Let’s be sincere, AI contests are all over the place proper now. However who’s organising them? More often than not, it is the AI corporations themselves. Which, rightly or wrongly, makes them really feel extra like advertising workouts somewhat than real celebrations of craft. The Bionic Awards, although, feels totally different.
Based by Alex Pell, know-how editor at The London Customary, and Andy Gordon, an award-winning movie producer who’s created campaigns for Google and Coca-Cola, Bionic emerged from a particular second. While chairing London Tech Week 2024, Alex observed the ‘doom vs growth’ ranges of panic and pleasure amongst creatives, and realised the group wanted help, not gross sales pitches.
I met Alex and Andy final week at Upscale—an AI convention in Málaga, Spain, organised by Freepik, and acquired swept up with their ardour and enthusiasm for the mission. So whereas I’ve all the time been super-cautious of individuals touting the ‘subsequent large factor’ (whether or not that is the metaverse, blockchain or, now, AI), this grass-roots mission caught my consideration.
Why it stands out
Whereas it is a ardour mission, it is backed by critical ambition: to create world-class occasions and construct a world group that genuinely helps creatives. “Our imaginative and prescient is for The Bionic Awards to be the European equal of The Webbys and highlight distinctive creators within the AI period,” Alex explains.
Extra particularly, it is aimed to assist folks apprehensive about shedding their jobs while being interested in new potentialities. Because of this, entry prices are intentionally stored low, and the general ethos is targeted on practitioners somewhat than making a revenue.
“I received a Webby Award ten years in the past,” displays Alex. “They mentioned we may attend to gather our prize, however solely say 5 phrases on stage, and in addition {that a} second trophy, for my associate, would value us £400. Bionic is far more inclusive, and our ethos is ‘creators first’. The objective is to offer creatives the visibility and connections to succeed because the business evolves.”
He is eager to notice the judging panel contains folks truly making issues with AI. Brandon Baum is Europe’s main AI creator with 25 million followers. Jens Christensen, director of post-production at Pinewood Studios. Ryan Phillips (aka Uncanny Harry), thought to be the UK’s main AI filmmaker, was not too long ago signed by Hollywood-based studio Promise.
Then there’s Alvaro Corrochano, head of digital manufacturing at Hogarth | WPP; Pedro Oliver, senior inventive for The Coca-Cola Firm at Studio X and; and Jo Wallace, world govt inventive director at Jellyfish. All folks working on the sharp finish of inventive evolution.
The story of one other decide, influencer Afro Futcha aka Diane Laidlaw, encapsulates what Bionic represents. “I used to be an internet designer for 15 years and didn’t have the chance to retrain in movie,” she explains. “However AI has unlocked the door for me to change into a filmmaker.” That is lived expertise, not company rhetoric.
London roots, world attain
Bionic launches with London roots however world ambitions. The inaugural AI Creator Showcase takes place at Wealthy Combine in Shoreditch on 4 December, entries shut on 30 December, and the primary awards are held on 5 March 2026. The timeline displays how briskly inventive AI is transferring. As Alex frames it: “The tide has turned on standard creativity. You may ignore actuality and watch for the waves to search out you, or be taught to swim.”
In case you’re suspicious of AI, Bionic will not attempt to convert you. In case you’re intrigued, although, you may discover a group exploring related questions with out breathless hype.
Entries have to exhibit “significant use of generative video” while remaining platform-neutral. In different phrases, whether or not you are utilizing Runway, Pika, or Google Veo issues lower than what you make.
With 12 classes spanning storytelling in adverts, artwork installations, digital-out-of-home (DOOH), and extra, Bionic helps many kinds of inventive work. It is value noting that the awards do not simply embrace purely GenAI movies but in addition hybrid workflows, corresponding to utilizing AI for VFX or to boost onscreen human presence. The main focus stays on output, not instruments.
Shortlisted entries will display publicly at cinemas. Solo creators will sit alongside company groups; indie movies subsequent to branded campaigns. The low barrier to entry means you may be exploring alongside different professionals navigating the identical unsure terrain, not competing primarily in opposition to well-resourced studios.
Worthy of consideration
Do not learn this as AI boosterism. Each inventive skilled faces a call proper now about whether or not and tips on how to interact with AI, and it is not for me to let you know what that call ought to be. However in case you are intrigued, Bionic affords a platform created by individuals who perceive each the promise and the stakes… with out monetary incentives to push you towards specific conclusions.
In different phrases, if you wish to see what creatives are genuinely doing with AI, somewhat than what AI corporations say they need to be doing, this deserves your consideration.
Discover out extra at bionicawards.com, or get tickets for the 4 December AI Creator Showcase at Wealthy Combine.
