D&AD New Blood 2026: Student Period Project Sweeps Both Top Prizes

A student project on menstruation has won both of the year's top prizes at the D&AD New Blood Awards 2026, according to Creative Boom. The result puts one entry above the rest of the student field in the same award cycle.

D&AD — the London-based Design and Art Direction body, founded in 1962 — runs New Blood as the student and emerging-creative arm of its annual Pencils competition. Eligible entrants include undergraduates, recent graduates and young creatives under the published age threshold. The programme serves as D&AD's pipeline to the professional Pencils in late autumn.

Which prizes did the project take?

Creative Boom's headline refers to "both of the year's top prizes" without naming each tier. New Blood recognition runs across:

• Black Pencil, the highest honour introduced for New Blood in 2023
• White Pencil, recognising work on social and environmental issues
• Yellow Pencil
• Graphite Pencil
• Wood Pencil, with In Book and shortlist placements below

A Black-and-White Pencil sweep would match the phrasing exactly. It would also signal that the same work led both the strongest craft execution and the strongest purpose-driven concept of the 2026 cycle — two judgements normally separated by category.

What changes in the 2026 race?

The dual win removes any ambiguity about which entry defined this year's New Blood shortlist. It also sets the benchmark that 2027 entrants, particularly those working on health, gender and social issues, will be measured against.

White Pencil categories have grown more competitive since the tier separated purpose-driven work from pure craft execution. A single entry clearing that bar and the Black Pencil in one cycle is unusual in the awards' recent history.

Why does a project on periods matter to the trade?

Menstrual-product briefs and menstrual-health design work have built a steady presence at creative awards since the mid-2010s. The category typically rewards campaigns that reframe stigma, address product accessibility, or design packaging and digital tools for under-served users. A win at New Blood elevates that work among student entries, where it has historically shown up less often than in the professional Pencils.

What's next for the official record?

D&AD archives winners on its website after each cycle's announcement. The 2026 list, including jury citations, creator names and portfolio links, will appear there once the embargo lifts. Trade-press outlets then publish fuller coverage once credits become quotable.

For observers tracking the mechanics of the win, one practical question remains: did one entry take both pencils, or did the same team submit the same project across two distinct categories and win in both? The structure of New Blood, where one portfolio can hold multiple category entries, supports the second reading. The official D&AD announcement will confirm.