The 2025 Advertising Capstone Challenge (ACC) has crowned its winners, answering a key question for the industry each year: which emerging teams are best prepared to tackle real-world brand challenges?
This year, a team called Nunchucks from Auckland University of Technology (AUT) took out the top spot, with Stir Creative from the University of the Sunshine Coast earning the Highly Commended award.
Now in its 10th year, the ACC is designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice, giving final-year advertising and marketing students practical experience, industry connections and a clearer pathway into agency roles.
The 2025 iteration involved students from five universities across Australia and New Zealand.
Real-world brief from MILO
As part of this year’s anniversary brief, participants were tasked with addressing real business challenges set by the MILO team.
Students were asked to find new ways to engage Gen Z audiences and strengthen awareness and positive brand associations.
More than 200 students formed teams across the five participating universities, developing full-service campaigns including strategy, creative, media and evaluation.
Nine shortlisted teams presented to a judging panel from Ogilvy and the MILO team before Nunchucks was named the winner.
The winning four-person team will now undertake mentorships with Ogilvy, shadowing leaders across departments as part of the agency’s ongoing involvement as ACC Industry Partner.
Industry reaction to student work
Damien Pashby, client partner, Ogilvy Sydney, said the standard of work impressed judges: “What an incredible display of emerging talent working on the MILO brand challenge. The energy, creativity, and consumer understanding the participants demonstrated was truly impressive. I’m delighted that Ogilvy could be part of this journey and have no doubt these students will have long and successful careers ahead.”
Eva Tran, MILO marketing manager, added: “At MILO, we believe in inspiring the next generation and supporting the Capstone Challenge is just one way we do that. Our team were blown away by the potential, possibilities and emerging talent coming from the advertising students.”
Dan Fastnedge, AUT lecturer, said the program continues to deliver meaningful industry exposure: “Getting the chance to collaborate with an iconic brand and leading agency was an amazing experience. It’s always rewarding to see students take what they’ve learned and apply it so confidently to a real-world brief – and to see that hard work recognised with a win.”
Ten years of the ACC
Since launching in 2016, more than one thousand two hundred students across two hundred and forty teams have participated in the ACC. Over that period, more than forty internships have been offered to winners from a pool of two hundred and thirty finalists. Students involved in this year’s program came from Swinburne University of Technology, Western Sydney University, University of the Sunshine Coast, Auckland University of Technology and Curtin University.
2025 awarded teams
Nunchucks (Winners)
Unique Florence Viernes
Jay Readings
Olive Cato
Bella-Lucia Griffin
Stir Creative (Highly Commended)
Jade Fulton
Jessica Albinsson
Meg Jones
Zoe Wilkie
Top image: Back L–R: Damien Pashby (Ogilvy), Bella-Lucia Griffin (Nunchucks), Olive Cato (Nunchucks), Unique Florence Viernes (Nunchucks), Jay Readings (Nunchucks), Blake Arthur (Ogilvy), Andrew Hankin (Ogilvy). Front L–R: Joanna Page (AUT), Dan Fastnedge (AUT).