As we continue our showcase of standout AWARD School student work, one thing is becoming clear: these ideas aren’t just responding to briefs, they’re responding to the realities of modern advertising.
Turning to Film, Audio, and Social media, the AWARD School class of 2025 demonstrated growing confidence in how ideas live across channels, grounded in brand insight, audience behaviour, and creative restraint. The work reflects an understanding that strong ideas don’t rely on spectacle alone, but on clarity, relevance and execution.
As part of B&T’s ongoing support of AWARD School, here’s a closer look at some of the most compelling student work across these three categories.
Applications for 2026 close on Thursday. So, get in before it’s too late!
Brief 3 – Film / TVC
- What they had to sell: Toyota HiLux.
- How: 30-second film ad.
- The proposition: Australia’s most trusted ute.
- Target audience: Outdoor enthusiasts, tradespeople and people involved in agriculture or construction.
- Mandatories: Feature a HiLux vehicle. Final frame of storyboard, Toyota branded/logo.
Tate Crowley, 1st Place VIC, ‘Trusted like no other’
For Crowley, the biggest takeaway was understanding the creative flow from insight to idea to execution.
“The big thing for me that I took out of AWARD School was the insight, idea, execution, and flow. Creativity’s very much putting two things that maybe don’t go together on paper and finding a way to make them stick,” he said.
“And then for advertising, you inject a brand into it as well.”
Brief 4: Audio
- What they had to sell: Aldi Special Buys.
- How: 30-second radio ad.
The proposition: Things you need, but didn’t know you wanted. - Target audience: Savvy bargain hunters.
- Mandatories: Aldi Special Buys. Good different. New drops every Wednesday & Saturday
Hayley Riessen, 1st place SA, ‘Shopping List Gone Rogue’
Hayley Riessen credits her grandmother as the inspiration behind ‘Shopping List Gone Rogue.’
“The truth is, my nana inspired the script ‘Shopping List Gone Rogue’. Watching her shop at Aldi made me realise how familiar that experience is. You arrive with a clear plan and leave with things you never intended to buy,” Riessen said.
“Your shopping list ‘goes rogue’ the moment you pass the Special Buys aisle. That irresistible bargain, planned or not, is a very real human truth, and forms the basis of the script.
“AWARD School taught me how to spot human truths in everyday moments and turn them into ideas, and it’s a process that continues to guide my creative work.”
Tony King, Top 10 VIC, ‘Unexpected Essentials’
King found inspiration for his piece ‘Unexpected Essentials’ in the everyday rhythm of supermarket shopping.
“The inspiration came from walking around the supermarket and trying to come up with one idea for each process of the shopping experience. There were some pretty rubbish ideas involving shopping trolleys, shelf stackers and customer announcements. Luckily, the checkout gave me something to work with. Like the Aldi tagline, I wanted it to be good, but mainly I wanted it to be different. I was hoping the repetition and simplicity of the idea would pique people’s interest.”
King reflects that simplicity is key, “But also recognition, using an everyday experience but giving it a new meaning.”
And on his time AWARD School, he said, “My biggest takeout was learning techniques and processes to harness creative ideas, realising the benefits of constantly chipping away and reshaping your concepts. On a personal level, it gave me more belief and confidence in presenting my ideas, knowing that I’d been able to hold my own amongst my incredibly talented Award School alumni.”
Brief 5 – Social
- What they had to sell: Mood Tea, now introducing Coffee.
- How: A social media idea that works for either Instagram or Facebook.
The proposition: You don’t have to pick sides. - Target audience: Tea and coffee drinkers aged 16-50.
- Mandatories: MOOD Tea branding (Sip Selflessly). All profits from MOOD Tea help save young lives. Link to MOOD Tea online store: mood.org.au
Joel Beasley, NSW 2026 graduate, ‘Bisexual Kettle’
Joel Beasley said the idea was sparked by personal experience. “Honestly, the inspiration for the piece came from dating a bisexual man at the time,” he said.
“The brief was tricky from the get-go. Selling one thing that does two things was top of mind.”
On what he hoped the work would spark, his goal was simple: “If it got a chortle out of someone, that would suffice.”
Reflecting on what makes the concept effective, Beasley pointed to its simplicity and awkwardness. “If it’s effective or distinctive, it’s probably because the concept is a bit silly and impractical,” he said. “It’s not really about ‘why not have both’, it’s more that moment the little girl sums up perfectly with ‘¿Por qué no los dos?’ The byline asks the question, which can hook the reader, and the word ‘bisexual’ still seems to strike a nerve for some reason, as if it’s taboo.”
Looking back on AWARD School, Beasley said the biggest lesson was collaboration. “Good or even great ideas don’t always come from you alone,” he said. “Share everything. Talk things through. Make time for curious conversations, even with strangers.”
