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Awards ceremonies tend to thrive on superlatives. Awards for the best whatever are handed out and the word ‘excellence’ is bandied about freely. This year’s Transform Awards features an interesting superlative beyond simply the number and calibre of entries – both of which are record-breaking. The 2014 Transform Awards shortlist is the most diverse – meaning the list features the most amount of unique agencies and entries – in its history.

From the massive pool of entries received, the judges worked long and hard to determine those who would make the cut onto the shortlist. Tough decisions were made as to which entries would be eliminated. Thus, this year’s shortlist truly marks the strength of the creative industries and the achievements British companies’ rebranding programmes.

Events & publishing manager at Cravenhill Publishing Liz Foggitt, says, "This year, the Transform Awards judging process was tougher than ever. The panel was inundated with entries showing real skill, innovation and creativity. After much deliberation over three days, the shortlist was finalised. Seeing a diverse range of companies putting forward such strong and interesting campaigns made us more confident in the importance of the Transform Awards. Each of these companies deserve the esteem that being shortlisted for the Transform Awards brings."

Competitive categories such as ‘Best copy style/tone of voice’ and ‘Best implementation of a rebrand’ saw particularly fierce competition for one of five places on the shortlist. The range of diversity among types of entry – based on sector, region or business function – was also high this year. A high amount of financial services brands were shortlisted, perhaps unsurprisingly as many pursue a rebrand to rebound from the recession. Tourism companies, universities and public organisations are also prominently represented. 

Winners will be announced at the annual Transform ceremony on 1 April.

Here, in other Transform news, Transform MENA is still seeking entries for work done in the Middle East and North Africa. For more information, click

The full shortlist is as follows:

Best use of a visual property; photography/ illustration/ digital

ClearSky  and Clock Creative

English National Ballet and The Beautiful Meme

Lloyds Bank and Rufus Leonard

Special Olympics Great Britain and The House

University of Birmingham and IE Design Consultancy

Best brand architecture solution

GardaWorld and Bladonmore

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

ITV

Best use of copy style/tone of voice

English National Ballet and The Beautiful Meme

Eurostar and The Clearing

Generator and Bisqit

Lloyds Bank and Rufus Leonard

Schillings  and Goosebumps Brand Consultancy

Process 

Best external stakeholder relations during a rebrand

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank  and StartJG

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

Norton Radstock College and The House

Tata Power DDL and Brands of Desire

Best internal communication of a rebrand

Certas Energy

Global Blue and Goosebumps Brand Consultancy

GSK Consumer Healthcare and Radley Yeldar

London Stock Exchange Group and Rufus Leonard

Transport for London and Crown

Best implementation of a rebrand

Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Fishburn

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

ITV

Lloyds Bank and Rufus Leonard

WorldPay Zinc and SomeOne

Best implementation of a rebrand across multiple markets

Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Tag  Worldwide

London Stock Exchange Group and Rufus Leonard

Soccerex and Designwerk

Telenor Group and Pajama Ltd

Strategy 

Best creative strategy

Eurostar and The Clearing

ITV

Schillings and Goosebumps Brand Consultancy

Shutterstock and Lippincott

The Donkey Sanctuary and The Allotment

Best brand evolution

Access Bank and MerchantCantos

Equity Housing Group and Studio North

Eurostar and The Clearing

Gressingham Food and Elmwood

Schillings and Goosebumps Consultancy

Telenor Group and Pajama Ltd

Type

Best corporate rebrand following a merger or acquisition

Avianca  and Lippincott

Bond Dickinson and Uffindell

mBank and BNA Sp. z o.o

Moscow Exchange and Dragon Rouge

The Abraaj Group and Bladonmore

Best corporate rebrand to reflect changed mission/values/positioning

1st Central Insurance Management

Iberia and Interbrand

Stanley and Lippincott

The Royal Bank of Scotland and TileyWoodman Creative

Unify and McMillan

Best corporate rebrand for a spinoff/new company

Allegion and Lippincott

Tesco and SomeOne

Zoetis and Lippincott

Best brand consolidation

AOG and Handsome

Crystal Ski and SomeOne

DS Smith and Unreal

Hira Group and Brands of Desire

ITV

London Stock Exchange Group and Rufus Leonard

Best rebrand of a digital property

.Xplored for GardaWorld and Bladonmore

Green Park and Fishburn

Peregrine Communications

Tenner for Young Enterprise and Bladonmore

Unify and McMillan

Sector

Best visual identity from a charity/NGO/non-profit

Avenor College and Storience

CITB and Bell Integrated

English National Ballet and  The Beautiful Meme

Tenner for Young Enterprise and Bladonmore

WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Conran Design Group

Best visual identity from the consumer services sector

Direct and Interbrand

The Vitamin Shoppe and Lippincott

Best visual identity from the energy sector

AOG and Handsome

Atlantis and SomeOne

Energy Saving Trust and OPX

Best visual identity from the extraction sector

Man Oil Group and Rare Breed

Puma Energy and MerchantCantos

Best visual identity from the financial services sector

First Direct and The Allotment

Ixaris and Pepper

Lloyds Bank and Rufus Leonard

The Commercial Bank of Qatar and Industry Branding

WorldPay Zinc and SomeOne

Best visual identity from the healthcare sector 

Actavis and Lippincott

Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Fishburn

GC Aesthetics and Truth Design

Zoetis and Lippincott

Best visual identity the industrial and basic material sector 

Allegion and Lippincott

DS Smith and Unreal

Oak Tyres and Detail

Best visual identity from the professional services sector

Ash Office Supplies and Attract

Coursiers.com and Brand Brothers

Edison and The Brand  Consultancy

Schillings and Goosebumps Brand Consultancy

Best visual identity from the property sector

Al Wa’ab City and Unisono

Benham & Reeves and Ideas Factory

Champions and Ideas Factory

Equity Housing Group and Studio North

Best visual identity from the public sector

Glasgow  City  Marketing Bureau

ŁÓDZKIE PROVINCE and BNA Sp. z o.o

University of Birmingham and IE Design Consultancy

University of Warwick and IE Design Consultancy

Best visual identity from the retail sector

Jacqson Diego Story Emporium and Pepper

Oxford Street and Goosebumps Brand Consultancy

Stanley and Lippincott

Best visual identity from the technology, media & telecommunications sector

ITV

Murata and Living Group

PTC and Lippincott

Tesco and SomeOne

Unify  and McMillan

Best visual identity from the tourism sector

Avianca and Lippincott

Crystal Ski and SomeOne

Eurostar and The Clearing

Generator and Bisqit

Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Ever After Brand