Entries to 2015 AdStars International Advertising Festival increase 40% overall on last year

The AdStars Advertising Festival has reported an amazing 40% increase in entries over their 2014 levels.

In total, the global awards show has attracted 17,698 entries from 67 countries.

AdStars takes place every year, since 2007, in the city of Busan in South Korea.

With international entries up Asia has claimed a lower share of entries (7.3 percent decrease on last year). Entries from Africa (2.8 percent increase), Americas (2.5 percent increase) and Oceania (2.2 percent increase) all improved.

“Given that Asian entries dominated in previous years, this trend for better representation of other continents suggests that AdStars has overcome the perception of being a regional event and successfully broken into the international market for advertising festivals.” said an AdStars spokesperson.

In terms of numbers of entries, the number from Africa have quintupled, tripled from Oceania, and more than doubled from the Americas. A total of twenty-four European countries including the UK and France have entries.

This year AdStars has twenty-two categories. The Outdoor category accounts for the largest number of entries with 3,141 submissions this year. The Print category sees 2,835 entries and Design sees a noticeable growth with 1,559 entries.

Entries to the Mobile category have increased more than 400 percent to 552, and Interactive increased over 300% to 989 entries.

AdStars puts its increase in entries this year down to the participation of internationally acclaimed ECDs and CDs on the judging panel, as well as the rise in the international status of AdStars.

AdStars preliminary judging consists of 245 creatives from 62 countries. The list of finalists will then be announced in mid-July. The finalist will then be judged in Busan, South Korea, by an international panel of creative directors, including Matt Eastwood, Jose Miguel Sokoloff and Jean-Remi Von Matt.

AdStars begins August 20th and the awards presentation will occur on the last day of the festival, Saturday August 22nd. See more on AdStars here.