Past Winners 2023
2023 Past Winners
2023 Brief | Bonds × Special Group
| Team Name | Thrift Media |
|---|---|
| Student Names | Sean French, Shannon Kruss, Ruby Neal and Lucy Wallbridge-Hall |
| University | Swinburne University of Technology |
Brief Objectives
- Maintain leadership position of period underwear in the women’s underwear category, including #1 in grocery.
- Make Bonds Bloody Comfy Undies the most sought-after personal care period product, driving trial with young Aussies
- Make Bonds unignorable and build brand awareness amongst youth, with uplift in brand recognition compared to last year.
- Continue to disrupt the period care category, using our platform to break down stigmas around periods. Measured by tracked uplift in social engagement benchmarks.
Winning Pitch
The winning pitch was from Thrift Media from Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. Thrift media’ pitch was adjudged to be “clever, engaging, emotional pitch that highlighted the complex needs of the target audience in a gender diverse world”.
Special Group × Bonds
Special Group (Melbourne) and their client Bonds. Students were tasked with coming up with creative ideas and a robust media plan to promote Bonds’ “Bloody Comfy Period Undies” to a specific demographic—13 to 20-year-olds.
About Us
What is the Advertising Capstone Challenge?
The Advertising Capstone Challenge connects students with real clients and industry partners, to provide an authentic learning experience unlike any other in Australasia. Undergraduate students at Swinburne University of Technology, Western Sydney University, the University of the Sunshine Coast, Auckland University of Technology, and, in 2025, Curtin University, are presented with a ‘live’ client brief by a leading industry partner and are challenged to develop an innovative and strategic campaign in response.
ACC Directors
The lead directors of the Advertising Capstone Challenge:
Harry Dugmore
Harry Dugmore is a Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Communication at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) School of Business and Creative Industries. Harry's experience and research covers the entertainment, marketing, and strategic communication industries.
Daniel Fastnedge
Daniel Fastnedge is a lecturer in advertising and brand creativity at the Auckland University of Technology. Dan has experience as an art director in London and Auckland at agencies including M&C Saatchi, FCB, Proximity, and Ogilvy One. His students have been recognised in with AXIS and D&AD student awards.
Daniel McKeating
Daniel McKeating is a lecturer in advertising and graphic design at Curtin University. Dan is also the co-founder of Lost & Found; a creative agency specialising in brand communications for the food and beverage sector. An alumnus of Curtin and RMIT University, Daniel has received multiple awards for teaching and student engagement.
John Greig
John Greig worked in the advertising industry for over 30 years before joining Western Sydney University in 2014. His industry experience covered problem solving and visual communications at a number of advertising agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Worldwide, M&C Saatchi, Publics Mojo, Lowe Lintas and DDB Sydney.
David Reid
David Reid is a Lecturer and Discipline Lead in advertising at Swinburne University of Technology, having previously taught at Northumbria, Curtin, and Charles Sturt Universities. He has won Swinburne School, Faculty, and University level awards, as well as a National AAUT citation for his teaching and engagement with industry.
Harry Dugmore
Harry Dugmore is a Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Communication at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) School of Business and Creative Industries. Harry's experience and research covers the entertainment, marketing, and strategic communication industries.
Daniel Fastnedge
Daniel Fastnedge is a lecturer in advertising and brand creativity at the Auckland University of Technology. Dan has experience as an art director in London and Auckland at agencies including M&C Saatchi, FCB, Proximity, and Ogilvy One. His students have been recognised in with AXIS and D&AD student awards.
Daniel McKeating
Daniel McKeating is a lecturer in advertising and graphic design at Curtin University. Dan is also the co-founder of Lost & Found; a creative agency specialising in brand communications for the food and beverage sector. An alumnus of Curtin and RMIT University, Daniel has received multiple awards for teaching and student engagement.
John Greig
John Greig worked in the advertising industry for over 30 years before joining Western Sydney University in 2014. His industry experience covered problem solving and visual communications at a number of advertising agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Worldwide, M&C Saatchi, Publics Mojo, Lowe Lintas and DDB Sydney.
David Reid
David Reid is a Lecturer and Discipline Lead in advertising at Swinburne University of Technology, having previously taught at Northumbria, Curtin, and Charles Sturt Universities. He has won Swinburne School, Faculty, and University level awards, as well as a National AAUT citation for his teaching and engagement with industry.
Industry Partners
The initiative has been supported by these industry partners:
MILO
Cricket Australia
7-Eleven
Lion
McDonalds
Suzuki
Tourism Australia
Cancer Institute NSW
Bonds
Nab
Clients
With thanks to these clients and their brands:
Ogilvy
TBWA
Special Group
M&C Saatchi
Bastion Creative
AJF Partnership
Leo Burnett
Deloitte Digital
DDB
History of the Challenge
A decade ago, Swinburne University of Technology saw the need for undergraduate students to have more opportunities to gain real industry in their studies They began to embed real-world challenges into their advertising curriculum, culminating, in 2016, in the launch of the Advertising Capstone Challenge (ACC).
Initially in collaboration of The University of Queensland and, from 2019, with Western Sydney University, the idea was to bring clients to the classroom for hands-on learning and mentorship.
Fast forward to 2023 and the Advertising Capstone Challenge has grown to become an Australasian competition welcoming the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Auckland University of Technology as new partners. And in 2025, we were pleased to welcome Curtin University from Western Australia!
1188
Students participating
228
Finalists
41
Internships/mentorships offered
History of the Challenge
A decade ago, Swinburne University of Technology saw the need for undergraduate students to have more opportunities to gain real industry in their studies They began to embed real-world challenges into their advertising curriculum, culminating, in 2016, in the launch of the Advertising Capstone Challenge (ACC).
Initially in collaboration of The University of Queensland and, from 2019, with Western Sydney University, the idea was to bring clients to the classroom for hands-on learning and mentorship.
Fast forward to 2023 and the Advertising Capstone Challenge has grown to become an Australasian competition welcoming the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Auckland University of Technology as new partners. And in 2025, we were pleased to welcome Curtin University from Western Australia!
1188
Students participating
228
Finalists
41
Internships/mentorships offered
Accelerator
Exclusive Event
ACC Accelerator Night
90 Minutes. The Trans-Tasman Network. Your Career, Fast-Tracked
The Advertising Capstone Challenge is opening its doors to the entire network. First-year, second-year, and third years - this is your insider look at the real world
90 Minutes. The Trans-Tasman Network. Your Career, Fast-Tracked
The Advertising Capstone Challenge is opening its doors to the entire network. First-year, second-year, and third years - this is your insider look at the real world
Thursday, 17 September 2026
The Playbook
The Takeaway
How to Attend
The Next-Gen Sandbox: Cracking AI, AdTech, and automated media.
The Creative Pipeline: Getting your foot in the agency door.
The Pitch Standard: Turning student work into commercial proposals.
Live Trans-Tasman Q&A: Your questions, answered live across the network.
Attend live to unlock the exclusive Cheat Sheet & Career Guidance Pack, featuring insider tips from Industry.
This event is strictly exclusive to our network. To lock in your access link, email your university’s ACC Campus Chair using your official student email.
Thursday, 17 September 2026
The Playbook
The Next-Gen Sandbox: Cracking AI, AdTech, and automated media.
The Creative Pipeline: Getting your foot in the agency door.
The Pitch Standard: Turning student work into commercial proposals.
Live Trans-Tasman Q&A: Your questions, answered live across the network.
The Takeaway
Attend live to unlock the exclusive Cheat Sheet & Career Guidance Pack, featuring insider tips from Industry.
How to Attend
This event is strictly exclusive to our network. To lock in your access link, email your university’s ACC Campus Chair using your official student email.
Library
Capstone Library
Guest speakers sharing insights into the industry
Learn more
Dive in, and get inspired
Welcome to our exclusive video collection featuring presentations from a mix of professionals, spanning the realms of advertising creatives, marketers, strategists, and media planners with insights gathered from decades of experience
Past Winners
Past Winners
Advertising Capstone Challenge
2016—2025
2025 Past Winners
Ogilvy Sydney and MILO kick off 10th Anniversary year for Advertising Capstone Challenge
The brief asked students to develop innovative, creative and strategic advertising solutions with the exciting opportunity to present their campaign ideas to a panel of executive judges from Ogilvy Sydney and MILO
Want to see more? Scroll below to explore past winning campaigns and discover the creativity behind each year's challenge
Guidelines
ACC Guidelines
Understanding the capstone challenge
Endorsed by the ACC Management Committee – 26 July 2024
What is the advertising capstone challenge?
The advertising capstone challenge (ACC) is a team-based student competition through which students take on an authentic creative advertising business challenge and competitively pitch fully-fledged campaigns to real-world clients.The competition is usually run between August and October each year and is open to higher education institutions in Australia, and New Zealand that offer advanced courses and preferably minors or majors in advertising.
Educational institutions must be undergraduate degree awarding institutions (e.g. universities, colleges, institutes of higher education) that offer a capstone or capstone equivalent unit of study at either 2nd or 3rd year in an undergraduate degree program.
Work submitted as part of the ACC must be original i.e. created and authored by the students participating. Student teams cannot hire, or sub-contract elements of work required to anyone else, nor draw on their academic supervisors/lecturers for anything more than the usual guidance and feedback provided in courses of this nature.
Student teams participating in the ACC must be made up of a minimum of four students, and maximum of six students. Most years, most teams are 5 person teams.
Student teams and their supervisors will be supplied with a clear and full briefing in an authentic real-world format, as well as an a ‘live brief’ from the client and advertising agency partner.
The client, and advertising agency partner change each year.
Each educational institution undertaking the challenge, after a series of internal competitive rounds of pitching, nominates their two best student teams from their capstone cohort to travel to the ACC Finals at the end of October each year.
The ACC Finals is a ‘live pitch’ event run at the end of October each year's competition. This is normally held at the offices of the advertising agency partner which has historically moved between Melbourne, and Sydney in Australia. Future ACC Finals may move to other cities, if agency partners and clients can be secured in other cities and locations.
At the ACC Finals students are awarded prizes which may include certificates, trophies, internships, mentorships, and access to industry professional learning programs. The exact type and range of awards and recognition certification are subject to change each year.
Who manages the advertising capstone challenge?
The ACC is managed by its education partners. As of 2024, this includes Swinburne University of Technology, Western Sydney University, the University of the Sunshine Coast and Auckland University of Technology. There is no cost for an educational institution to join the ACC. However:Educational institutions must secure the approval of the management committee.
The 2025 ACC Director was John Greig
The 2026 ACC Director is Harry Dugmore
The 2027 ACC Director will be Daniel FastnedgeTo participate, there should be at a minimum one academic lead mentoring students through course work, and attending the ACC ‘live brief’, but each educational partner can (should they choose) support student learning with additional academic and/or industry mentors.
Ideally, the ‘live brief’ which is offered as part of the ACC must be integrated within the curriculum (i.e. it is not designed as an extracurricular activity) of the capstone course. This means the teamwork is graded and forms part of students’ marks.
The cost of academic/student travel/ accommodation to the ACC Finals must be met by the educational institution engaged in the competition.
An educational institution interested in joining ACC should ideally have an advertising major (or minor), but the ACC management committee can consider educational partners delivering programs in associated disciplines, such as marketing, strategic communications, public relations, design or integrated marketing communications. Each educational institution engaged in the ACC is required to:
Nominate their capstone academic to the ACC management committee.
Ensure that the student’s campaign submissions and ideas presented to the client are available for the client to draw on and use, at no cost to the client or agency, i.e. align or allow exceptions to Institutional Intellectual property frameworks to allow this. N.b. Clients using student ideas is not common, but it is one of many reasons why agencies/clients come on board for ACC. Agencies and clients will retain the option to pay for any IP they wish to use, but the default is that they can draw on any ideas and concepts presented by the student in subsequent campaigns. This condition must be clearly communicated to students and be accepted the institutions.
Ensure their students are covered in full for Insurance purposes in relation to work-integrated learning. Should any student team representing their institution win the competition then it is expected all student members of that team will undertake an internship at the partner advertising agency.
Who manages the advertising capstone challenge?
The ACC is managed by its education partners. As of 2024, this includes Swinburne University of Technology, Western Sydney University, the University of the Sunshine Coast and Auckland University of Technology. There is no cost for an educational institution to join the ACC. However:Educational institutions must secure the approval of the management committee.
The 2025 ACC Director was John Greig
The 2026 ACC Director is Harry Dugmore
The 2027 ACC Director will be Daniel FastnedgeTo participate, there should be at a minimum one academic lead mentoring students through course work, and attending the ACC ‘live brief’, but each educational partner can (should they choose) support student learning with additional academic and/or industry mentors.
Ideally, the ‘live brief’ which is offered as part of the ACC must be integrated within the curriculum (i.e. it is not designed as an extracurricular activity) of the capstone course. This means the teamwork is graded and forms part of students’ marks.
The cost of academic/student travel/ accommodation to the ACC Finals must be met by the educational institution engaged in the competition.
An educational institution interested in joining ACC should ideally have an advertising major (or minor), but the ACC management committee can consider educational partners delivering programs in associated disciplines, such as marketing, strategic communications, public relations, design or integrated marketing communications. Each educational institution engaged in the ACC is required to:
Nominate their capstone academic to the ACC management committee.
Ensure that the student’s campaign submissions and ideas presented to the client are available for the client to draw on and use, at no cost to the client or agency, i.e. align or allow exceptions to Institutional Intellectual property frameworks to allow this. N.b. Clients using student ideas is not common, but it is one of many reasons why agencies/clients come on board for ACC. Agencies and clients will retain the option to pay for any IP they wish to use, but the default is that they can draw on any ideas and concepts presented by the student in subsequent campaigns. This condition must be clearly communicated to students and be accepted the institutions.
Ensure their students are covered in full for Insurance purposes in relation to work-integrated learning. Should any student team representing their institution win the competition then it is expected all student members of that team will undertake an internship at the partner advertising agency.
ACC PLUS
ACC+ powered by Advertising Industry Careers
ACC+ Day Two of the Advertising Capstone Challenge. Unlock your advertising potential. Connect with Sydney’s industry leaders, explore thriving businesses, and build your network at exclusive site visits concluding with a relaxed networking event.
Gain valuable insights, discover career paths, and make lasting connections that will propel your advertising journey.
Powered by Advertising Industry Careers.
ACC+ powered by Advertising Industry Careers
ACC+ Day Two of the Advertising Capstone Challenge. Unlock your advertising potential. Connect with Sydney’s industry leaders, explore thriving businesses, and build your network at exclusive site visits concluding with a relaxed networking event.
Gain valuable insights, discover career paths, and make lasting connections that will propel your advertising journey.
Powered by Advertising Industry Careers.
Advertising Capstone Challenge
Australia and New Zealand's premier advertising capstone competition
Australia and New Zealand's premier advertising capstone competition
Discover ACC
ABOUT
Learn about ACC, its mission and how the competition connects students with industry
2025 BRIEF
Access this year's client brief, competition requirements and key dates
PAST WINNERS
Explore past winning campaigns and discover the creativity behind each year's challenge
LIBRARY
Access presentations by experienced advertising professionals offering valuable industry insights
GUIDELINES
Everything you need to understand the competition rules and submission process
CONTACT
Get in touch with the ACC team for questions, support or partnership enquiries
Participating universities
The Advertising Capstone Challenge is guided by a network of leading universities across Australia and New Zealand, bringing together academic expertise and industry insight to shape our programs
Participating universities
The Advertising Capstone Challenge is guided by a network of leading universities across Australia and New Zealand, bringing together academic expertise and industry insight to shape our programs
