NEW YORK — In addition to celebrating the full class of winners in the prestigious ADC Young Guns 23 competition last night at its awards event in New York, the Art Directors Club also presented special recognition to two honorees.

Levine/Leavitt Artist In Residence Award

Kalum Ko, a talented photographer and director based in New York, was presented with this year’s Artist In Residence Award from international artists management agency and Young Guns sponsor Levine/Leavitt.  

The annual honor goes to a newly crowned Young Gun whose body of work truly stands out, as judged by an advisory board of industry professionals across a range of disciplines.  The winner receives a full year of professional development, guidance and mentorship from Levine/Leavitt to help advance their career.  

Raised in Kimberley, BC, a one-stoplight town in the Canadian Rockies, Ko began making ski films at 13 with his mom’s point-and-shoot camera.  Since then, his work has taken him to over 35 countries, collaborating with brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Tinder, and agencies including Rethink, GUT, and Mischief.  He is currently developing two post-documentary projects exploring home, community, and coming-of-age, taking him across Canada. 

According to Levine/Leavitt cofounder Jeff Levine, supporting ADC Young Guns for the past 12 years has been one of the most meaningful parts of what the firm does.

“There’s nothing better than championing artists as they find their footing, their voice, and start to make their name in the industry’” he said.  “We’re delighted to name Kalum Ko our 2026 L/L Artist in Residence. This year’s winners are exceptional across the board, and Kalum rose to the top through a rare combination of vision and craft. His work embodies the spirit of Young Guns, and we can’t wait to collaborate and celebrate what comes next.”

ADC Young Guns 23 Creative Choice winner

In addition, Madeline Montoya, a Brooklyn-based art director at Bloomberg Businessweek and creative director at indie publication Byline, was named the ADC Young Guns 23 Creative Choice winner.  The accolade is the result of a public vote by the global creative community who reviewed work of all YG23 winners and picked the one they believe stands above all others.  

Montoya is a graphic designer and art director working primarily in editorial design.  She previously worked at The New York Times, Domino, and Man Repeller, and with brands including The Travel Agency, Teen Vogue, Marni, Urban Outfitters, and others.  Her work has been covered by The New York Times, and recognized by SPD, The Latin American Design Awards.  

She was named as one of Print Magazine’s New Visual Artists of 2024, and lectured at various institutions and events including Magculture, Nicer Tuesdays, and at Parsons School of Design as a Spring 2025 Lecture Guest for the Communication Design Program.

ADC Young Guns is the industry’s only international, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies today’s vanguard of young creatives age 30 and under.  

Entries were judged by a diverse jury of 98 creative professionals — many of whom are past ADC YG winners — from 41 countries.  Bios and examples of work from each ADC YG23 winner are viewable by clicking on their photos here.  Photos from the awards ceremony can be viewed here.

All Young Guns winners receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this year’s incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website.  Winners also get a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, and a chance to be featured in Young Guns events.

Program branding and design of the Young Guns Cube award itself are reimagined each year by a past Young Guns winner.  This year’s branding was created by YG23 jury member Khyati Trehan (YG19), a talented graphic designer and 3D visual artist originally from New Delhi who now serves as senior designer at Google Creative Lab in New York.

The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE), ONE Asia Awards, Type Directors Club competition, TDC Ascenders, ADC Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organization’s four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development.