‘Seven Signatures’, which was created by Publicis QMP, was selected as the outstanding press work of 2010. The campaign was commissioned by TG4 to promote last year’s ‘Seachtar an Casca’ series, which told the story of the seven men who led the 1916 Easter Rising.

‘Seven Signatures’ was selected by guest international judge, Julian Borra of Team Saatchi (UK), who said the Publicis/TG4 campaign “stopped me in my tracks”.

“It’s a little ironic that a TV company has won our first ever Press Ad of the Year award but I’m delighted for TG4 and for Publicis because this is a truly outstanding campaign,” said Paul Cooke, Chairman of NNI.

In addition to winning the overall Press Ad of the Year award, ‘Seven Signatures’ was also selected as joint winner in the Best Art Direction category.

The other joint winner of the Best Art Direction category was the Beamish ad ‘Ship’, which was also created by Publicis QMP.

In the Best Copywriting category, judge Julian Borra again awarded joint prizes: to ‘Gabriel Metsu Exhibition’ by Ogilvy & Mather for the National Gallery of Ireland; and to ‘Bloomsday’, also by Ogilvy & Mather, for the ISPCC.

The inaugural NNI Local & Regional prize went to ‘Lost Laptop’ by bloom for Fujifilm.

Commenting on the NNI awards, Julian Borra, said that he looked for ‘the newspaper difference’ when making his choices. “The ads I chose all capture the unique strength of the newspaper

medium,” Mr Borra said.

“From a stout ship to a homeless youngster, from a lost laptop to a woman selling herrings, not forgetting those seven ordinary-but-extraordinary faces, they all inhabit that magic, fleeting moment when newspaper and reader are as one.”