After a thorough deliberation in the judging process, the 2021 Vega Digital Awards had its curtain call when they announced the list of winners. Out of 1,392 entries, salamandra.uk has taken the Centauri (gold) Award, with their stunning work for clients at Milwaukee Tool, created by 4 spectacular animators from Dundee’s very own lizard lounge.
“It truly is an honour to win gold in such a prestigious award and I am so proud of my team, not just for creating this beautiful piece of work for Milwaukee Tool but also for flying the Dundee flag high on a global platform.” - Christine MacKay, CEO, salamandra.uk
The Vega Digital Awards leverages on its host, the International Awards Associate (IAA) to capture the attention of the creative digital media industry worldwide. “Given the context of recent events, seeing these brilliant minds at work convinces me that the digital medium is undoubtedly the future,” Kenjo Ong, the CEO of IAA remarked. “If this is the level of excellence while we are still in the ‘new normal’, it excites me to think about what the future holds.”
IAA invited exemplary professionals from the industry as jurors, as a measure to guarantee impartiality and high standards of assessment. The jury is responsible for selecting the best works out of the lot, in hopes of propelling the industry ahead as these works become a benchmark of excellence.
Grand Jury Panel
As many as 26 jurors were involved in the judging process, all of whom hail from 13 countries. These individuals are known professionals belonging to leading companies from the creative and digital industries, such as Executive Creative Director of LevLane Martin Bihl, Chief Creative Officer of White Rabbit Budapest Levente Kovacs, Executive Creative & Digital Director of Porter Novelli Oscar Solano Brenes, Partner at Cummins&Partners Olivia Santilli, Technical Lead of NBC Sports at NBCUniversal Shefik Macauley, CEO of Responsive Spaces Markus Pargfrieder, Film Director of MichaelWong Films Michael Wong, etc.
Every single entry is evaluated using relevant industry standards. To ensure impartiality, blind judging is exercised, and jurors are only able to assess each entry purely on its own merits.
Milwaukee Tool 1" High Torque D-Handle Impact Wrench - Winner of Vega 2021 Gold Award from Salamandra.uk on Vimeo.
Participation of International Brands
As interest ramped up over the years, the Vega Digital Awards saw in their submissions names of internationally reputable organizations. Some were submitted directly by the companies themselves, such as Maverick Media, PlusOne, Affinity Creative Group, PUREBLINK, Yamamoto Agency, K11 Hong Kong, and HP Inc.; whereas some were submitted by entrants who produced works for them, such as Bandai Namco, Corto Olive, Jotun, AIA Singapore, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Air & Space Museum, Korea Tourism Organization, and AARP Work + Jobs.
Despite the odds, salamandra.uk emerged victorious and will be ramping up the celebrations as they fast approach their seventh birthday.
“It is humbling to see talented individuals thriving in their craft despite the pandemic,” Ong noted. “Excellence pushes people towards greatness in spite of adversity, and the team at salamandra.uk certainly captured that notion of excellence.” This victory follows salamandra.uk’s success in 2020, having won 20 awards last year and having grown employee numbers by 66% this year.
Christine remarks, “Salamandra.uk prides itself on continual ingenuity. Creatives and non-creatives alike are consistently developing new methods to ensure our clients are presented with the best and innovative options to convey their complex messages visually.”
You can read their case study on the project over on the salamandra.uk website
salamandra.uk
Salamandra.uk is an animation studio with lively lounges in Eton, Dundee and San Francisco. We’re experts at creating visual stories that convey complex messages, offering powerful productions on any platform.
