Young Ones Student Awards
The Young Ones competition is one of the most acclaimed advertising, interactive and design student competitions. It has a tradition of excellence dating back to 1986.
Learn more about Young Ones 2026
Category
Duolingo / Integrated Campaign
Annual ID
YO24_O101M
Our Duolingo campaign is comprised of a brand film and interactive online experience. Our branded film aims to capture Duolingo’s vibrant playfulness and irreverent humor by placing live-action versions of the app’s characters into the world of a mystery film. At the jump, Oscar reveals that Duo has gone missing and it’s up to both the characters and the audience to find him. After going through puzzle after puzzle, Oscar breaks the fourth wall: “We’re gonna need some more help”. Thus launching our online mystery experience.
Once on the microsite, the user must navigate language translation challenges interweaved with a trail of breadcrumbs across platforms - translation apps, X, web searches and Duolingo itself. While the campaign is fun and light-hearted, the campaign’s goal is to target Gen Z and millennial users through an interactive spectacle; it’s every language learner’s fantasy to get caught in a mystery where they possess the skills to figure it out.
The campaign draws largely on the mystery genre, particularly in capturing the absurdist comedies like “Clue” or “Knives Out” that have become central to the canon of mystery film cinema. At the heart of that fandom is an admiration for curiosity, wit and intelligence, traits that are mutually aligned with the Duolingo user who is learning languages, music or math to expand their worldview.
Once on the microsite, the user must navigate language translation challenges interweaved with a trail of breadcrumbs across platforms - translation apps, X, web searches and Duolingo itself. While the campaign is fun and light-hearted, the campaign’s goal is to target Gen Z and millennial users through an interactive spectacle; it’s every language learner’s fantasy to get caught in a mystery where they possess the skills to figure it out.
The campaign draws largely on the mystery genre, particularly in capturing the absurdist comedies like “Clue” or “Knives Out” that have become central to the canon of mystery film cinema. At the heart of that fandom is an admiration for curiosity, wit and intelligence, traits that are mutually aligned with the Duolingo user who is learning languages, music or math to expand their worldview.
2024 Awards
Total Points: 4
Student Merit
Credits
Copywriter
Ansley Kirkpatrick
Davis Clem
Director
Maia Vota
Producer
Kay Tagliaferri
Writer & Editor
Josh Zapf
College / University
Savannah College of Art and Design / Savannah
2nd Assistant Camera
Ines Sommer
Prod Sound Mixer
Morgan Richardson
Production Designer
Casserly Grace
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