time trying to find a creative idea that I thought fit the taste of other people; once I realised the best submission will be one that feels the truest and most genuine to my taste, it all came together much easier.
B&T: What’s one issue the industry should be spending more time on and why?
GD: Right now, I think it’s building confidence in juniors and those entering the industry that there is hope in such an uncertain landscape around AI. It often feels like, as someone young in the industry, that we have stepped into the burning building while everyone in it has already made
it out the other side. This industry, and many others all through history, has always found new ways of working to preserve what makes it special and foster those in it, I would like to believe that this time is no different, but when you are stepping into it for the first time, you don’t know that from experience.
Ready to take your career to the next level? Enter the 2027 30 Under 30 Awards.
