We were proud to once again be involved in the Two+Two event, organised by Creative Resource, which brings together marketing, creative and advertising students to work on a live brief and gain hands‑on industry experience.

This year’s event saw 135 students from 14 Northern universities come together with 37 mentors and leaders from 25 Northern agencies, including 10 Two+Two alumni, supported by five industry judges. Working in teams, students were challenged to think strategically, work collaboratively and pitch creative ideas in response to a real‑world brief.

A timely and thought‑provoking brief

For 2026, the live client was Beyond Equality, who engage men and boys in workplaces, universities and schools to rethink masculinities and create positive change. Students worked on the brief ‘Beyond the Manosphere’, focusing on how sport, one of the most influential cultural spaces for young men, can shape attitudes, behaviours and identities, both positively and negatively.

And the winner is…

The standard of thinking and creativity on display throughout the day was exceptional, with teams delivering bold, insightful and socially aware responses to a complex brief.

Following final pitches, the judges selected the winning teams:

• First place: Green Horses
• Second place: Orange Horses
• Third place: Red Tigers

As winners, Green Horses have won a day at the APS Innovation Lab, where they’ll work with the APS team and Beyond Equality to further develop and refine their idea. The other finalist teams will receive mentorships and internships with agencies across the North, helping them take their next steps into the industry.

APS supporting the next generation

APS was delighted to support Two+Two again this year in a number of ways. Simon Rhodes, APS Marketing Graphic Designer and Photographer, provided complimentary design and print support and captured the day through photography.

Our Creative Business Director, Laura Fox, joined the judging panel, while Laura Dixon, Account Manager, and George Farrell, Head of Design, attended as mentors, with George acting as a lead mentor for the event.

Reflecting on the day, Laura Fox said:

“Two+Two is always a highlight of the agency calendar and a brilliant opportunity to give back to our creative community. It’s inspiring to see the level of talent, enthusiasm and passion coming through from the next generation of creative minds and marketers, so being invited to join the judging panel this year was a real honour.

This year’s brief, ‘Beyond the Manosphere’, was both challenging and incredibly timely, sparking some important and thought‑provoking conversations. It was great to see such fresh, bold thinking from a younger perspective, with ideas that felt genuinely in tune with the world we’re living in today.”

Supporting initiatives like Two+Two is an important part of APS’s commitment to the creative industry, helping to nurture emerging talent, share real‑world experience and champion work that makes a positive impact.

We’re proud to be working in partnership with Furnishing Futures, a London‑based charity that helps women and children rebuild their lives after fleeing domestic abuse and transitioning into safe accommodation.

Furnishing Futures transforms empty social housing into fully furnished homes, providing safety, stability and dignity at a critical time. They help individuals and families who are starting over with limited resources and need immediate, practical support to feel secure in their new environment.

Last year, some of our London-based colleagues spent a day at the charity’s East London depot, helping prepare for their annual Christmas fundraiser and supporting the organisation with essential setup and organisation tasks. Feedback from the APS team highlighted how rewarding it was to contribute directly and see the difference their time made. We look forward to continuing this support with further volunteer days planned in the future.

We’re also providing Furnishing Futures with branding and communications expertise to help raise awareness of the charity’s impact and reach more people in need. This includes the development of brand guidelines, a marketing toolkit and a brand story video, all designed to strengthen the charity’s profile and ensure consistent, effective communications as the organisation continues to grow.

Read more here: https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/manchester-marketer-partners-with-domestic-abuse-charity/

APS has been awarded an EcoVadis Gold Medal for sustainability performance, achieving an overall score of 84 out of 100 in its latest assessment. This places us in the top 2% of companies globally, recognising the strength and maturity of its environmental, social and ethical practices.

EcoVadis is a globally recognised sustainability assessment platform used by organisations to evaluate ESG performance across operations and supply chains. For us, this independent verification plays a key role in our commitment to Trust & Transparency, one of our three sustainability pillars, providing external assurance that our sustainability policies, governance controls and reporting frameworks are robust, credible and effective.

We achieved our strongest scores in the Ethics and Environment pillars, reflecting a long-standing focus on strong governance, responsible business practices and environmental stewardship. These results recognise the practical measures embedded across the organisation, including waste management, carbon reporting, ethical risk management and responsible supplier engagement.

Importantly, this year’s EcoVadis Gold medal rating reflects continued improvement and work already embedded within APS, rather than a fundamental change in approach. We have been assessed by EcoVadis for several years and we have recently focused on strengthening governance structures, improving data quality and ensuring consistency in how sustainability performance is measured and reported across the business. The Gold Medal confirms that these efforts are both mature and well-embedded.

Commenting on the achievement, Andrew Young, Head of Sustainability at APS, said:

“EcoVadis Gold is an important validation of the way we operate as a business. It reflects the strength of our management systems and the collective commitment of people across APS to putting sustainability principles into practice. I’d like to particularly recognise the contribution of our HR, Compliance and Supply Chain teams, who have played a key role in cascading the holistic ESG requirements of EcoVadis into their areas of the business.

“We value external assessments like EcoVadis because they give our clients confidence in how we manage sustainability, governance and risk. This independently assured baseline creates more opportunities to work collaboratively with clients on their specific goals and targets. This is where we see our primary role as a trusted and effective partner in sustainable innovation.

“With our score sitting just one point outside the Platinum threshold, our focus for 2026 is to reach that rating while continuing to support client-led sustainability initiatives.”

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