Winners

OVERALL WINNER

The National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) Press Ad of the Year 2011 was awarded to the Kill Your Cravings campaign for Slimsticks, which was created by Boys and Girls

Copywriting: Emma Cahill/Rory Hamilton; art direction: Bairbre McGlade; media planning: Gemma Gilmore, Mediavest

The colourful ads show a series of sugary snacks and sweets that have been "killed" by the Slimsticks' weight-loss products.

"The best ads come from a genuine insight and these ads have got that. If you're trying to lose weight there are going to be moments when you're overcome with a burning desire to eat all the things you're not supposed to," said judge Neil Dawson of the campaign.

Dawson also paid tribute to the uniqueness of the ads, adding that the approach was a "really fun way of addressing the issue while keeping it relevant."

"This is a clean, simple, engaging idea that made me laugh out loud. The agency has come up with something very new here and for that they get the top prize," he said.

NNI BEST COPYWRITING

Ogilvy & Mather again came to the fore in this year's awards, picking up the title of NNI Best Copywriting prize for the second year in a row. This year it won for its ad for TV3, Family Home, which tells the story of a house on Henrietta Street in Dublin.

Copywriting: Des Kavanagh; art direction: Laurence O'Byrne; media planning: Ken Nolan, Mindshare

"I like history and history programmes, so this caught my eye straight away. I thought this ad was really nicely put together art-directionally, and it's very well written with some quite extraordinary facts about Dublin in the old days," said Dawson.

The judge also admired the construct of the ad, as well as the "very emotively written" style. He found it "an ad that's really worth reading".

NNI BEST ART DIRECTION

Last year TG4 won the overall prize for its Seven Signatures campaign, which publicised its documentary on the 1916 Easter Rising.

This year the television channel won in the

NNI Best Art Direction category, for its ad campaign for Scéalta Átha Cliath, a documentary series narrating the story behind one of Dublin's most famous personages or venues.

Created once more by Publicis QMP the ads were heralded as being "great to look at" by the judge.

Copywriting: Kris Clarkin/Neil Saul. Art direction: Ger Roe. Media planning: Stuart Matthews/Rianne Rusthoven, Mediavest

"They give a real taster for three different stories and an aspect that not many people know about. They're well done, lots of nice typography to suit each one, with a nice campaign feel," Dawson said.

NNI LOCAL and REGIONAL

The Road Safety Authority's Cannabis campaign, which aimed to raise awareness of the dangers and possible consequences of driving under the influence of cannabis, the most commonly used illegal drug, won the award in the NNI Local and Regional category.

Created by Irish International, the ad challenged those who smoke cannabis and drive to really look at how the drug affects them.

Copywriting: Dillon Elliot/Catherine Lennon; Art direction: Catherine Lennon/Dillon Elliot; Media planning: Mediavest

"A simple but alarming visual that graphically demonstrates how drugs can impair your ability to drive," said Dawson.