It’ the idea behind the ad that makes it worth spreading. And no one knows this better than TED, who took its ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’ tagline and turned it into ‘Ads Worth Spreading’. What better way to show the world what advertising communication should lift up to in the online world? Here are the 10 winners of the first TED Ads Worth Spreading competition, selected from over 1,000 worldwide submissions.

We want to nurture ads so good you choose to watch. On TED.com, ads run after our talks, not before. This means they can run longer than the TV-standard 30 seconds. And that’s the key! In 2-3 minutes, there’s enough time to really tell a story, share an idea, make an authentic human connection, become unforgettable. Instead of ambush, they offer pleasurable, intelligent engagement.

Here are, in no particular order, 3 of the great winning ads. For the other 7 winners and 14 honorable mentions see ted.com/initiatives/aws.

Featured image by Mother New York.