When I started out in this business I remember witnessing a certain reverence that was reserved only for a D&AD pencil. The kind of wide-eyed worship strictly not to be confused with other recognition, coveted as the rest were in their own right.

23 years later, a lot of shows have lost their sheen - but not much has changed when it comes to D&AD. It is still considered the ultimate hat-tip to craft. Still regarded as elusive [if not downright impossible to get] in a world where gongs and accolades are distributed more freely than pamphlets during municipal elections. In short, I’d say it is still the toughest award to win.

This year I had the opportunity to find out exactly how tough, when I served on the 'Press & Outdoor' jury.

Our long list of 421 entries evaporated to just 40 in one round of online judging alone. That (rather short) semifinal shortlist was whittled down further to 26 pieces when we all got together in a room. That was the final shortlist. 26 of 421. Even fewer of those went on to be awarded as discussions intensified. We netted out with 14 winners - 8 wood, 4 graphite and 2 yellow pencils. 3.3% of the total entries. With the much-hankered-after yellows comprising 0.47% of the winners. So that’s the math of it. When you are submitting work, do remember that you have less than a 0.5% chance of winning a yellow pencil. How’s that for a pep talk?

But imagine what it feels like if you do ever get to call one your own. Or a wood or graphite pencil, for that matter.

Know that your piece would have survived minute scrutiny, heated debates, dissections on the idea, the insight, the execution, the craft, the scale of the entry, the cultural context, the impact and more.

And those are just the broad topics around which deliberations happen. If I’m making this sound like a global symposium of world-saving proportions, that’s not the case. The jury doesn’t take itself seriously - there is enough laughter and leg-pulling and general horsing around that goes down over the days that judging takes place. The work however, is looked at with surgical eyes. No room for cuteness there.

What I loved about the experience, was the quietness and lack of frills with which the show continues to maintain its high standards and rigour. There is a curious mix of dignity and easygoingness that comes with the process and the management has been able to retain the essence of an event that is, was and hopefully shall continue to be about the work and only about the work. 

As for what aspiring pencil winners should bear in mind, I can think of a few things. Simplicity is highly regarded and often rewarded. Much store is set by craft. A great idea with clunky writing or less-than-impeccable art direction will get passed over. Jury members will review a piece and write better headlines for it or think of ways to strengthen the art direction while they are talking about it. Review every word, every visual, every frame, every element in your entry. Then review it again. And again.

For traditional press and outdoor entries, a case video may harm your cause more than help it - be a purist, let the press ad or poster or billboard speak for itself. The fad of packaging everything into a slick video doesn’t apply here. Cultural context setting, where applicable, can be a game-changer. It can take work from almost-not-a-shortlist to a wood or beyond.

Lastly, your work will likely be held to a higher standard here than on other platforms - so if it’s a big winner elsewhere it may still end up picking up nothing at D&AD. If anything, pieces that have been celebrated elsewhere may be subjected to an even more nuanced examination because the room needs to be convinced that they are not doling out trophies just because the rest of the world has.  

If you’ve been hunting for a pencil and it has eluded you so far, stay in the chase. It’ll be a mighty satisfying win when you get there.

The author is founder and CCO of Fundamental.