2026 Winner

As charitable giving declined and economic uncertainty made Canadians more reluctant to donate, SickKids needed to reconnect with donors. “The Count” shifted focus away from the institution’s 150th-anniversary milestone and onto a universal truth: every child is fighting to reach their next birthday. The work brought this idea to life by merging two unlikely worlds – children’s birthdays and athletic training – depicting real patients as athletes preparing, enduring and pushing toward that next milestone. Featuring 23 SickKids patients, the campaign used surreal, emotionally charged visuals to reframe treatment as a daily fight, creating a powerful narrative that reached across the donor journey. The campaign generated $776K in one-time donations, acquired more than 5,300 new donors and drove a 44% increase in year-over-year revenue, more than doubling its objective while also significantly increasing donation intent and average gift size.

Credits

Client: SickKids Foundation
CMO: Heather Clark
VP, Head of Brand, Content & Communications: Kate Torrance
Director, Brand Marketing Management: Roy Gruia
Director, Public Relations & Communications: Sandra Chiovitti
Associate Director, Brand Marketing: Jessica Myers
Associate Director, Brand Strategy, Governance & Production: Tina Tieu-Lafrance
Associate Director, Public Relations: Tania Kwong
Manager, Integrated Brand Marketing: Joanna Yu
Manager, Brand Strategy, Governance & Production: Anne Hernandez
Coordinator, Brand Strategy, Governance & Production: Melody Zhang
Manager, Public Relations & Stakeholder Relations: Taylor Huff
Associate, Community Stakeholder Relations: Kylie White
Coordinator, Community Stakeholder Relations: Dymond Phillip
Agency: FCB Canada
CCO: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
EVP, Global Creative Partner: Danilo Boer
ECD: Andrew MacPhee
ACD's: Jacob Pacey, Brendan McMullen
Copywriters: Jacob Pacey, Reena Feldman
Art Directors: Brendan McMullen, Erika Jee
EVP, General Manager: Tracy Little
GAD: Rose Noble
Account Supervisor: Sophie Seidelin
Head of Corporate Communications and Reputation: Tim Welsh
Associate Director, Global Communications & Content: Emilie Sharp
CSO: Shelley Brown
VP, Strategy Director: Shelagh Hartford
VP, Broadcast Production: Sarah Michener
Senior Broadcast Producer: Tess Waisglass
Production: Iconoclast
Director: Clément Durou
Executive Producer: Charles Marie Anthonioz
Production Service: Merchant
Executive Producer: Ian Webb
Producer: Maryna Petrenko
Director of Photography: Shady Hanna
Edit: Work Editorial
Editor, Longform: Neil Smith
Cutting assistant-Longform, Editor -:60 & :30: Fatos Marishta
Producer: Victor Medina
Head of Production: Chris Delarenal
EP: Alejandra Alarcon
Managing Director: Erica Thompson
Sound by Soundtree Music
VFX and Colour by ARC Creative
Casting: Powerhouse Casting