Great work doesn’t just perform well. It also provokes. Craig Elimeliah, Chief Creative Officer of Code and Theory, argues that breakthrough work cuts through with an original POV.

As The Webby Awards enters its 30th year, we’re asking our first-ever Jury Presidents to define what creative excellence looks like in their industries today. First up, we spoke with Elimeliah about human expression and what it takes to stand out in an endless scroll.

His take? Don’t focus on virality, but clarity. Read on to see what he’s looking for in entries this season of The Webby Awards.

The 30th Annual Webby Awards is a celebration of what we are “Big On.” What changes/shifts are you seeing across your industry that excite you most? 

All. The. Shifts! Where to even start. At a high level I’m very excited about how we are moving from tools to intelligence. This is “2001: A Space Odyssey” level evolution. The creative industry is finally starting to build systems that can and should learn, adapt, and collaborate with us, turning creativity into something continuous, not episodic. That shift… from canned output to continuous evolution is the most exciting change I’ve seen in my career.

What’s your criteria for evaluating breakthrough work? What specific elements will make you think ‘this deserves a Webby Award?’ 

Breakthrough work has to make you feel something new and true at the same time. I also think that it’s no longer louder, it’s sharper. It shows clarity of thought, courage of execution, and a deep understanding of the world it’s speaking into. I look for the kind of work that isn’t just trying to compete… I want to see work that redefines the game, work that pushes the boundaries of creativity and how it’s used to make people feel something. Think of all the tools coming out daily, the innovation is endless and so too should be the creativity that comes along with it.

What’s your criteria for distinguishing between authentic connection and trend-chasing? What markers do you look for to identify real cultural resonance on the Internet? 

Authentic connection lingers on. Trend chasing fades literally the minute the algorithm moves on. For me, real cultural resonance comes from tension when an idea taps into something people already feel but haven’t yet seen expressed. I look for work that gives language or form to that invisible truth. Gives me goosebumps.

What’s your criteria for identifying work that’s ahead of the curve? What signals in a project tell you ‘this is what the future looks like’ versus ‘this is just catching up to the present’? 

I have always got that the future has a feeling. You can sense it in the friction… When something doesn’t quite fit today’s mold but you know it soon will. I look for work that shifts the reference point, that challenges how we see, use, or experience the web. The stuff that quietly rewires the rules. The loud stuff is just empty fluff…

What’s your criteria for work that incorporates AI?  What’s the line between AI-enhanced creativity and AI-generated content? 

I truly believe that AI augmented creativity still has human fingerprints. You can sort of feel the human intention behind it, the edit, the taste, the restraint. AI generated content, on the other hand, can often feel like a mirror with no reflection behind it. Vampirous! I’m drawn to the work where AI becomes a creative partner, not a creative replacement. Effort = value. No effort = no value.

What are the biggest challenges facing creative in your industry today? What strategies are key to navigating these, and making work that has an impact? 

The deluge of content is numbing attention faster than creativity can adapt. The challenge is cutting through, again, not by being louder, but by being even more human. My strategy is precision: clarity of idea, craft, and emotion. The work that will win will be the work that remembers why it exists. Creativity and technology together not competing but in service of one another. I’ve been saying this for 20 years now.

The Internet Moves Fast. Great Work Cuts Through at The Webby Awards.

The Webby Awards has honored the Internet’s defining ideas for three decades. Make your work part of that legacy. Enter by the Final Entry Deadline on Friday, Dec. 19 at entries.webbyawards.com!