ADC Awards

ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world, with an incredible legacy of over 100 years. These awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design – all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.

2026 ADC Awards - Illustration

Write for Rights

Agency Cossette / Montreal + Septième / Montréal + Cossette Media / Montréal + Amnesty International

Client Amnistie internationale Canada francophone

Category

Design for Good / Illustration

Annual ID

ADC105_DFG008G

To mark International Human Rights Day, Amnesty International runs its largest annual campaign: the Write for Rights Marathon.


This event mobilizes thousands of people around the world each year to write letters of hope to those whose most fundamental rights are being violated, while also putting pressure on authorities.


With an impressive success rate—over 75% of individuals unjustly imprisoned and supported by the organization have been released—the impact of the campaign is undeniable.


Yet the impact of a single letter can feel abstract, making action harder to sustain. To address this, we created a campaign highlighting real past cases in which prisoners were freed thanks to public letter-writing.


Using archival photos of their release, we recreated these moments solely through typography — each illustration meticulously composed on a typewriter while also incorporating excerpts from the very letters that helped secure their freedom.


The visuals, created with artist James Cook, are illustrations made entirely on typewriters. Several months were required to bring these images to life, with no other medium used.

2026 Awards

Total Points: 45

Gold Cube

Credits

Agency

Cossette / Montreal

Media Agency

Cossette Média / Montréal

Client

France-Isabelle Langlois
Gabrielle Pauzé
Josée Marie Robitaille

Client / Brand

Amnesty International

Production Company

Septième / Montreal

Art Director

Philippe Leblanc

Creative Director

Alexandre Jutras

Illustrator

James Cook

Account Supervisor

Laurence Campeau

Business Lead

Rachel Demers

Chief Creative Officer, Cossette East

Anne-Claude Chénier

Electronic Production

Mélissa Audette

Media Strategy & Activation

Maude Larue
Maxence Hofman

Print & Digital Production

Daniel Cartier
Marie-Ève Thibodeau

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