Winners for the annual Pele Awards competition were celebrated virtually on Friday for the first time in 35 years. Judging was done March 4 and 5 by a panel of mainland judges.

The judging — for categories such as Publication Design and Television Advertising — is usually done in person, but the change was made this year because of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hawaii.

Video commercials, still photographs and graphic design pieces for magazines and t-shirts were among the 400-plus professional and college-level Pele Awards entries, about a third of which received a Bronze, Silver or Pele Gold Award.

Anthology Marketing Group won 27 awards as well as a “Best of Show — Advertising” award for a Hawaii Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company commercial, and NMG Network won 10 awards as well as a “Best of Show — Design” award for its magazine designs for client Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants.

Other agencies that won big include Wall-to-Wall Studios, which won 14 awards and two Judge’s Awards for its Zippy’s T-shirt designs and Queen Kapiolani Hotel designs for items such as brochures, T-shirts and door signs.

MVNP won 15 awards, and Wasiswas and Two Line Marketing won a Judge’s Award for their “Haiku Poster Copywriting” entry.

There were nearly 400 high school entries as well, and the winners will be announced Friday.

The Pele Awards have been part of Hawaii’s design community for over 40 years and are one of 15 national district competitions for the American Advertising Awards (ADDYs).

HEMIC "Work" 60 from Anthology Marketing Group on Vimeo.