Observed Signal · Jun 12, 2026 · Award Ceremony · Source: persoenlich.com News · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
ADC Switzerland 2026 Grand Prix to 'Ortsschilder' Campaign
At the 50th ADC Switzerland awards, the Grand Prix was unanimously awarded to the "Ortsschilder" campaign by Thjnk Zürich for Migros Supermarkt AG. The jury of 32 reviewed 336 entries and awarded ten Goldwürfel (gold cubes), 26 silver and 43 bronze prizes. Additional honours included Student of the Year (Arno Thöni, ZHdK), an Evergreen prize for Wirz Group’s "Roger Federer vs. Switzerland" for Schweiz Tourismus, a public "20 Minuten 50 Jahre ADC Award" chosen by readers, and two new Hall of Fame inductees: Danielle Lanz and Markus Ruf. The Kreativfestival took place at Kraftwerk Zürich as part of ADC Switzerland’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
National creative-awards coverage that highlights leading agencies, brands and creative work in Switzerland; relevant for agency/creative communities but has limited global AdTech/MarTech impact.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Grand Prix (ADC Awards 2026) unanimously awarded to "Ortsschilder" by Thjnk Zürich for Migros Supermarkt AG.
- ADC Switzerland received 336 submissions; a 32-member jury awarded 43 Bronze, 26 Silver and 10 Gold Würfel.
- Arno Thöni (Zürcher Hochschule der Künste) received the "Student of the Year" title for "Lingua Eterna".
- Evergreen prize went to "Roger Federer vs. Switzerland" by Wirz Group for Schweiz Tourismus.
- Danielle Lanz and Markus Ruf were inducted into the ADC Hall of Fame; a special 20 Minuten public award named "Die Mobiliar" favourite ad of the last 50 years.
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Thjnk Wins ADC Grand Prix for Migros 'Ortsschilder'
Thjnk Zürich won the ADC Grand Prix (plus multiple Gold awards) for the Migros 'Ortsschilder' (place-name signs) campaign, which uses roughly 50 motifs across Switzerland’s four official languages and photographed the signs on their real locations. In an interview published on persoenlich.com, Pablo Schencke (Executive Creative Director and Partner at Thjnk) credited the campaign’s simple idea and wide public participation (including contributions from Graubünden Tourismus) for its success, noted Thjnk’s growth and 10th anniversary, and argued that generative AI should be used as a tool — not a replacement for strategic thinking, taste and creativity in advertising.
ADC: Strong Year for Swiss Advertising
Coverage of the ADC Creative Days and the Art Directors Club Switzerland's 50th‑anniversary celebrations in Zurich finds a positive mood for the Swiss advertising industry despite structural change and the rise of AI. The awards weekend (including a prize ceremony and gala at EWZ‑Unterwerk Selnau) highlighted fewer entries than historically (336 this year vs. ~1,000 previously) but strong creative quality. Thjnk Zürich was the biggest winner, taking the Grand Prix and three gold cubes (two for the Migros 'Ortsschilder' campaign). The Hiltl film by Stories and Ruf Lanz—largely AI‑generated—won Gold. The article also notes gender imbalance in the ADC jury (16% women) and Young Creatives' demand for board representation. The piece is based on a persoenlich.com podcast episode recorded in Zurich.
Four ADC Cubes for Swiss Entries
At the ADC 105th Annual Awards ceremony held during Creative Week in New York, Swiss submissions won four trophy cubes. Zurich agency Raffinerie AG für Gestaltung received two Bronze cubes in Brand/Communication Design for branding projects for Schauspielhaus Zürich and Theater Neumarkt, with local partners including Hürlimann Druck and Régis Golay. Swiss-born illustrator Till Lauer, based in New York, won a Gold and a Silver cube in the Illustration category (Editorial Front Page) for two New Yorker covers titled "L.A. Wildfires" and "Targeted". The 2026 awards handed out 90 Gold, 114 Silver, 166 Bronze cubes and 296 Merits to participants from 39 countries.
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