Area 23 NY and NY Times Magazine Top 2026 ADC Global Creative Rankings

May. 21, 2026

Area 23 New York and The New York Times Magazine New York are among the top firms in the Art Directors Club’s ADC 2026 Global Creative Rankings, based on point totals for wins at last week’s ADC 105th Annual Awards ceremony during Creative Week in New York.

Area 23 New York was named 2026 ADC Global Agency of the Year on the strength of a Best of Discipline win in Pharma for EarliTec Diagnostics "The EarliShow", working with Aardman Animations Bristol, an ADC Fusion Cube for Gaviao Kyikateje FC "Kyikateje", and a total of eight Gold Cubes, four Silver, three Bronze, and five Merits.

The New York Times Magazine New York was named ADC Design Firm of the Year for the ninth straight year, winning Best of Discipline in Illustration for "How A.I. Sees Us", as well as five Gold Cubes, two Silver, three Bronze, and three Merits.

Highlights of this year's ADC Global Creative Rankings are as follows (click the category links to view the full list for each):

Agency Rankings

• Area 23 New York
• HeimatTBWA\ Berlin
• McCann New York 
• Klick Health Toronto
• Romance Paris 
• FCB Canada (TBWA\ Canada) Toronto
• Serviceplan Germany Munich
• VML Health Spain Madrid
• TBWA\Media Arts Lab Los Angeles
• Dentsu Inc. Tokyo

Design Firm Rankings

• The New York Times Magazine New York
• Established New York
• SMLXL New York
• Mallandrich Barcelona
• The New York Times for Kids New York

ADC 105th Global Creative Rankings in other categories are as follows (click the category links to view the full list for each):

• Brand-Side Agency Rankings: Squarespace New York
• Brand Rankings: Squarespace
• Non-Profit Client Rankings: Second Nurture
• Production Company Rankings: Superprime Los Angeles
• Music & Sound Company Rankings: Wave Studios New York
• Agency Network Rankings: Omnicom Health
• Creative Professional: Diego Tórgo, Group Creative Director, Area 23 New York

Highest Ranked Work

• “Unavailable” for Squarespace by Squarespace New York with One Of Us London, Trim Editing New York and Superprime Los Angeles 
• “No Project Without Drama” for Hornbach by HeimatTBWA\ Berlin
• “Tilt” for Tilt by Established New York

ADC 105th top-ranked agencies by region this year are as follows (click the region to view the full list).

• Asia Pacific Agency of the Year: Dentsu Inc. Tokyo
• Europe Agency of the Year: HeimatTBWA\ Berlin
• Latin America Agency of the Year: R/GA Argentina Buenos Aires
• Middle East & Africa Agency of the Year: Horizon FCB Dubai
• North America Agency of the Year: Area 23 New York

Country Rankings

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• Japan

Region Rankings

• North America
• Europe 
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East & Africa

Using dropdown menus, the ADC Global Creative Rankings can be viewed by Agency, Design Firm, Brand-Side Agency, Brand, Non-Profit Client, Production Company, Music & Sound Company, Agency Network, Highest Ranked Work, Country, Region, and Creatives. 

Rankings can be viewed globally, and also by region and country.

Rankings methodology

Rankings in each category are calculated by the company that garners the most points overall for winning entries based on ADC Cubes, Merits and Special Awards, allocated as follows: Gold Cube 45 points, Silver 21, Bronze 9, Merit 3, Fusion Cube 90, Designism Cube 90, Best of Discipline 90, Best of Non-Profit 90, and Black Cube for Best of Show 135. 

Ranking points are awarded to eligible agencies credited under the Primary Agency listing on a winning entry, including agencies, digital agencies, media agencies, PR/marketing agencies, design firms, type foundries, and brand-side/in-house agencies.  

When multiple eligible agencies are credited on the same win, the points are divided equally among them. These points determine honors such as Agency of the Year, Design Firm of the Year, Brand-Side Agency of the Year, and others.

If the same entry wins multiple awards within a discipline or in multiple disciplines, the points for all awards and wins are counted towards the rankings.

A complete showcase of all ADC 105th Annual Awards Cube winners can be viewed here.