Halifax, N.S., November 3, 2009 – The 2009 ICE Awards celebrate the best in advertising creative from across Atlantic Canada. This year, ICE Buckets were awarded to agencies for their over-the-top work with Pomegranate phone, salsa bingo, a breath of fresh air, and a crazy animated dude who, uh, quite frankly, drinks too much.

"The ICE Awards are all about celebrating excellence. This year’s winners clearly demonstrate that advertising and marketing efforts in our region can compete with the best in the world,” says Mark Gascoigne, co-chair of the 2009 event.

The evening's big winner was Target Marketing & Communications, whose ICE Bucket overflowed with 8 gold awards and Best of Show with an inventive direct mail piece for the Canadian Sea Turtle Network, a cause dedicated to protecting the ancient Leatherback Turtle. Their gold wins were for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism creative spanning TV, print, outdoor, and online. Target also won Gold for its Irving “What You Can't Win” campaign, as well as Gold for retailer Nonia in the Point of Purchase category.

Other multiple award winners for this year included Bristol Communications, Extreme, Impact, Revolve and trampoline. “This year we had a record number of entries from the most diverse list of agencies and organizations ever, and it showed tonight,” beamed Gascoigne. “Tonight I was very proud of our committee and equally proud of our industry.”

For this year’s judging, which was held in St. John’s in early September, there were 339 entries from 32 agencies. “I really like the range. There are so many ways to sell, and it’s all in this show,” head judge Angus Tucker, President if John Street, said after the judging. “There’s smart stuff, gorgeous stuff, funny stuff, and weird stuff. But it all makes you think. It all refuses to sound like an ad, which is exactly why it stands out and gets remembered.”

This year a new category, the Young Creatives Competition, was also established. Twenty-nine teams of under-30s worked for 24 hours on a brief from Laubach Literacy New Brunswick. And the winners were Colour’s Steve Wallace and Matthew Pearn, whose billboard “Before and After” succinctly summed up the benefits of improving literacy skills.

“We were amazed and inspired by the talent in our region – and that talent is exemplified by the young people who choose to live and work here,” says Brad Dykema, creative director at trampoline and ICE co-chair.

For a complete list of ICE Award winners and to see winning creative, please visit www.iceawards.com.