VCCP, Pablo London and adam&eveDDB were among the agencies celebrated at the Oystercatchers Awards 23 in a ceremony attended by Oystercatchers Club member agencies and a host of top CMOs.

With 21 agencies nominated across nine different categories, it was VCCP who scooped the top award on the night being crowned for Best Agency Credentials after wowing the judges with its body of work and its longevity in maintaining client relationships.

The judges, which included marketing leaders such as John Lewis pan-partnership customer director Charlotte Lock, Trainline’s VP of brand Jo McClintock and Rightmove CMO Matt Bushby, decided the winners after careful consideration of each agency’s nomination.

Pitches aren’t won on ideas alone, they are won on chemistryFor some, like Barclays’ communications planning and media director, Paul Alexander, judging the awards was a “fantastic opportunity” to deepen his knowledge of the agency landscape as it “continues to evolve at pace, whether it’s re-evaluating the capabilities of established agencies, or gaining an insight into newer agencies and propositions”.

“The judging process allows me to step-back and consider the market without the usual commercial pressures at play,” Alexander adds.

Agency of the Year awards were handed out to Pablo London (150 staff or less) and adam&eveDDB (more than 150 staff), while Allison (150 staff or less) and Rocketmill (more than 150 staff) took home Best Agency Culture respectively.

Four new awards were introduced for this year’s ceremony, including Best New Partnership (one year) and Best Longstanding Partnership (three plus years), which were won by Wieden + Kennedy London for its work with Amazon Prime and Havas Media for its successful partnership with Domino’s. Meanwhile, McCann London communications director, Clementine Cuthbertson, was crowned Oystercatcher’s first Rising Star.

The Suki Thompson Award for Championing Change

There was a poignant moment, too, when the inaugural Suki Thompson Award for Championing Change was presented by Oystercatchers managing director, Richard Robinson, and Suki’s son Sam Thompson in honour of the Oystercatchers chair and co-founder who passed away last year after a long battle with cancer.

As Suki did throughout her career, the Champion for Change Award paid tribute to agency individuals who have gone above and beyond to champion new initiatives in the marketing industry and move it forward. It was presented to Michael Brown, managing partner insights & research at UM UK and EMEA, and Steph Marques, head of UX at Bernadette (VCCP), for their contributions to the industry and wider society.

Oystercatchers chair Suki Thompson passes awayGill Huber, managing partner at Oystercatchers, said the awards showcase how the best agencies are “evolving with their clients” to deliver growth, creativity and excellence that builds long-term brand success.

“I’d like to extend a massive thank you to all our agencies who entered their brilliant work, and to our brand judges for taking the time to recognise and reward these submissions. Well done to everyone who was shortlisted and congratulations to our winners,” she added.

The full list of winners for the Oystercatchers Awards 23 can be seen below.