Pencil Sharpener Night Brings WKWSCI Students and Industry Together Ahead of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

The inaugural Pencil Sharpener Night at WKWSCI brought together 46 students and 15 industry professionals for an evening of pitch presentations, mentorship, and networking.

Organised as part of the Issues in Advertising course for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, the event saw WKWSCI students tackling New Blood briefs from D&AD. Pencil Sharpener Night marked an important milestone in that journey, as students prepare for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.

Industry mentors were invited to campus to hear students pitch the ideas they have been developing and share candid feedback to help sharpen their case flow and strategic thinking ahead of their final D&AD submissions.

For many students, presenting to industry professionals added a new level of excitement and pressure to the experience. Beatrice Bautista, a Year 2 WKWSCI undergraduate student, reflected on the energy in the room, “It was inspiring to see the mentors’ passion for creativity. Even on a Friday night, they were brainstorming among themselves to help us improve our ideas.” Moments like these encouraged many teams to revisit and refine their concepts with fresh perspectives.

Graduate students also found the session valuable as a chance to test their ideas against real-world industry thinking. Ankan Roy from the Master of Media and Communication programme shared, “Pencil Sharpener Night was a great opportunity to gain fresh perspectives from industry professionals and see how the concepts we learn in class can be applied to real challenges in the advertising industry. It was also valuable to connect with mentors and learn from their experiences.”

Beyond the presentations themselves, the event created space for meaningful exchanges between students and professionals in a more informal setting. Industry mentors and alumni generously offered their time, encouragement, and expertise, helping students clarify their creative thought processes while also giving them the chance to ask questions and build connections.

Reflecting on the evening, Ms Wong Pei Wen, Senior Lecturer at WKWSCI, said, “The Pencil Sharpener Night could only happen with the enthusiastic support of industry friends and alumni of the School. They were generous with their encouragement and expertise, helping students clarify their creative thought process and, more importantly, giving them opportunities to connect and ask questions in a more casual setting.

“Our students also did a fantastic job presenting to a room filled with some of the sharpest blades in the industry and learning how best to distil the feedback for their upcoming entry. They worked hard and it showed in their work. The key learning outcome of this course is not to win a pencil but to create work they are proud to talk about.”

As students continue refining their campaigns for submission, Pencil Sharpener Night served as both a valuable learning experience and a reminder of the strong support from WKWSCI’s industry community.