White Square | Белый Квадрат

White Square is one of the international creativity festivals recognised throughout the world, which contests cover the entire spectrum of the communications industry:

CREATIVE
BRANDING
DIGITAL
MEDIA
MARKETING SERVICES
MARKETING EFFECTIVENESS
CRAFT

For more than 15 years White Square Festival promoting creativity, encourages bold ideas that move the advertising industry forward, supports innovative solutions, creative effectiveness of projects and unites people in the communication industry of different countries. Every year over a thousand entries from more than 40 countries, including European countries, countries of MENA region, Asian countries, China, the USA, Latin America and others, take part in White Square Festival, demonstrating bright ideas that help to develop the industry and change the world for the better.

White Square Festival provides international project expertise at the highest global level thanks to international jury line-up with invaluable experience in judging prestigious festivals and numerous awards around the world.

Key dates for White Square Festival 2025:

Shortlists of White Square Festival 2025 will be announced on 9 June.

Winners White Square Festival 2025 will be published on 12 June.
The winners' entries are widely covered in numerous industrial mass media. The publications contribute to the promotion of agencies and the best creative ideas in the international community.

Annually the jury members emphasize the excellence and diversity of White Square entries.

Ali Rez, Executive Creative Director of Impact BBDO MENA, UAE, who was repeatedly a chairman of the White Square Creative jury: "Advertising festivals are extremely useful because they not only promote creativity as an industry, but also inspire and motivate creatives to create all the best projects. This is the wave that lifts all boats. White Square annually demonstrates a collection of the best works that certainly deserve recognition and promotion."

Malek Ghorayeb, Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Communication Levant and Qatar, P&G Global Hub, Lebanon: «Creative festivals serve as more than just a platform for recognition. They are a catalyst for growth, pushing agencies to challenge the status quo and set higher creative benchmarks. Winning at such festivals is an acknowledgment of hard work, innovation, and the ability to craft ideas that resonate on a global scale. Beyond awards, these festivals foster professional networking, enabling creatives from diverse backgrounds to exchange insights and perspectives. In a way, festivals are where the industry collectively evolves, and participation ensures that agencies remain part of this ongoing transformation».

Titipun Tubthong, Head of Creative of Brilliant & Million (Publicis Groupe Thailand), Thailand: «Creativity festivals are more than just competitions – they are catalysts for growth, inspiration, and transformation. Winning is, of course, a powerful validation, but the real value lies in what happens beyond the trophies. For agencies, recognition on a global stage elevates not just reputation but also credibility. It’s a signal to clients that they’re working with teams that push boundaries and create work that resonates on a cultural level. For individuals, these festivals are creative fuel – a space to exchange ideas and be inspired by the best minds in the industry. But most importantly, these festivals remind us why we do what we do. They challenge us to evolve, adapt, and redefine what creativity means in an ever-changing world».

Sergio Spaccavento, Creative Director & Author, Italy, who has repeatedly been a member of the jury of White Square Festival: «In my opinion, participation and winning at creativity festivals play a crucial role in shaping the success and reputation of agencies and individuals in the creative industry. Beyond reputation, these festivals offer invaluable opportunities for professional networking. They bring together the best minds from across the globe. I’ve personally made numerous valuable connections at such festivals. White Square is an ideal place where you can see creativity, good people, successful ideas, as well as those who are motivated by all this to do a better job in the future».

Ciro Ribeiro Rocha, Founder & CEO of Enredo Brand Innovation, Brazil: «I must say that participating in creative festivals can change your life forever. They're much more than celebrations, they're platforms for growth, meeting new people and expanding your vision. Events like White Square pushes agencies and creatives to elevate the bar, while winning enhances not just reputation but also credibility on a global scale. Being exposed to great work or having your work evaluated by some of the brightest minds from across the world is something very special those conversations often open doors to unexpected collaborations».

Jiro Hayashi, Executive Creative Director of Dentsu, Japan: «You can definitely set a creative benchmark with a global standard when you participate in the creativity festivals. Winning works have a strong core idea which can be enhanced to other markets. You can also be inspired by tracing winning outputs back to the core idea, so that you can really train your brains to be creative. So creativity festivals are the master class for the advertising industry».

Pancho González, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Inbrax, Chile: «Festivals set the bar for excellence. They push agencies and creatives to think beyond the ordinary, fostering a culture of innovation and boldness. Winning at these festivals enhances an agency’s reputation, attracting top talent and new business opportunities. Beyond recognition, they offer unparalleled networking experiences, allowing creatives to exchange ideas, explore new methodologies, and gain fresh perspectives. They also serve as a powerful inspiration – seeing the best work globally fuels our ambition to create even better campaigns».

Kestrel Lee, Executive Creative Director of Xodbox, Singapore: «Award shows allow you to compete with the best of the best and fuels our drive to be better. They inspire us to strive for new heights. Winning both local and international festivals that celebrate creativity around the world is equally meaningful and prestigious to me. Each achievement at such festivals is not just an award, but an opportunity to share my vision and contribute to the international dialogue on creativity and innovation».

Jean-Paul Lefebvre, Founder & Creative Director of Abracadabra, Belgium, who has repeatedly been a member of the jury of White Square Festival: «For a creative person, winning awards is important. It's what makes his reputation and flatters his ego. It's also inspiring for the whole profession to see fresh, innovative ideas. Creative awards in advertising are like fashion shows: they're beautiful and inspiring, but unfortunately they don't reflect the level of what we see on the walls or screens».

Daniel da Hora, Chief Creative/Mentor of UFPB, Brazil: «Winning at creativity festivals is a strategic driver of business growth, industry influence, and creative innovation. Also, they enhance an agency’s reputation, attracting top-tier clients and top creative talent while setting new industry benchmarks. Recognition also fuels thought leadership, media exposure, and financial growth, allowing agencies to secure premium projects. Ultimately, festival success amplifies credibility, business impact, and long-term relevance in the creative industry».

Cinzia Pallaoro, Executive Creative Director of Leagas Delaney Italia, Italy, who has repeatedly been a member of the jury of White Square Festival: «I think that participating in festivals – and winning them – can be very enriching, unless winning awards becomes the only goal of an agency, no matter what. Truth is that marketers like to win prizes, but for many of them there is still the misbelief that what wins prizes is just a nice creativity exercise for the few in the industry. An award can surely give more reputation to an agency, but it should be with case-studies that meet both the creative excellence and real results on the target audience, otherwise is just masterpieces worth thousands or millions of euros, that you hang in your bathroom. It's a pity, and the proof of the disturbing egocentric personality of some creatives, that only feed their narcissistic need and aren't faithful to our mission to create real connection between brands and people».

Folker Wrage, Founder & Owner of Wrage/Antwort, Switzerland, who has been a member of the jury of the Festival on several occasions: «Learning and inspiration, that's what counts. Awards are for shelves, people are for life. Listen and learn, make friends and keep playing. Once you swap that for chasing awards, you are bound to fall behind. White Square is truly dedicated to giving each participant the opportunity to learn as much as possible during three inspiring and insight-filled days. I know of no festival more focused on inspiration and education than White Square. That's why I always try to find a way to be here. Learn to enjoy festivals as a part of a growth process».

Tsanka Krusheva, Head of Strategy & Creative Director of The Huts Group, Bulgaria: «In a time when AI is evolving rapidly, anything that celebrates creativity – especially emotional storytelling – becomes even more valuable. Festivals, in particular, continue to be one of the greatest champions of creativity.».

Riccardo Rachello, Senior Art Director of Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam agency, Netherlands, who was a member of the White Square jury: "In my opinion, festivals are an excellent opportunity to take a break and measure the pulse of the industry. I think in any field of activity there is time for action and time to weigh what has been done in order to evaluate your next steps. For a creative, working in a jury is a great chance to move away from their own evaluation criteria and see what the industry is guided by, drawing a line between outstanding works and not so good ones. A big plus of White Square for me personally is that here you can see works that are not always understood to people from Amsterdam, but are created in and for another culture. For the industry as a whole, festivals are the place where works that will become benchmarks for next year are awarded, the time when the industry is thinking about which direction to go in order to match the time”.

Tommaso Mezzavilla, Executive digital Creative Director of ROBILANT ASSOCIATI, Italy, who was a member of the White Square jury: "For me, participation in the advertising festival means an excellent opportunity to share experiences, establish contacts and develop: this is exactly what happens on White Square. Share experiences on White Square. You see thousands of works, you exchange the vision of the future, the role of creativity, creative ideas with people with representatives of the advertising industry from all over the world. Make contacts on White Square. This is one of the best places I've ever been to expand my network of contacts. Every year I meet wonderful creatives, talented young people, innovative managers here, and some of them become not even connections, but friends!"

Daniele Fiandaca, Founder of Token Man Consulting, Great Britain: "Festivals like White Square are sources of inspiration. And considering that diversity lies at the very heart of creativity, I enjoyed discovering gems there that are sometimes lost at other festivals due to cultural differences."

Fernando Pérez, Senior Designer at Interbrand, Spain: "White Square is a meeting place for minds and creatives, where heads and hearts unite for innovative and bold moves. I hope to convey my vision and experience of combining strategy and creativity from the stage of White Square in order to inspire the participants to take significant steps."

Francesco Guerrera, Chief Creative Director, Different, Italy, who has repeatedly been a member of the jury of White Square Festival: "The presence of festivals is our huge advantage as an industry, because culture is the last barrier against ignorance that we all see on social networks and around us. Festivals are one of our most important values. White Square is vital for the region as a breath of fresh air and a new look from the outside. It was the same in Italy 5 years ago, when we decided to establish the IF! festival, thanks to which the reputation of the industry has grown significantly today."

Christoph Nann, General Creative Director of FCB Hamburg, Germany: "There are places where the concentration of inspiration is off the scale. Where there is so much inspiration that it seems as if you are breathing not air, but ideas. An example of such places are advertising festivals, and especially judging rooms. For the creative, this is the best "food" that can only be. That's why I love working in the jury so much and that's especially why I'm waiting for White Square".

Nikolina Popovic, Creative Director of Grey MENA, UAE: "I believe in the power of creativity. Undoubtedly, he drives business, influences the development of culture and changes the world. Therefore, advertising festivals are a pure concentrate of amazing results in business, culture and the creative industry. It's like continuously injecting first-class creativity intravenously for several days. You increase your ambitions and expand your horizons. This is exactly what happens at White Square, and even more. The festival is organized in such a way that all participants are closely connected with each other throughout the time, whether they are members of the jury or accredited delegates. Today it is priceless. Being a Slavic soul, I enjoyed the festival and bringing cultural values to advertising."

Michelangelo Cianciosi, Executive Creative Director of DigitalGo, Italy: "If it is true that genius is 1% talent and inspiration and 99% hard work, then this one percent is absolutely important! Advertising festivals in general, and such young and innovative ones as White Square in particular, are just the places where I look for inspiration and (why not?) becoming a muse for others!"

Steve Colmar, Executive Creative Director Publicis Groupe, Portugal: "It's easy to forget that advertising festivals are more than just awarding the best entries. Most often we focus on recognizing entries, congratulating their creators, celebrating the contribution of brands and rejoicing in the evolution of our industry. To be honest, I personally see the role of festivals not only in this. Festivals are always an exchange of experience, different points of view, new approaches to work, and, of course, interesting people we meet here. Every meeting is a chance to improve yourself. And thus create the future of the industry. Therefore, it is safe to say that the White Square has a high mission: to build a bridge between advertisers and marketers, to create a space where all of us together can create an open future for brands."

István Bracsok, Executive Creative Director and founder of White Rabbit Budapest, Hungary: "In a nutshell: if there were no Olympic Games, could someone run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds? In more detail, creative work is the main task of agencies. That is why creativity is the most important criterion for making a decision on choosing an agency. Clients are looking for someone who could offer innovative ideas, impulses and innovative thoughts that they themselves could not come to. Ultimately, prestigious festivals of creativity, such as the White Square, serve as a demonstration of the fulfillment of this main industrial task. Creative awards turn agencies into successful agencies. And they make them more attractive to new creative employees, who in turn will be able to improve the quality of the agencies' work. I know many will disagree. But hey, I'm a CCO! And what would happen to our industry if creative leaders stopped believing in the power of creativity!"

The Gunn Report representatives visiting White Square, noted the high level of entries, the judging panel and the festival's organization.

White Square Festival is included in the rankings:
global creativity ranking AdForum Business Creative Report;
TopFice ranking;
creativity ranking of Central Asian countries;
ETKAL ranking.

The educational program of White Square Festival is full of various master classes from industry practitioners with successful experience in local and global markets, including those with international recognition, and representatives of the international jury of White Square Festival. The exchange of experience, creative cases, tools and forecasts for building innovative strategies in marketing and communications will allow the participants of the event to reach a new level of marketing efficiency. A special place in the program is devoted to the issues of creative efficiency, innovative approaches to brand promotion, creating effective marketing strategies in 2025, new opportunities for using artificial intelligence in marketing and advertising, working tools for building brand loyalty, integrated campaigns, etc.

All the participants of the Festival are provided with an opportunity to watch the rubric Education & Inspiration - master classes and lectures of White Square Festival:

WANSLEZ QUARESMA

Senior Creative Art Director, Serviceplan Group, Germany