Eye Candy Midterms: Campaign of the Year

Now that 2010 has reached the halfway mark, it's time to take a look at the current contenders for December's second annual Eye Candy Golden Iris Awards. The Golden Iris honors outstanding achievement in nourishment that comes in through the eyes.

A lot can change by the end of the year, but this week we are looking at who would make the short list if the nominations were announced today.

For the 2010 awards, we've also added a new category: Campaign of the Year. You can read up on each contender for this category below, and vote on your favorite at the end of the post. 

The midterms for the other categories—Photography Book of the Year, Physique Model of the Year, Photographer of the Year, and Fashion Model of the Year—will be posted all this week. Y'all will be able to vote on each of those as well. The midterm voting results will be factored into determining the final nominees for 2010.

Congratulations to all who've made the midterms!

Calvin Klein

For three decades, Calvin Klein has set the platinum standard by which all fashion advertising is measured. This year, CK kept it simple—though still provocative—placing statuesque model/photographer David Agbodji's (left) naked and oiled butt in magazines worldwide. Plus, they hired Kellan Lutz as an underwear model!

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana bucked the recent trend of boyish-looking models and launched their spring campaign with full grown shirtless men (including David Gandy and Noah Mills). The dynamic fashion duo has since amped things up for fall—adding Evandro Soldarti to the hot model mix, and hiring "Alejandro" director Steven Klein to shoot their unseasonably flesh-filled ads.

Dsquared2

Dsquared2 booked photo duo Mert and Marcus to produce one of this year's more cinematic campaigns, which mixes vivid colors and outdoor settings with plenty of washboard abs. And many of the campaigns images are powerful enough to frame.

Frankie Morello

Nicola Formichetti (the man who dresses Gaga) styled Frankie Morello's memorable spring/summer campaign, infusing it with touches of decadence and fetishism. Factor in photographer Mariano Vivanco's eye and Ryan Bertroche's bod (right), and you have one of the year's most visually tasty treats.

2(x)ist

2(x)ist hired handsome André Ziehe for their to-the-point campaign. One ad from the series showing Ziehe's bare bottom was published in Out, but GQ and Details refused to run it. The mild controversy resulted in the campaign popping up on gay blogs everywhere, and ultimately reached their target audience better than the magazines that refused to run it would have.

Click here to vote on the other categories!