Each year international award scheme YoungGuns looks to recognise the best work created by advertising creatives under the age of 30. The 2006 YoungGuns of the Year has been awarded to Matt Devine and Luke Crethar of The Glue Society, Sydney for their Jason Donovan campaign for Virgin Mobile. The campaign was based around the premise that Virgin Mobile’s rates are so low that people will use their phones to make non-vital calls - just because it's really cheap. In the campaign Jason Donovan’s phone numer is leaked on the internet. As a result his phone is inundated with calls. Virgin Mobile respond with a pseudo damage limitation campaign asking people to stop calling Mr Donovan. Finally TV and cinema ads showing pranksters calling up the ex neighbours star were screened - with the message to stop the harrasment. Over 60,000 people visited the www.responsiblemobileuse.com/au site and over 670,000 calls/texts were made to 0403JASOND. Devine and Crethar won a Gold Bullet, 20,000 USD and an invitation to sit on next year’s YoungGuns jury.

2006 Student YoungGuns of the Year are Eleanor Bullen and Angie Bird from RMIT Melbourne who came up with a novel way for smokers trying to kick the habit to keep their 'smoking' hands busy. You’re familiar with the game Twister, right? Well, Finger Twister can be played on a postcard printed with coloured dots - the idea being that it's a great alternative to holding a cigarette. The pair won 5000 USD and a three-month placement at the Leo Burnett Worldwide office of their choice.

The Jury Chairman’s prize went to Brad Reilly and Jonathan Santana of Net#Work BBDO South Africa for their Power billboard for Dedved. The billboard contained solar panels that actually generated power for the local primary school and contained the copy: “What if a bank really did give power to the people?”

This year’s YoungGuns International Advertising Award scheme received 2823 entries from 283 companies from no less than 36 countries. A total of 89 Bullets were awarded: 13 Gold, 26 Silver and 50 Bronze. The USA received the highest number of Bullets (15), though Australia pipped the US as the number one ranked country across all awarded criteria

Saatchi & Saatchi New York was Agency of the Year.

Next year YGA will have two new categories: The self-explanatory Mobile Advertising category and also Young Agency - for agencies less than three years old.