What if your artwork could change lives? A big hello to our Secret 7” community, for our first post of 2025 and on the week of our launch (!), we’re thrilled to announce an exciting partnership between War Child’s Secret 7” and D&AD for this year’s New Blood open call. This collaboration marks a significant milestone, as Secret 7” joins the ranks of D&AD's esteemed briefs, providing an incredible platform for emerging talent in the creative industries.

The New Blood open call is an exceptional opportunity for students, recent graduates, and up-and-coming creatives. Participants not only have a chance to compete for the prestigious awards, but also to have their work exhibited and auctioned, alongside globally renowned artists, at an exhibition in Spring 2025 at the NOW Gallery in Greenwich Peninsula, all while supporting War Child’s vital mission to protect and empower children affected by conflict.
This alignment of creativity and purpose underscores the transformative potential of art in making a difference in the world. If you are a student, or just starting out with your art practice you can submit your S7” application here to ensure your submission is also considered for the prestigious D&AD New Blood Pencil, a significant accolade in the creative industry.
Sammi Vaughan, Partnerships Director at D&AD, shares that: “We have always been inspired by the remarkable work of Secret 7”, and we’re thrilled to invite New Blood entrants from across the globe to participate in its highly anticipated return.” This initiative aims to support and recognise emerging talent in design, advertising, and creativity, giving participants the chance to showcase their work to industry employers and potentially earn the coveted D&AD New Blood Pencil.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where should I submit my work?
All submissions should go through the D&AD platform. This will simplify the process and avoid confusion, ensuring you qualify for both recognition as part of the D&AD New Blood selects and also the potential to exhibit at the Secret 7” exhibition alongside renowned artists.
How do I submit my work?
All submissions must be made through the D&AD platform. Please do not submit directly to the Secret 7” website.
What are the eligibility requirements?
Participants must be students, recent graduates, or emerging creatives. Further details can be found on the D&AD website.
How many submissions will be accepted?
The number of accepted submissions will be determined by the selection panel. Specific details will be communicated after the submission period ends.
When is the deadline for submissions?
March 20th for submissions via D&AD.
What happens to my artwork after submission?
Selected artworks will be showcased at NOW Gallery in London and auctioned online, with 100% of the proceeds from every sleeve sold directly supporting War Child’s vital work, helping children affected by conflict worldwide. Click here to read more about our work.
About D&AD
D&AD is dedicated to celebrating, stimulating, and enabling creative excellence. With a commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability, D&AD advocates for a creative industry that reflects the communities it serves. The organisation offers a range of programs designed to connect emerging talent with opportunities in the field.
The annual D&AD Awards and Festival stands as a benchmark for excellence in design, advertising, production, and craft, inspiring industry professionals and setting a global standard for creativity. Through initiatives like New Blood and Shift—a free night school for self-taught creatives—D&AD actively bridges the gap between education and industry, providing vital pathways for new talent to thrive.
Get Involved
This partnership with D&AD opens new avenues for artists and creatives worldwide. We encourage all aspiring talents to engage with the New Blood open call and seize the chance to contribute to Secret 7”. Your creativity can help shape the future and, at the same time, support War Child’s essential work.
Explore more about D&AD and how you can participate at www.dandad.org/en/d-ad-new-blood-awards/.
We can’t wait to see the innovative ideas and artwork that emerge from this collaboration! Together, we are celebrating creativity and making a meaningful impact on the lives of children affected by conflict globally.
Secret 7”, the much-loved charity initiative combining music and art, is making a highly anticipated return in 2025, proudly presented by War Child for the second consecutive year.
After a resounding success last year, the project is set to once again bring together a stellar mix of world-class musicians, visionary artists, and passionate collectors. All proceeds will go towards War Child’s vital work providing protection, education and specialist mental health support to children caught in conflict zones around the world.
Launched in 2012 and now running its ninth edition, Secret 7” selects seven iconic tracks from globally-renowned musicians, pressing each track onto 100 limited-edition 7” vinyl records. Creatives worldwide, from renowned artists to emerging talents, create one-of-a-kind sleeve designs for each record, interpreting the track in any style or medium of their choosing, resulting in 700 distinctive pieces of collectible art that push the boundaries of what a record sleeve can be.

These records are exhibited publicly, with the designers' identities kept secret until a big reveal once all items are sold. Therein lies the secret. During its nine year run, Secret 7” has produced and sold 5,600 one-of-a-kind records, raising over £700,000 for various charities to date.
Today, Secret 7” and War Child reveal the seven tracks in this year’s initiative:
The Cure - Warsong: Troxy Live 2024
Frank Turner - Be More Kind
Gregory Porter - Merchant of Paradise
Jessie Ware - Beautiful People
Keane - Black Rain
Scissor Sisters - Return to Oz
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Devotion (Brand New Song, Exclusive to War Child's Secret 7" )
We’re delighted to announce that War Child presents Secret 7” 2024 has raised an incredible £210,000!
Thank you to all the contributors, everyone who bid, attended the exhibition at NOW Gallery and helped spread the word – you were all vital to achieving this amazing result.
It has been wonderful to see the Secret 7" community come together to support War Child’s work. All funds raised will help War Child protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of children living through conflict in 14 countries around the world.

After much anticipation, Secret 7” can finally reveal the first sleeve contributors for this year’s project. Among the 700 designs are: acclaimed British artist Tacita Dean; iconic British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith; one of the most influential names in modern photography and film, Rankin; contemporary artist Cho Hui-Chin; prolific British artist and creative behind Tank Girl and Gorillaz, Jamie Hewlett; multidisciplinary Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson and many more.
Additional contributors include: Stanley Donwood, Bob & Roberta Smith, Helen Beard, Sue Webster, Tom Dixon, Morag Myerscough, Antony Burrill and many, many more. They’ll be joined by artists chosen via an open submission, which had thousands entries this year.

Running from 2012 - 2020, the original Secret 7” captured the imaginations of record collectors and art connoisseurs alike by bringing the two artforms together with the help of a surprise element. Having raised over £500,000 for charity causes in its first iteration, the much-loved Secret 7” project is now being relaunched by War Child to support our goal of ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war.
The concept behind Secret 7” is simple. 7 iconic musicians provide a track, each of which features on a limited edition pressing of 100 7” vinyl records. Artists from all over the world, ranging from household names to talented newcomers, contribute unique sleeve designs.

The 700 records will be shown at a free public exhibition which will be returning to NOW Gallery on London’s Greenwich Peninsula from 2nd - 17th March, after which point they will be sold via an online auction. There’s just one twist: the identity of the artist behind the record sleeve isn’t revealed until it’s sold. Therein lies the secret. All proceeds will benefit War Child.
Head of War Child Records, Rich Clarke, commented: "We are delighted to announce the return of the iconic Secret 7” project, which will help raise funds to support War Child’s crucial work in conflict zones around the world. War Child operates in some of the most challenging, hard-to-reach places to help children and families who are most severely affected by war. Sadly, demand for our work is growing. Our goal is to reach children as quickly as possible when conflict breaks out and to provide ongoing support long after the cameras have gone to support them through their recovery. We believe no child should be part of war. Ever. This is why projects like Secret 7” are so important. We are grateful to all the musicians, artists and partners who are involved in Secret 7”. Together, we will be able to protect and educate many more children, supporting their healing and learning for a safer, brighter future. Thank you."
NOW Gallery and Greenwich Peninsula Senior Cultural Projects Manager, Kaia Charles said, “We are looking forward to supporting War Child through the creative synergy of art and music. NOW Gallery is thrilled that Secret 7” is returning to Greenwich Peninsula in 2024 – which marks the gallery’s 10th year anniversary.”
As a unique, one-of-a-kind item, each record will instantly be highly collectible. Factor in that each participating musician commands a huge following and that previous contributing sleeve designers have included the likes of Sir Peter Blake, Yoko Ono, Sir Paul Smith, and Jake and Dinos Chapman, and you can start to understand why Secret 7” developed a cult following during its past tenure.
The tracks for War Child Presents Secret 7” project are:
- Aurora - 'A Different Kind of Human'
- Celeste - ‘Stop This Flame’: The highest charting single from her 2021 UK #1 album ‘Not Your Muse’.
- Hozier - ‘Swan Upon Leda’: A 2022 release that now makes its vinyl debut.
- Siouxsie & The Banshees - ‘Lullaby’: A deep cut b-side that also featured on the CD edition of the 1986 album ‘Tinderbox’.
- Paul McCartney - ‘Pipes of Peace’: The title track to his 1983 solo album and a UK #1 single.
- The Chemical Brothers feat. Beck - ‘Skipping Like A Stone’: The latest collaboration between the two artists, which featured on The Chemical Brothers’ recent Top 10 album ‘For That Beautiful Feeling’.
- The Specials - ‘We Sell Hope’: The closing track on their 2019 #1 comeback album ‘Encore’.