El Sol. The Ibero-American Festival of Advertising Communication begins a new stage in its 40th edition with an in-depth review of one of its most symbolic elements: the trophy. The organization has presented a new piece that seeks to project the role of creativity in the coming decades, both from a conceptual point of view and from industrial design.
The new award has been developed by the company Lucid, specialized in strategic innovation and product design, and abandons the traditional aesthetics of metal to build a proposal based on light. Through the use of translucent structures and optical principles such as caustics, the trophy is designed to capture and project light, in a direct metaphor of creativity as a force capable of transforming business and culture.
It is presented as a dynamic object that changes according to the incidence of light and the environment where it is located.
The piece also introduces a dynamic dimension compared to conventional trophies. It is presented as a dynamic object that changes according to the incidence of light and the environment in which it is located. A decision that connects with the festival’s intention to reinforce its positioning around innovation and the contemporary relevance of creativity.
“Confronting the creation of a new trophy in such a significant edition was an important decision to shape the new stage of El Sol. We were looking for a piece that would shed light on the future, and that would keep its value intact as recognition of the best creativity”said Germán Silva, Director of El Sol. “The Sun is light, it is shine, it is quality and talent. A symbolic piece and at the same time physical, temporary and ephemeral but that we all want to catch.”
From a design point of view, the project has also paid attention to the physical experience of the award. “Designing a trophy is designing a moment of triumph”explained Marc Fabra, Founder & Design Director of Lucid. “We want the feel, the weight and the way you hold it on stage to reinforce the feeling of achievement.”
Beyond the formal renewal, the most relevant change occurs in the Agency of the Year category. The Sol introduces a completely new model that breaks with the concept of trophy ownership. For the first time in the history of international advertising festivals, the award will not be awarded permanently, but will operate under a temporary custody system.
Thus, the winning agency will receive the trophy for one year, assuming both the recognition and the responsibility of preserving it. In the next edition you must return it so that the new winner can take over. The model, inspired by major sporting competitions, turns the award into a unique piece in circulation and a symbol shared by the industry.
This approach means that there will only be one original Agency of the Year trophy in the entire world. Furthermore, its base will expand over time, incorporating the names of the award-winning agencies and becoming a physical record of the creative history of the sector.
This change introduces an additional symbolic dimension to recognition. The award ceases to be a cumulative object and becomes a legacy that passes among the actors who define excellence at all times. In this sense, The Sun updates the very meaning of recognition.
The new identity of the award will be integrated into the celebration of the 40th edition of the festival, which will take place on May 28 and 29 in Malaga. There, at the Teatro Cervantes, the set of trophies will be presented as a coherent installation, with a layout designed to enhance the projection of light as a central element.
