2026 Winner

British Columbia’s global reputation as a pristine, nature-forward destination stands in contrast to its long-standing policy of sanctioning wolf culls to protect endangered caribou, despite growing evidence that habitat loss, not predators, is the primary cause of decline. “Brutal British Columbia” exposed this contradiction by borrowing the language and aesthetics of tourism marketing to spotlight the environmental cost of current practices. The work centred on a pop-up souvenir shop designed to mimic typical tourist retail, selling intentionally confrontational merchandise that illustrated the brutality of the cull while directing proceeds to Pacific Wild’s conservation efforts. The campaign sparked public and media attention, helped secure a meeting between Pacific Wild and the Government of British Columbia, and prompted political response, including an open letter from a city councillor calling for an end to the practice.

Credits

AGENCY CREDITS:

Agency: ONE23WEST
Chief Creative Officer: Rob Sweetman, Bryan Collins, Jeff Harrison
ACD, Art Director: Marie Cermakova
ACD, Copywriter: Dave Farthing
Designer: Claudia Deneault Robillard
Agency Producer: Aliya Tarmo, Ryan Scott
Account Director: Colin Penstone
Strategy Director: Jared Gill

PARTNER CREDITS:

Production Designer: Empress FX
Stylist: Ellie Rowlands, Nerida Karlen
Post Production Co.: Post Pro Media
Director of Post Production: Kylie Kumar
Editor: Jordan Taylor
Colour: Julia Hostetler
Photographers: Mark Gibbon, Matthew Town, Mohanad Abdelgawad
Studio Artists: Gabe Hall, Tom Pettapiece
Audio House: Flip 78
Executive Producer: Eric Mosher
Audio Engineer: Eric Mosher
VFX Post Production: Embassy
Associate Producers: Pushkar Atre, Steve Woo
VFX Supervisor: Paul Copeland
VFX Artist: Rafael Tchetyshov