This year, the Festival of Media North America Awards saw an incredible standard of work, with entries that continue to raise the bar across the media industry in the North America region and globally.
Among the standout campaigns, PHD USA took home the Grand Prix for Campaign of the Year for their remarkable work, ‘Just Joking’.
The campaign cleverly used popular comedians to deliver lines that initially appeared to be humorous stand-up routines, but were in fact real threats voiced by actual school shooters. This startling twist highlighted how easily warning signs can be ignored or dismissed as jokes, urging audiences to take these signals seriously and act before it’s too late.
The campaign generated awareness of the issue of school shootings and the importance of taking threats seriously, helping raise awareness and drive prevention efforts.
Discover more of the year’s most awarded work by checking out our Top 10 Most Awarded Campaigns from the Festival of Media North America Awards. You can watch the full case films and see these inspiring campaigns via the link below to our YouTube channel.
‘Just Joking’ entered by PHD USA: https://youtu.be/EcqIuP2bRBU
‘Cesar x TripAdvisor: Dog Friendly Travel’ entered by EssenceMediacom US: https://youtu.be/GSQo78z7YoA
‘Real Beauty Redefined for the AI Era’ entered by Mindshare US: https://youtu.be/9Ec0Tc1lqUc
‘Breakfast Battlegrounds’ entered by Initiative Canada: https://youtu.be/J7W-A0sGo5w
‘Children’s Hospital April’s Fools 2025’ entered by Cossette Media: https://youtu.be/yn1NKz7apIQ
‘Encouraging a Screen-Free Day, get outside!’ entered by Cossette Media: https://youtu.be/7yTSPLFYtxI
‘Working with Cancer – Screening Time Off’ entered by Publicis Media: https://youtu.be/EX1mdlQW3Jg
‘How Do You Say Buchanan’s?’ entered by PHD USA: https://youtu.be/VOvyye8M-n4
‘The Final Copy of Ilon Specht’ entered by Beauty Co-Lab: https://youtu.be/dOSKYSUfYik
‘Uber Eats: Football is for Food’ entered by PHD USA: https://youtu.be/Mi_cxUyqH4Q
You can explore our full winners list here: https://www.festivalofmedia.com/north-america-awards/winners/
