Award Categories

NEW : Best Campaign Celebrating Cultural Communities

This award honours campaigns that reach people from or focus on different cultural backgrounds to create positive impact through culturally relevant messages. This could include campaigns that promote BIPOC-owned businesses, champion various cultural communities or celebrate cultural nuances, amplify underrepresented voices, encourage diversity and inclusion or confront issues like racism, xenophobia, and harmful bias.

Judges will be looking for bold, authentic campaigns that educate, inspire, or advocate for equity while staying deeply rooted in cultural insight. The strongest entries will reflect a genuine commitment to understanding the community they serve, using creative strategy and storytelling to spark connection and create space for communities to be seen, heard, and valued.

Eligible campaigns may focus on—but are not limited to—Black, Latinx/Hispanic, Native/Indigenous, or Asian groups, as well as other marginalised or multicultural communities.

In Partnership with Backlight.

NEW : Best Campaign for a Charity

This category honours outstanding campaigns that have successfully championed a charitable cause, driving awareness, engagement, and fundraising for NGOs or nonprofit organisations.

Entries should showcase creativity, impact, and effectiveness in mobilising support, whether through digital campaigns, community initiatives, or large-scale fundraising efforts.

We are looking for campaigns that have made a tangible difference. This could be by raising critical funds, inspiring action, or advocating for meaningful change. Whether supporting health, education, social justice, environmental causes, or humanitarian aid, the winning campaign will demonstrate innovation, authenticity, and a deep commitment to making a positive impact.

NEW : Best Campaign for Disabilities and or Impairments

This category rewards outstanding campaigns that have made a meaningful impact in contributing, supporting and/or advocating for the disabled community.

We welcome entries that champion inclusivity, accessibility, and empowerment for individuals with disabilities, whether through awareness initiatives, policy changes, community engagement, or innovative solutions. Whether it's breaking down barriers, amplifying voices, or driving real change, we are looking for work demonstrating creativity, effectiveness and a genuine commitment to making a difference.

Eligible campaigns may focus on supporting individuals with impaired vision, deafness or hearing impairments, motor difficulties, cognitive impairments, learning disabilities, or any other long-term or short-term disabilities.

NEW : Best Campaign for Health & Wellbeing

This category celebrates impactful campaigns that promote or focus on physical, mental, and holistic health, fostering positive wellbeing for individuals and communities.

The jury will be looking for campaigns that encourage healthier lifestyles, inspire behaviour change, raise awareness of important health issues, improve access to healthcare and wellness resources, reduce stigma around mental and physical health challenges, or create safe and supportive spaces for individuals or communities to seek help with their health.

Entries may cover a wide range of health and wellbeing topics, including but not limited to: physical fitness, clean eating, mental health awareness, therapy, self-esteem, mindfulness, grief support, anxiety, depression, self-harm prevention, sexual health, and community connection.

NEW : Best Campaign for the LGBTQ+ Community

This category is looking for impactful campaigns that uplift, support, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, including transgender, gay, lesbian, queer, non-binary, and drag communities. Entries should showcase creativity, inclusivity, and a commitment to driving awareness, acceptance, and equality.

We are looking for campaigns that challenge discrimination, amplify LGBTQ+ voices, and foster meaningful change through advocacy, education, representation, or celebration. Whether it's a bold awareness campaign, a groundbreaking initiative, or a powerful storytelling effort, the winning campaign will demonstrate authenticity, innovation, and a lasting positive impact on the LGBTQ+ community.

NEW : Best Campaign for Women’s Empowerment

This category celebrates campaigns that champion women’s rights, gender equality, and female empowerment across all aspects of life.

The jury will be looking for entries that drive awareness, education, and meaningful change in areas such as women’s healthcare (including sexual and reproductive health), domestic violence prevention, economic equity, gender roles, women’s safety, and unrealistic beauty standards.

Winning campaigns should either demonstrate a commitment to creating equal opportunities, improving access to resources, or challenging societal norms, whether within industries, communities, or society at large. Entries should showcase how the campaign has made a tangible impact in empowering women, fostering inclusivity, and driving progress toward a more equitable future.

NEW : Local Impact Campaign

Judges will be looking for cause-driven campaigns designed specifically for local audiences, recognising brands and advertisers that have made a tangible impact by addressing regional challenges, cultural nuances, and community needs.

This category is open to challenger, local, or global advertisers that have demonstrated a deep understanding of their audience, crafting campaigns that resonate authentically and drive meaningful change within a local market.

UPDATED : Best Collaboration for a Cause

This category honours cause-driven campaigns that have created a significant impact on people and/or the planet through collaboration. The jury will be looking for initiatives where two or more businesses or organisations joined forces, leveraging their expertise and resources to work toward a common cause.

Winning campaigns should demonstrate how this collaboration helped overcome challenges, raise awareness, and drive meaningful change—whether addressing environmental, social, or humanitarian issues—with measurable benefits for communities or the planet.

UPDATED : Best Environmental Campaign

This category celebrates campaigns that have made a tangible impact on the environment by addressing critical ecological challenges.

This category is open to activations with a clear focus on making the world’s rivers, oceans, and/or land cleaner and healthier, to help preserve ecosystems for future generations. This could include campaigns centred around removing or reducing waste, restoring coral reefs, reforestation efforts, pollution and carbon reduction, regenerative farming.

Alternatively, judges will also consider campaigns that have seamlessly integrated efforts to protect animals, wildlife and boost biodiversity. This could include initiatives that promote sustainable animal farming, encourage Vegan/plant-based lifestyles, combat poaching and illegal hunting, or drive other meaningful actions to safeguard animal populations and their habitats.

Entries should provide clear evidence of their impact, showcasing measurable results and benefits. Whether at a local, regional, or global scale, successful campaigns will highlight the power of media and marketing in driving meaningful environmental change.

UPDATED : Best Innovation for a Cause Campaign

The jury will be looking for campaigns where innovation has played a pivotal role in driving meaningful change—whether by helping to save the planet, improving lives, or supporting communities. Entries should showcase how creative thinking, groundbreaking technology, forward-thinking strategies or the development of a pioneering solution have been used to tackle a pressing environmental or social issue.

Winning campaigns should demonstrate how innovation has not only raised awareness and educated audiences but delivered measurable results and also created a lasting, scalable impact on a local, regional, or global level.

UPDATED : Best Internal Initiative

We are seeking the most outstanding internal initiatives within media, marketing, and brand workplaces—programs that foster a positive, supportive, and progressive work environment. This award recognises organisations that go beyond standard policies to implement innovative and meaningful initiatives that enhance employee well-being, inclusivity, and sustainability.

We welcome submissions across a variety of categories, including but not limited to: Grief support, maternity & paternity leave, inclusion and diversity policies, neurodivergent support, sustainability, illness support, giving back to community, health & safety, employee rights.
UPDATED : Best Reactive Response

This category celebrates campaigns that have promptly and meaningfully responded to societal, environmental, and cultural challenges with purpose-driven strategies.

A key consideration will be the timeliness of the response. Entries should demonstrate how the brand acted swiftly and decisively—either in real time or through rapid or short-term action—to address an issue with meaningful impact.

Winning entries should showcase an understanding of the issue at hand, illustrating not only why the brand took action, but also how their response was authentic and aligned with their values.

Examples include, but are not limited to, campaigns addressing issues such as social justice, diversity and inclusion, climate change, humanitarian crises, public health challenges, economic inequality, political movements, consumer advocacy, and grassroots activism.
UPDATED : Best Sustainability Campaign

This category honours campaigns that drive meaningful and lasting change in sustainability across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The jury will be looking for initiatives that encourage responsible consumer choices, promote ethical business practices, and reduce reliance on non-renewable resources in materials, supply chains, and production. Campaigns can span all sectors—from packaging and fashion to energy and corporate responsibility.

Winning entries should demonstrate a long-term commitment (two or more years) to educating, raising awareness, and shifting behaviours, perceptions, or cultural norms. Whether focused on environmental conservation, social equity, or economic resilience, campaigns must provide clear evidence of measurable impact at a local, regional, or global scale. Judges will assess effectiveness, innovation, and the ability to drive tangible, lasting change.

Best Business Striving to Make Media a Force for Good

This category is open to organisations who have been set up to help the media industry deliver more sustainable and inclusive advertising solutions for clients. This could be a brands, agency, media owner, tech company or tech solution.

The jury will be looking at the impact the business has made in delivering better media solutions for advertisers, which take into account one, or more of the following: sustainability, social impact and inclusivity and ultimately help showcase how the industry can be a force for good.

Please note this category is for those businesses who have been created to deliver better media solutions for clients. Examples include Good-Loop, The GoodNet, Good Agency, Backlight and Brand Advance.

Best Use of Accessibility in a Campaign

This category is looking to reward campaigns, which have implemented accessibility within their strategies to ensure those with any form of impairment such as visual, auditory, cognitive and motor can still understand the client’s messaging.

The successful campaign will have taken into account all of the above and delivered the client’s key objectives through more than one of the following methods: subtitles, signing, contrast, audio description, dialogue, readability, fonts, images and design.

Examples can include campaigns such as Microsoft’s Accessible Card and Cadbury’s: Sign with Fingers Big or Small.

In Partnership with ISBA.