MUSE Awards Recognize Excellence in Creative and Design Industries
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, Oct. 21, 2025 – The 2025 MUSE Creative and Design Awards, organized by the International Awards Associate (IAA), has officially announced its Season 2 results, marking the second chapter of this year's global competition while celebrating the program's 10th anniversary milestone. From more than 13,000 submissions, this season's winners embody innovation, craft, and influence across the creative and design industries.
Casual Films earned the Platinum and 2 Gold distinctions for their collaborative brand film project, brought to life by their Hong Kong team and delivered for KuCoin, a leading global crypto platform built on trust.
This honor underscores the ingenuity of the idea, the caliber of its execution, and the lasting resonance it holds within its field. View the winning entry here: https://museaward.com/winner-info.php?id=235823
KuCoin's Brand Film Highlights "Trust First, Trade Next" Philosophy
Serving as the cornerstone of KuCoin's refreshed brand identity, the award-winning film captures the company's core value — "Trust First, Trade Next." This guiding principle emphasizes that trust is the foundation of all meaningful innovation, empowering users to trade confidently in a secure and transparent environment.
Through emotive storytelling, the film portrays a father and son navigating the waves — a powerful metaphor for navigating financial decisions with confidence and care. Rooted in empathy, the narrative connects with real human experiences, showing how trust, consistency, and reliability form the bedrock of both personal relationships and financial success. As the KuCoin app emerges as a symbol of financial steadiness, the story reflects the company's commitment: to be the crypto partner you can trust.
Insights from the Creative Team and KuCoin Leadership
Executive Producer and Creative Director Thomas J Elliott from Casual Hong Kong had the following to say about the win and what it means to the Casual team: "We are immensely honoured that our brand film for KuCoin has been recognized with a Platinum and two Gold Muse Creative Awards. This project was a bold creative endeavour to translate the complex, dynamic world of cryptocurrency into a compelling human story about security and opportunity. To be celebrated at this level by the MUSE Awards is a true testament to the power of collaborative storytelling and a shared vision with the KuCoin team to push creative boundaries."
"At Casual Films, we believe the most powerful brand narratives are those that resonate on an emotional level. This recognition is a wonderful validation of our team's dedication to craft and innovation. From the emotive narrative to the nuanced visuals and the performances of both our lead actors, every frame was designed to build trust and inspire confidence. These awards are a tribute to every artist and technician who poured their talent into this project, and we are thrilled to share this moment with our partners at KuCoin."
BC Wong, CEO of KuCoin, commented: "In the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrency, trust is the foundation upon all meaningful innovation being built. With 'Trust First, Trade Next,' we're reaffirming our commitment to delivering a platform where users can trade with confidence. Partnering with Casual Films on the brand film has allowed us to communicate this message authentically through powerful storytelling, and we're proud of this MUSE Awards recognition that highlights our shared dedication to building lasting trust in the crypto space."
MUSE Awards: A Platform for Global Creative Excellence
With Season 2, the MUSE Creative and Design Awards not only builds on its momentum but also expands the stage for creative and design excellence, offering a platform where both renowned names and emerging voices find equal footing. This chapter highlights how today's work continues to set new standards, while shaping a legacy that inspires future generations.
Grand Jury Panel and International Participation
The jury, consisting of over 100 distinguished professionals from 30 countries, brought together diverse expertise to ensure a fair and thorough assessment of the entries. All evaluations were conducted under a blind judging system, ensuring fairness and impartiality. Esteemed jurors included Jeremy Smith, Design Director and Lecturer at Irving Smith Architects; Florian Seidl, Design Manager at Lavazza; Xiyao Wang, Associate Principal at KOHN PEDERSEN FOX ASSOCIATES PC; Tiago Russo, CEO & Founder of Craft Design; Edward Cheung, Creative Director of Dentsu Creative; Fizza Shah, Executive Creative Director of Grey Pakistan; Min Lu, Marketing Manager at Meta; Ahmed Alsagheer, Motion Designer/Art Director at Asharq Business with Bloomberg; among others.
This season welcomed entries from celebrated brands and agencies such as Architectural Design & Research Institute of Tsinghua University Co., LTD., LWK+PARTNERS, Changan Mazda Automobile. Co., Ltd., MGM Grand Paradise, Geely Auto mobile Holding (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, Nara Dorneles Arquitetura, MINISO, MUJI, Fire Without Smoke, SearchDigital, Hilton, Pure Perfection GmbH, Ragdoll, Warners Bros. Discovery - Courageous Studios, Stage3 Agency, Northwell Health, and ROSHN Group. Notable client projects featured work for The Standard Hotels / Invictus Developments, Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI)., Colgate-Palmolive, Lacoste, Funcom, L'ORÉAL Deutschland GmbH, DHL Express, Toyota USA, The Coca-Cola Co. (Sprite), and JBL, highlighting MUSE's role as a stage for projects that resonate worldwide.
To view the full list of 2025 Season 2 MUSE winners, please visit museaward.com or design.museaward.com.
"Congratulations to all the winners this season," said Thomas Brandt, spokesperson of IAA. "As we commemorate a decade of the MUSE Awards, these achievements stand as proof of the dedication and brilliance that continue to inspire industries and audiences worldwide. Each winning entry is more than exceptional work—it is part of the ongoing dialogue that defines creativity and design today."
About KuCoin
Founded in 2017, KuCoin is a leading global crypto platform built on trust, serving over 40 million users across 200+ countries and regions. With established recognition for its reliability, the platform leverages cutting-edge blockchain technology, robust liquidity solutions, and advanced user account protections to deliver a secure trading environment. KuCoin offers access to 1,000+ digital assets and solutions including Web3 wallet, Spot and Futures trading, institutional services, and payments. Recognized by Forbes as one of the "Best Crypto Apps & Exchanges" and a "Top 50 Global Unicorn" by Hurun, KuCoin holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 certifications and is committed to security, compliance, and innovation under the leadership of CEO BC Wong.
Learn more: https://www.kucoin.com/
About Casual
Casual specialises in video content for business.
For over two decades, we have helped Fortune 500 companies:
- •Increase brand awareness and appeal
- •Attract and retain the best candidates
- •Explain complex products and services
- •Train and develop their staff
Casual are video consultants; expert filmmakers fluent in the language of corporate communications. Our proven ability to achieve business objectives with video is what makes us special. Our internal team use their vast experience to help our clients maximise the possibilities of video. We do it better than anyone else.
We are flexible and surprisingly useful, priding ourselves on our client service. We match our processes to the unique requirements of our clients, delivering outstanding results through effective, efficient and remarkably enjoyable partnerships.
Casual. Making video. Round the world. Round the clock.
Learn more: https://www.casualfilms.com
About MUSE Creative and Design Awards
The MUSE Creative and Design Awards celebrate excellence in creativity and design across diverse industries. MUSE honors innovative projects that push boundaries, set new standards, and inspire audiences worldwide. By providing a global platform, the MUSE Awards recognize exceptional talent and groundbreaking ideas that shape the future of creativity and design.
About International Awards Associate (IAA)
Established in 2015, the International Awards Associate (IAA) is a global organization dedicated to recognizing professional excellence and outstanding achievements in various industries. As the organizer of a wide range of prestigious award programs such as the MUSE Creative Awards, MUSE Design Awards, Vega Digital Awards, NYX Awards, NYX Game Awards, TITAN Business Awards, TITAN Innovation Awards, TITAN Property Awards, London Design Awards, NY Product Design Awards, French Design Awards, Noble Business Awards and many more, IAA aims to honor, promote, and encourage professional excellence, from industry to industry, internationally and domestically, through award platforms that are industry-appropriate.
Website: museaward.com / design.museaward.com