Sticks & Stones was the top agency at the Ad Club of Edmonton’s ACE Awards this weekend.

The agency’s “Indigenous Ward Names” campaign took Best in Show at the awards, which recognize the best work out of Edmonton’s creative industry.

Before last year’s municipal election, the City of Edmonton not only redrew its wards, it replaced the number system with names, each of which came from an Indigenous word. Working with Indigenous-owned PR firm pipikwan pêhtâkwan, the agency not only created a campaign that taught residents how to properly pronounced their new ward names, but educated them on their origins, story behind the name and why each word was meaningful. Members of the naming committee – comprised of 17 women from First Nations in Treaty No. 6, 7, 8, as well as Metis and Inuit representatives – lent their voices to the creative to offer explanations in their own words through a 12-part video series, as well as complimentary social media graphics.

The campaign also had nine other wins across the Illustration, Video Production Under $30,000, Social Media Series, Social Media Single, Art Direction and Copywriting categories.

Sticks & Stones also won two awards for other clients: in the Poster Series category for a recruitment campaign for City of Edmonton Recreation Centres, as well in the Innovative Use of Technology category for Fort Edmonton Park’s “Endless Adventure” campaign.

In a pack behind Sticks & Stones with three wins each were the ACE Awards’ other big winners. DDB Edmonton’s come for its work on the Edmonton Elks brand and introducing the team’s new identity to CFL fans. ZGM won for its packaging design work with NKD Chocolate and a print/poster campaign for the Calgary Christmas Market. Berlin Communications won for the Edmonton Police Foundation’s “What’s Behind the Liquor” campaign and designing a new logo for the Edmonton Metro Transit Service Commission. Ray Dak Lam won for illustration projects for Roamers Coffee Club and Chinatown Greetings.

The full list of winners across categories can be found at the Ad Club of Edmonton website.