Winners talk

“Since we became a team, our goal has been to reach out for Cannes. It’s happening now, after a great experience at The Alternative School. We had the opportunity to learn and participate in meaningful conversations with some of the best creatives in the world, and we attended a competition where we did what we love most: generate ideas. We’re excited about what’s to come. Fingers crossed,” says Madalina Pop.

“We’re very happy to represent Romania at the world’s most prestigious creativity festival this year, especially in such an important category as design. The competition was tough, with 21 teams applying this year, but we felt comfortable working on applied briefs. I think the school experience is beneficial for any creative,” says Ionut Raicu.

Ranking: 21 teams competing, Plus Us is a winner

In the semester focusing on relevant trends in design and social media that took place in March and April, guided by more than 30 Romanian and foreign speakers, there were over 80 applicants – creatives from network or independent agencies – Creative Circles, Cheil Centrade, Digital Star, MRM, McCann PR, Rogalski Damaschin, Pastel, Sector 7, Screen Native, Tribal Worldwide – freelancers and master’s degree students from communication and design faculties from influential university centers in Romania.
42 participants applied to the competition. 17 teams solved the brief offered by KFC and the one given by #TheAlternativeSchool.
The story of the teams and their results will be published weekly, through the #DreamTeam takeovers on TheAlternativeSchool’s Instagram.

A word from the founder

“I’m glad I had the courage to launch this program that has generated generational transformation in the local creativity industry for almost two decades and I am happy resisting the temptation to be part of the jury. There were many talented teams in 2023, so I think it wasn’t easy for the jurors to choose. That makes the qualification of the Plus Us team (Madalina Pop & Ionut Raicu) even more valuable. The local industry, through its under-30 generation, is remarkably represented at the 70th edition of the Cannes Lions festival,” said Teodora Migdalovici, founder of #TheAlternativeSchool & creativity ambassador.

Jury from around the world

The 2023 jury included Claudia Bodnar – SoMe Claudia Bodnar – SoMe Director Sphera Group, Claudiu Truşcă – SoMe Director, Heist Industries, Ivan Westerveen and Andreja Njezic – the team of creative leaders at Creative Disorder, veteran school award winners, active in the Balkans and Europe, Eduard Jakabhazi – Assoc. Prof. Dr., Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at West University of Timisoara, Hande Guler, Award-winning Designer, Silviu Buraga, Lecturer & Department Director, Faculty of Visual Arts and Design George Enescu from Iași, Yurko Gutsulyak, founder of Gutsulyak Studio. Some of them have been part of the exquisite lineup of speakers at the 2023 spring program.

History

Launched in 2005, with a focus on elite creativity, #TheAlternativeSchool is an educational platform that has been organizing specialized international programs and competitions for over 18 years. Through its founder, the school is constantly fueling efforts to lobby for the local industry in global contexts. Among the thousands of creatives and executives trained within #TheAlternativeSchool laboratories, a significant number have gained international recognition on major festivals stages.

The competing teams and their work, in descendent order, are:

Plus US

Scarlet

Bananads