ADC Annual Awards

AI Visual Design - Dreamina AI category

When the ADC Annual Awards were first presented back in 1921, illustration and photography were the only mediums seen among the winners. Over the decades, as creative people embraced new tools and technologies—sometimes warmly, sometimes hesitantly—ADC has always been there to acknowledge the craft that defines each era. Continuing this 105-year legacy of evolution, the ADC, in exclusive partnership with Dreamina AI (and Jimeng AI available in Mainland China), presents a premier AI Visual Design-Dreamina AI category dedicated to the frontier of generative craft.

This category honors modern creators who are not just using AI, but mastering it as a tool to push the limits of visual creation. As the Presenting AI Partner of the ADC 105th Annual Awards, Dreamina AI and Jimeng AI serve as the primary engine for this challenge, inviting professionals to prove that even in a digital age, the human spark remains the most essential component. By harnessing the advanced generative capabilities of Dreamina AI to address the "Imperfect" brief, entrants will demonstrate how the world’s most sophisticated technology can be used to amplify the soul, flaws, and contradictions of professional artistry.

To this end, Dreamina AI acts as the “camera for the imagination” for this category. It transforms simple text or an image into high-quality, production-ready visuals within seconds. This core generative capability makes creating as natural as dreaming, allowing creators to focus on the idea itself. By radically simplifying the path from thought to visual form, Dreamina AI empowers professionals to experiment, iterate, and ultimately reignite the essential human spark of creativity.

Please thoroughly read the information and instructions for entering below before submitting your entry.

INFORMATION

The Fee

The AI Visual Design - Dreamina AI category is free to enter.

The Entry Opening Date

Thursday, January 15, 2026 (GMT-5)

The Deadline to Apply for Dreamina AI or Jimeng AI Credits
Monday, March 2, 2026 (GMT-5)

The Deadline to Enter
Monday, March 16, 2026 (GMT-5)

The Prizes

1 First Place Gold Prize: $6,000

3 Second Place Silver Prizes: $4,000 each

6 Third Place Bronze Prizes: $2,000 each

The Brief: Imperfection

Core Idea: As AI trends toward perfection and completion, the essence of human creation resides in the "unfinished"—those gaps where inspiration continues to grow and where creativity truly finds room to breathe.

Problem: When everything is pushed toward a state of being complete, polished, and finalized, creation loses its potential for growth. Over-perfection often signals the end of possibility.

Opportunity: Embrace human messiness, contradictions, and lived experiences, transforming them into the "living fire" that drives both AI evolution and creative bursts.

Ask: Let your work pay tribute to the beauty of human imperfection. Use the power of AI to augment these unfinished qualities rather than erase them—letting technology serve as an amplifier for the radiance of humanity.

The Deliverables
1. Artwork including key visual, poster, motion design, animation or/or design system created with Dreamina AI as the primary tool in the process. The entry must adhere to the Brief. May include 1-20 images, gifs and / or video files.

2. Video clip or screenshot of Dreamina AI use.

3. Optional 60-90 second case video

4. Entry title.

5. The entry system will ask for a client name. Please write 'Dreamina AI competition' in this field.

6.. 300-500 word description accompanied by the AI workflow.

7. 300–500 word concept explanation.

8. Optional: Post your entry to Instagram or X using the following hashtags: #DreaminaAI #ADCawards #AImperfectionism. Entrants who provide the link to the social media post in their entry submission will receive 1,000 complimentary credits from Dreamina AI.

*The Social Media Incentive Credits Policy does not apply to the Chinese mainland.

The Rules

1. The Dreamina AI Category is open to designers, art directors, creatives, studios and agencies. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

2. Eligible entrants must have a minimum of 6 months of professional experience (both full time and freelance work qualify).

3. Dreamina AI (or Jimeng AI) must be used as the primary tool in the entry creation process. At least 60% of the work must be completed using Dreamina AI (or Jimeng AI).

4. Each entrant or company is limited to submitting no more than three (3) entries into the category.

HOW TO ENTER

Step 1: Register on Both Platforms

1. Create a free account on Dreamina (or Jimeng AI available in Mainland China) if you don't have one. Click here to access the website.

2. Register as an entrant on the ADC Awards official entry portal. Click here to register and begin your ADC Entry.

Step 2: Start Your Entry

1. Login to the ADC entry system.

2. Navigate to and officially start an entry for the "AI Visual Design - Dreamina AI category". The link to the Google Form will appear when the "AI Visual Design - Dreamina AI category" discipline is selected from the Discipline pull-down menu. The system will ask for an entry title and client / brand name. Please write "Dreamina AI competition" in the client / brand name field. For the entry title, if you have not decided on an entry title at the time of entry creation, please feel free to enter a placeholder in the entry title field until you are ready to go back and add the official title.

Step 3: Request Your Dreamina AI or Jimeng AI Credits

1. Once your entry is initiated, you will gain access to a dedicated Google Form to request your credits.

2. In the form, you will need to:

- Provide your Dreamina AI UID (non-Mainland China) OR Jimeng AI (即梦AI) UID (Mainland China).

- Provide your ADC entry/account number.

- Provide your city and country.

- Check a box to confirm that the credits will be used specifically for creating your submission to this category.

The deadline to apply for Dreamina AI or Jimeng AI credits is Monday, March 2, 2026 (GMT-5).

Q: How can I find my Dreamina AI account ID?:

You may provide your account information using either of the following methods:

- Log in to Dreamina → click your profile avatar in the bottom-left corner → right-click the avatar to automatically copy your UID (a “userID copy success” message will appear at the top of the page).

- If the UID is not successfully copied, you may directly provide your Dreamina profile link in the form: click your avatar → go to your profile page → click Share Profile to obtain the link.

Step 4: Receive and Use Credits

Requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis for the first 500 valid applicants.

Upon verification of your details, 1,000 Dreamina AI credits will be added to your linked Dreamina AI account within 7-10 workdays.

Use these credits freely on the Dreamina AI platform to generate images and videos for your competition entry.

Step 5: Complete Your ADC Entry

Complete your AI Visual Design - Dreamina AI entry through the ADC Awards system.

The entry system will lead you through the steps to provide the deliverables listed above.

When your entry is complete, click Proceed to Payment. Note that this category is free to enter, and no entry fee is required. Once you have proceeded through the payment page, your entry will have been successfully submitted.

Important Notes:

The 1,000-credit grant is a one-time offer per eligible entrant for this category.

This incentive is designed to support early creativity and has a strict limit of 500 total grants.

Please ensure the information you submit is accurate to avoid delays or failure in receiving your credits.

If you are an entrant from Mainland China, please fill in "Mainland China" as your region of use for the issuance of Jimeng AI credits; users from other regions please fill in your corresponding region.

Mainland China entrants receive Jimeng AI credits; social media incentive policy is not applicable to them.

We encourage you to start your entry early to secure your credits and begin your creative journey!

Using Dreamina AI to create your project

- This competition offers two ways to earn credits: pre-creation credits and post-creation credits.

- Pre-creation credits: After creating a Dreamina AI account and an ADC account, and initiating the submission process for the "AI Visual Design-Dreamina AI category " entries, you can apply for 1000 credits via this Google form. The form requires you to fill in your Dreamina AI (or Jimeng AI) account UID and ADC account ID, and confirm that the applied credits will be used only for the creation of entries in this competition. Credits will be issued to the first 500 eligible participants on a first-come, first-served basis.

- Post-creation credits: Publish your entry work on X or Instagram with #DreaminaAI #ADCawards #AImperfectionism, and include the link to the post in your entry submission to receive 1,000 credits. Credits are available on a first-come, first-served basis for the first 500 eligible entrants.

- *The Social Media Incentive Credits Policy does not apply to the Chinese mainland.

- Credits will be credited to your specified Dreamina AI account within 7–10 working days after your application information is approved. Please first check on your own whether you have received the credits; if you confirm you have not received them or have questions about the credit issuance, you can consult via the support entry on the Dreamina AIofficial website or send an email to dreaminaglobal@bytedance.com. When providing feedback, please mark the subject as "Dreamina AI × ADC Competition Credit Inquiry" and provide your Dreamina AI account UID and ADC account ID for quick verification.

- General Dreamina AI instructions for use: Dreamina Image 4.5—Prompt User Guide + Dreamina 3.5 Pro User Manual (Seedance 1.5 pro )

- For Mainland China entrants: Credits will be issued as Jimeng AI (Jimeng AI) credits. Please fill in your Jimeng AI UID in the application form (instead of Dreamina AI UID). The social media incentive policy (1,000 additional credits for posting entries on Instagram/X) does not apply to Mainland China entrants.

The Terms and Conditions

The ADC 105th Annual Awards Terms and Conditions apply.

Entry fee and publication date requirements do not apply for the AI Visual Design-Dreamina AI category .

Dreamina AI (and Jimeng AI)is not a legal promoter of the competition and therefore not responsible for its administration and operation.

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AVD-101: AI Visual Design - Dreamina AI Category
AI Visual Design - Dreamina AI Category Fee: $0.00

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