Map Wins Gold Lion for Digital Craft in Data and AI Real-Time Usage and Targeting at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2021
Map Developed in Partnership with Brooklyn-based Global Design and Technology Firm Work & Co via the Transit Innovation Partnership Allows Customers to Navigate Subway System in Real Time
Cannes Lions International Festival Received over 29,000 Submissions from 90 Countries
View MTA's Award-Winning Live Subway Map
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that the Cannes Lions had awarded the prestigious Gold Lion award to the Authority for its Live Subway Map for Digital Craft at the 2021 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The Live Subway Map, the MTA’s new online display of real-time train locations, took home the Gold Lion over notable brands Expedia.com, U.S. Air Force, Shiseido, Meter Environment and Fondation de France. Overall, the festival received 29,074 submissions from 90 countries this year.
The first-of-its-kind map gives riders the power to navigate the subway system like never before. The map allows riders to plan trips more easily by taking into account service changes and seeing train movements as they happen in real-time. The creation of the map was the byproduct of an 18-month-long public-private partnership between the MTA, the Transit Innovation Partnership and Brooklyn-based global design and technology firm Work & Co.
“The Cannes Lions Festival is akin to the Oscars for digital, marketing and advertising programs, and features entries from brands all over the globe. I am elated that the Live Subway Map was not just considered, but awarded a Gold Lion,” said Sarah Meyer, MTA Chief Customer Officer. “This is just further evidence of the map’s popularity and effectiveness. A big thank you to Work & Co for being great partners in developing this innovative website that will help returning riders navigate our sprawling subway system for years to come.”
"Investing in a tool that helps New York City and its visitors has been a point of pride and frankly also something Work & Co saw as our responsibility,” said Felipe Memoria, founding partner at Work & Co. “As a company based in Brooklyn, we wanted to do our part to help continually modernize the public transit experience. Our team is proud of the collaborative relationship we established with the MTA and it's clear that marrying great design with the best engineering has big impact —not just in earning creative awards, but as a way we can create digital products and experiences that meaningfully improve our daily lives."
“We are proud to join the MTA and Work & Co in celebrating this groundbreaking achievement,” said Natalia Quintero, Senior Vice President of Innovation at the Partnership for New York City. “The Live Subway Map is a great example of how the private sector can contribute to improving the transit experience, just as riders return and the city gets moving again.”
The beta version of the Live Subway Map launched October 2020 and has been a key tool for keeping riders informed with up-to-the-minute service information. Work & Co designed and developed the web-based digital tool on a completely pro bono basis with the goal of making the lives of New Yorkers easier. Highly customer friendly, the map allows customers to navigate the system in an intuitive and digital way. Customers will no longer have to read through printed station signage to determine how they should travel throughout the system.
Filmmaker Gary Hustwit documented the creation of the live map, in a short film released in late 2020 called The Map. The documentary examines the evolution of wayfinding and user interfaces, and shows how good design and the latest digital technology can simplify one of the world's most complex transit systems.
The Live Subway Map has been recognized with the following awards since its launch in October:
- Transportation Award at the Core77 Design Awards 2021
- 2021 Webby Award and Webby People’s Award for “Best Mobile User Experience”
- Communications Arts winner
- Indigo Awards: Digital Design of the Year and Gold in both Innovative Use of Technology and Best Tools and Utilities
- Creative Review: Best Website
- Horizon Interactive Awards: Gold for Responsive Design and Government Website categories.
It has also been the subject of reporting in New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Ad Age.