It seems, after 30 plus years, that the BIMA Awards has finally grown up. Moving away from a longstanding format at the event itself, and a bulky and outdated structure to the awards, the BIMA Awards 2017 has captured the best in British digital communications.

The traditional party style awards was eschewed for a more formal – but still quirkily cool, in true BIMA style – dinner presentation. The presentation of the winners was accompanied by descriptions of the work, indicating the high standard to which judges held entrants.

This year, rather than splitting the awards into categories based on the type of communication or the sector in which the work was done, the winners were determined first as the best in class in the ‘data,’ ‘communications and content,’ ‘immersive,’ ‘product and service design’ and ‘technology’ areas. Each area awarded a winner in five sub-categories.

The awards focused on how brands are preparing to meet the challenges of the future through digital. To that end, a final 10 advance awards were bestowed on the best from each of the sub-categories, but across the five main areas. A grand prix was then announced. Sounds confusing, but what it meant was that the entrants could be judged on their merits as groundbreaking, successful and unique digital projects.

The advance awards winners are those that are really pushing the boundaries of digital and technology to improve communications.

Natalie Gross, co-president of BIMA, says, “We’re incredibly honoured to be here recognising and celebrating with the very best in the British digital industry. All the winners and shortlisted entrants are pushing the digital boundaries in their respective fields and represent the exceptional talent moving Britain’s digital economy forward.”

Grand prix winner Livity is a creative network for youth-led businesses and initiatives. It took home the ‘Advance award for entrepreneurial business of the year’ trophy. The Army was one of the night’s big winners, with three gongs for its work with Karmarama on a digital approach to recruitment. Socially responsible campaigns were rewarded throughout the night, from Politico’s EU referendum tracker with DigitasLBi to Simprints and Smart Design’s work on a health records tracking device for the developing world. Ogilvy & Mather took home a prize with Magnum Photos and Amnesty International for its ‘Outrage is not enough campaign’ which saw it increase awareness about refugees around the world.

The penultimate winner of the night, though, might have been the most indicative. The evening began with a spoken word poet talking about the presumably impending robot revolution. Jukedeck, which won ‘Advance award for startup of the year,’ is an AI technology that produces music and video content. Though slightly worrying for those in the creative industries, it may signify where indeed, lies the future of digital.

The full list of winners is as follows: