Loerie Awards 2025: Why October in Cape Town Is the Creative World’s Playground
When October rolls around, Cape Town doesn’t just smell like spring—it smells like ideas, designs, campaigns, and creativity on steroids. The Loerie Awards, now in their 47th year, are back, and this edition (5–10 October 2025) is stacked with fresh categories, big names, and major opportunity.
What’s New, What’s Big in 2025
Here’s what’s shaking up the Loeries this year (besides the caramel lattes dripping more creativity than usual):
- “The Great Hunger” is this year’s theme. It’s all about the drive to push creative boundaries—to hunger for excellence, impact, innovation.
- A record 2,784 entries from 13 countries are competing. That’s bigger reach, bigger ideas, bigger pressure—and bigger recognition.
- Four new categories have been added: Comedic Impact, New Launch Campaign, Sonic Branding, and Marketing Impact Award. So not just visuals and words, but sound, launch energy, humour—innovation in many flavours.
- Nine craft categories plus 14 subcategories gives even more corners for creatives to shine—photography, copy, media innovation, service design, etc.
Why Loeries Are More Than Just Trophies
You might wonder: what does winning a Loerie really mean? Here are some reasons they’re gold (and not just literally):
1. Prestige + Credibility
To have your work recognised in Africa & the Middle East’s premier creative awards is a badge brands, agencies and creatives rock with pride. Loeries are included in global rankings (like WARC) and endorsed by key advertising and communication bodies. (Loerie Awards)
2. Exposure + Opportunity
Winning or even just being shortlisted gets you seen by bigger brands, international agencies, and gives your CV / portfolio a serious boost.
3. Learning + Network Power
Creative Week isn’t just about awards evenings. There are masterclasses, seminars, expos, student showcases, international jurors coming in. Perfect chance to learn, get inspired—or even get scouted.
4. Evolving with the times
The addition of sonic branding, comedic impact, new launches etc. shows the industry’s not stuck. It reflects changing media, changing audiences, changing tech. For talent, it means more kinds of gigs: voice work, sound, humour, launching new brands.
Some Loerie Highlights & Flashbacks
To appreciate today, we’ve gotta remember some moments that show how big the Loeries legacy is:
- 2024: Joe Public was crowned Agency of the Year, walking away with 35 birds. That’s agencies & clients alike getting serious recognition. (StartUp Magazine South Africa)
- Volkswagen + Ogilvy in 2022: The “Polo ‘Game On’” campaign won multiple golds and raised the bar—pioneering NFTs in SA advertising and combining media formats in fresh ways. (Ogilvy South Africa)
- Student talent: NWU graduates just last year brought home golds, silver, bronze and craft certificates for brand identity and design work they did while still studying. Proof that the future is being built in classes too. (NWU News)
What This Means for You (Talent, Actors, Creatives)
KingClip sees the Loeries as more than an awards show—they’re a creative ecosystem. Here are things to watch out for, prep for, and capitalise on:
- If you’re in acting / presenting / voice work: sonic branding and sound-oriented ads create new roles. Voices + accents + character = opportunity.
- Stylists, fashion, wardrobe: campaigns for new launches, media innovation need fresh visuals, fresh faces. Be ready.
- Students / junior creatives: student expos & showcases are your launch pads. Work strong, visual, show creativity + personality.
- Content creators: comedy + humour being recognised (Comedic Impact) means authentic, funny social content might get more love.
- Networking is everything: Masterclasses & International Seminar are your chance to meet jurors, agencies, brands. Put your best self forward, and your best work.
KingClip’s Cheeky Final Thought
So October? It ain’t just spring breezes and braais. It’s crunch time. If you've ever wondered when your poster campaign, your short film, your voice reel, or your commercial audition might get Spotlight, Loeries Creative Week is where magic leaps off the page.
We’ll be watching. You should too. Let’s get loud. Let’s get seen. Let’s get creative.
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