2025 Winner

Every Thanksgiving, the U.S. President pardons a turkey – giving it a quirky name and a second chance. In 2025, “Pardon People Not Poultry” challenged that tradition by spotlighting real Americans still imprisoned for non-violent cannabis offenses. Launched by the Last Prisoner Project and Sid Lee, the grassroots campaign urged the public to send letters to the White House on behalf of over 3,000 incarcerated individuals.

Through a powerful video, donated media and contextual ads across DC, the campaign drove people to PeopleNotPoultry.com to learn about prisoners’ stories and advocate for their release. With no budget, the effort generated over a million impressions, 10,000 letters and a 21% engagement rate. Just weeks later, on December 12, 2024, President Biden granted clemency to 1,500 non-violent drug offenders – the largest single-day pardon in U.S. history. Many were cannabis prisoners and constituents of the Last Prisoner Project. This year, they’ll celebrate Thanksgiving at home,
not behind bars.

Credits

SID LEE

Creative:
Ali Stewart - EVP of Creative, North America
Susie Lee - Executive Creative Director
Matt Fraracci - Executive Creative Director
Brennen Robinson - Sr. Art Director
Jake Hulsebosch - Sr. Copywriter
Osman Rahmani- Sr. Copywriter
Tim Yule - Lead Designer
Jennifer Stack - Head of Content
Taylor Stone - Content Manager
Justin Hewitt - Sr. Creative Services Manager
Kyra Cohen- Executive Creative Services Director
Account Services & Client Partnerships:
Joe Dawson - EVP, Growth & Marketing
Tom Ramsden - Chief Executive Officer, USA
Marianne Pizzi - EVP of Client Partnerships, North America
Jo Catalfo- Group Account Director
Amarah Ali - Account Supervisor

Production:
Jennifer Mete - Head of Production
Trisha Dela Cruz - Producer
Tofunmi Awonaike - Production Coordinator
Emily Torontow - Post Production Producer
Mac Thomson - Sr. Motion Designer/Online Artist/Editor
Yehor Vozniuk - Editor

Web:
Ti-leng Thang - Director, Digital Production
Anne Simard - Sr. Project Manager
Jean-Phillipe Robin - Front-end Developer
Jonathan Brule - Full-stack Developer
Nico Wlock- Senior Strategist
Simon Perras-Dyotte - IT Technician, Digital
Patrick Freedom Mayer - Lead Creative Developer

Audio - TA2 Sound + Music
Steve Gadsden- Audio Director
Joseph Frustaglio - Audio Director
Christine Leslie - Executive Producer
Chris Masson - Engineer

CLIENT

Partner: Last Prisoner Project
Sarah Gersten - Executive Director & General Counsel, LPP
Stephen J. Post, MPA - Strategic Communications Manager, LPP
Jason Ortiz - Director of Strategic Initiatives, LPP