About us
The idea for the Luum Awards came together during the pandemic, inspired by the acts of solidarity seen around the world at that time. The festival organizers created the Luum Awards to recognize the creative works that are promoting a better world, firmly believing in the power of communicators to serve as global change agents.
To promote this goal, we put together a team of first-rate judges every year, made up of leaders of NGOs, brands, and advertising agencies, to evaluate creative and strategic pieces that promote messages related to making the world a better place.
We are the first global creative festival to go zero-paper. Additionally, since 2024, we have held our events in host cities other than Switzerland, where the festival is registered, choosing instead to host our events in the Global South, where we can help communities in need with investment and social/environmental volunteer efforts. You can help us, by becoming a volunteer!
When you participate in Luum you help us support in-need communities. For example, in 2024, we hosted an event in Peru’s Sacred Valley, which resulted in USD $60,000 in direct and indirect investments entering the local economy in a primarily impoverished indigenous region of Peru.
7 Things that Make us Unique

In the search for the best, we propose a unique format that conveys the competitive but just essence of the festival:
1. Only Gold: Luum only awards Gold medals, there are no second or third place awards. That is to say that the festival only awards medals to the best of the best.
2. Free Registration: Entry registration is free and only winners pay award rights (only gold).
3. Equality: There are no jury presidents, no academic hierarchies. All the judges are top-tier and their evaluations are made at different times during the judging period.
4. Democratic: All participants, regardless of size, brand or nationality, are given the same amount of opportunities to upload their entries at no cost: 4.
5. Fairness: Luum meets gender quotas: 50% of the judges are men and 50% of the judges are women.
6. Diversity: The judges panel is composed primarily of talented global advertising and marketing professionals from well-known associations and communities, however, governmental and non-governmental entities may also participate.
7. Luum Awards is the only festival in the world to reward messages of social, environmental and animal rights awareness.
Meet the juries 2025
We are convinced that creative communications can help us make the world a better place. We CAN be global change agents! To achieve this, we have assembled a first-rate team of festival judges, made up of leaders from NGOs, advertising companies, and creative agencies from around the world.

James Child
Senior Creative Copywriter | Saatchi & Saatchi, EMEA
With 9 years at some of London’s most awarded creative agencies, I’ve worked on everything from global automotive campaigns to cause-led storytelling, learning from some of the industry’s brightest creative leaders. Brands like Ford, BMW, Google, Macmillan Cancer Support, and Virgin Holidays are where I honed my craft.
Now based in Dubai and part of the team at Saatchi & Saatchi, I’m embracing new creative challenges in a different market, including a growing focus on healthcare. I’m passionate about ideas that genuinely move people and make a difference, and I’m increasingly drawn to work that brings smart, creative solutions to real human wellbeing problems.

Alfred Wee
Executive Creative Director | McCann Worldgroup, Singapore
With over 20 years of diverse experience in the creative industry, Alfred is ECD at McCann Worldgroup Singapore. He has earned global recognition and numerous awards, including EFFIES, The One Show, D&AD, Cannes, Spikes Asia, Clios, LIA, ADFEST, and the New York Festivals.
Beyond his professional achievements, Alfred is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of creative talent. As an advisory member for various institutions and universities, he actively mentors emerging creatives and plays a pivotal role in shaping the industry’s future, instilling hope and optimism for the next generation of creatives.

Johnny Selman
Founder & ECD | Selman, USA
Johnny Selman is the Founder and ECD of Selman, a Brooklyn-based studio named AdAge 2025 Design Agency of the Year. Selman specializes in brand identities, campaigns, and design systems, brought to life through motion, visual, editorial, and experiential design. Their decade-long partnership with Google Creative Lab demonstrates their depth in creative R&D, while their work for Candylab highlights their passion for playful storytelling. They’ve designed for nonprofits and social justice orgs like the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, where design drives impact.

Fabio Astolpho
Vice President, Creative and Operations | Publicis, Brazil
Fabio Astolpho is an art director by background, known for his strong focus on craft and the balance between refined aesthetics and commercial effectiveness. He has won over 90 international awards, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clio, Effie, and São Paulo Creative Club. He built his career at leading agencies like DM9DDB, BBH Brasil, Talent (Publicis), and F.biz (WPP), where he helped lead the agency to its first Cannes Lions wins.
In 2010, he was the most published Brazilian art director in Lürzer’s Archive, and in 2017, he was named one of Brazil’s top three creative directors by the Brazilian Advertising Association. He currently leads TheDream, a dedicated unit of over 100 professionals focused exclusively on Honda Brazil, overseeing all business areas including cars, motorcycles, financial and customer services, and corporate communications.
Outside advertising, he is a visual artist with works in the permanent collection of MIS-SP and a vintage motorcycle custom builder, two passions through which he expands his creative expression.

Martin Staaf
Group Creative Director | We are social, USA
Martin is a Stockholm-born, New York–based Creative Director, who believes that good work starts with asking good questions. As Group Creative Director at We Are Social, he leads sport-focused work for Adidas, Foot Locker, Under Armour, and Visa.
Previously at BBDO New York for nearly a decade, he helped win and shape campaigns for EA Sports, Meta, Ford, AT&T and Bacardi.
His work has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, CBS, Forbes, Fortune, the LA Times, Mashable, Gizmodo, and once nearly changed parliamentary procedure in Sweden.