CATEGORIES
AGENCY
The following categories will look to award
individual agency offices by discipline. Please note this is open
to individual agencies rather than the global
network they belong to.
BRAND EXPERIENCE AGENCY
This award recognises agencies specialising in providing the best experiential marketing solutions.
CONSULTANCY
This award recognises the best companies across the globe that provide professional services from brand design to business strategies and more.
CREATIVE AGENCY
This category recognises the most creative advertising agencies. Judges will be looking to award and agency that consistently creates work to the highest level and an emphasis will be placed on the creative output criteria section. Samples of creative work will be required as support material. Embedded video in your PDF is accepted or uploaded in the online portal as supplemental documents.
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AGENCY
This award recognises agencies specialising in
providing targeted, response-driven creativity.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY
This award recognises agencies specialising in providing the best digital solutions.
IN-HOUSE AGENCY
This category is open to in-house agencies that
are part of brands’ businesses. This category is not
looking to reward external agencies that physically
(or virtually) work inside their clients’ offices
but instead to agencies that are part of a brand’
company. They can be supported by external
companies but must be, by and large, part of the
client organisation.
INTEGRATED MARKETING AGENCY
This award recognises the best agencies
specialising in providing the best integrated
marketing and branding solutions.
MEDIA AGENCY
This award recognises the very best agencies
specialising in media management.
PERFORMANCE AGENCY
This award acknowledges companies that best demonstrate a consistent ability to translate consumer intentions into revenue for clients, deliver ROI-based campaign activity and drive sales results for clients.
PR AGENCY
This category recognises the achievements,
performance and excellent work of a PR
consultancy.
SOCIAL MEDIA AGENCY
This award recognises the best agencies specialising in delivering social media solutions for brands. The judges will be looking for innovative use of social platforms and effective engagement strategies in the social space.
INDEPENDENT PR AGENCY
Open to independent PR agencies and agencies
that are not majority owned by a holding company
or network (less than 49%). Agencies not eligible
are those who are either majority, fully backed by
or sharing resources with a holding company, or
using a holding agency brand name. Scoring in
the independent categories places greater weight
on demonstrable business success, including
financial performance, growth, and commercial
impact, in addition to creativity and culture.
BRANDING AGENCY
This award recognises the best agencies specialising in creating, launching and repositioning brands. The judges will consider how the agency has planned, executed and evaluated branding projects for its clients.
INDEPENDENT MEDIA AGENCY
Open to independent media agencies and agencies
that are not majority owned by a holding company
or network (less than 49%). Agencies not eligible
are those who are either majority, fully backed by
or sharing resources with a holding company, or
using a holding agency brand name. Scoring in
the independent categories places greater weight
on demonstrable business success, including
financial performance, growth, and commercial
impact, in addition to creativity and culture.
INDEPENDENT CREATIVE AGENCY
Open to independent creative agencies and agencies
that are not majority owned by a holding company
or network (less than 49%). Agencies not eligible
are those who are either majority, fully backed by
or using a holding agency brand name. Scoring in
the independent categories places greater weight
on demonstrable business success, including
financial performance, growth, and commercial
impact, in addition to creativity and culture. Samples of creative work will be required as support material. Embedded video in your PDF is accepted or uploaded in the online portal as supplemental documents.
HEALTHCARE & PHARMA AGENCY
This category recognises outstanding creative,
strategic, and commercial performance by an
agency specialising in healthcare, pharmaceutical,
biotech, or life sciences communications.
NETWORK
The following categories will look to award
agency networks by discipline both globally and
regionally.
BEST NETWORK: EUROPE
This award recognises agency networks across
Europe. To qualify for this Award, entries much
include at least three offices across the region.
BEST NETWORK: ASIA PACIFIC
This award recognises agency networks across
the Asia Pacific region. To qualify for this Award,
entries much include at least three offices across
the region.
BEST NETWORK: LATIN AMERICA
This award recognises agency networks across the
Latin American region. To qualify for this Award,
entries much include at least three offices across
the region (This includes Mexico, South America, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean).
BEST NETWORK: NORTH AMERICA
This award recognises agency networks across the
North American region. To qualify for this Award,
entries much include at least three offices across
the region (This includes Canada and the United States).
BEST NETWORK: MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
This award recognises agency networks across the
Middle East & Africa. To qualify for this Award,
entries much include at least three offices across
the region.
GLOBAL NETWORK
This award recognises agency networks that have a
multi-region presence / client base. To qualify for
this Award, entries much include offices from at
least three different regions (Asia Pacific, Europe,
Latin America, Middle East & Africa and North
America).
PEOPLE & TEAMS
Entries will be
awarded as best in class globally but entries are
also welcome from those with global facing roles.
ACCOUNT PERSON
This award recognises professionals responsible for the account management who have displayed the most innovation, skills and enthusiasm in bringing the benefits of advertising to their clients’ businesses resulting in the development of solid business relationships. Judges will consider contribution to the agency and clients, client relationship management, client retention as well as new business wins, positive organic growth for clients.
AGENCY LEADER
This award recognises individuals working in a C-Suite leadership position who have done the most to advance their agency or network in the industry. Judges will consider the individual’s achievements during the eligibility period, including achievement against objectives, size of the operation, client profile and disciplines, new business wins, client retention, personal involvement in staff development initiatives, innovation with results, agency/network development and contribution to the role or image of the marketing communications industry in his or her market.
Please note that this category is
broken down by discipline: Creative /Advertising,
Customer Engagement, PR, Digital, integrated,
Experience, Media, Performance or Consultancy.
AGENCY GROWTH LEADER
This award recognises individuals working in a C-Suite leadership position who have done the most to advance their agency or network’s commercial growth. Judges will consider the individual’s achievements during the eligibility period, including achievement against objectives, new business wins, client retention, personal involvement in growth initiatives, innovation with results.
Please note that this category is
broken down by discipline: Creative /Advertising,
Customer Engagement, PR, Digital, Integrated,
Experience, Media, Performance or Consultancy.
CREATIVE LEADER
The award recognises creative directors who
have produced the best work for an agency or
network during the review period and have not
only set the standard for creative excellence but
have also raised the bar. Judges will consider
recognition received at the major recognised
award shows. If they are in a senior leadership role,
the individual’s contribution to staff development
initiatives, particularly their involvement in
nurturing young talent, and how their work has
contributed to the role or image of advertising will
also be considered. Samples of the nominee’s work
will be required as support materials.
CREATIVE TEAM
This award recognises the team behind the
best work for an agency or network during the
review period. The winning team will have not
only set the standard for creative excellence
but have also raised the bar for innovation and
disruptive big ideas. Ideally, the team will have
created campaigns for more than one brand.
Judges will consider recognition received at
the major recognised award shows. The team’s
commitment to diversity or social initiatives can
also be included in entries but the final decision
will rest on the quality of the work. Samples of
the nominee’s work will be required as support
materials.
NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM/PERSON
This award is for the new business development person/team who has proven to have built and developed a new account or expanded the services of an established client relationship.
Judges will consider solid examples of leadership in new business development initiatives that contributed to the success and financial growth of the agency.
STRATEGIC PLANNING LEADER
This award is for the planning professionals who have made the biggest impact on their clients’ business through development of breakthrough consumer, brand and communications strategies. This person will be responsible for fostering a culture of innovation within their strategy department.
Judges will be looking for evidence of the individual’s contribution to both agency and clients. The leader and their wide department will demonstrate thinking that is clear, insightful and change-enabling, innovative approaches to problem solving and an ability to develop commercially effective solutions to clients’ challenges.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING TEAM OR PERSON
This award is for the corporate communications / marketing
teams within an agency or network. It recognises world class success in addressing
issues related to management, corporate
communications, reputation, brand-building,
campaign execution and media relations.
TALENT MANAGEMENT TEAM/PERSON
This award recognises the talent management
professional or team who has most effectively
aligned the network’s people strategies with
business outcomes during the review period.
Judges will consider the individual’s/team’s
ability to develop and implement effective
talent management strategies that include
talent acquisition and retention, learning and
staff development, succession planning and
management, agency culture integration as well as
reward and recognition initiatives.
HEAD OF AGENCY
This award recognises the heads of global agencies who have individually done the most to advance their agency/network in the industry. Judges will consider the individual’s achievements during the eligibility period, including delivery against objectives, size of local operation, client profile and disciplines, new business wins, client retention, personal involvement in staff development initiatives, innovation with results, agency/network development and contribution to the role or image of the marketing communications industry in their market.
Note, this category is broken down by discipline: Branding, Creative/advertising, Customer Engagement, Digital, Experience, Media, Integrated Marketing, Performance Marketing, PR
STAFF ENGAGEMENT & INITIATIVES
These categories award
agencies demonstrating global impact in CSR, D&I
and who go beyond the norm to foster the most
productive and rewarding working environment.
BEST PLACE TO WORK: INDIVIDUAL SHOP & NETWORK
This award sets out to recognise an agency/agency
network that goes above and beyond the norm to
foster the most productive and rewarding working
environment possible.
GLOBAL INCLUSION INITIATIVE
This award honours agencies that can demonstrate
an ongoing and meaningful commitment to
diversity and inclusion programmes across their
organisation and who can provide real evidence of
their effect within their companies and the benefit
to their clients. Entries should include policies and
practices to support diversity within the workplace
and within your recruitment strategies.
Entry Code of Conduct
Haymarket Events, part of Haymarket Media Group, is committed to ensuring that all entrants and entries are judged fairly, equitably, and by their peers.
With this in mind, we would like to remind all entrants that we expect them to enter their work in good faith, with honesty and integrity. We expect all entries to represent bona fide work that a company or agency is proud to have produced. We acknowledge that the use of AI has become increasingly common, transforming how people work and the outputs they deliver. In light of this, we expect entrants to indicate clearly where AI has been used — whether in the development of the work itself or in shaping the written entry or any associated assets submitted as part of that entry.
If it becomes clear that an entry, or if the work entered, has been fabricated in any way, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Haymarket Media Group reserves the right to disqualify the entry. If results have already been published, we retain the right to rescind the award and will publish an explanation on our relevant brand sites. Please note: any such decision will be made in consultation with the Chair of Judges and/or relevant judging panel. Haymarket Media Group stands by its values of creativity, expertise, integrity, innovation, and respect. We expect everyone who enters, judges, or attends our events to uphold these same principles.
Thank you