5 Popular Marketing Awards You Can Apply for Today
The spring is prime time for marketing professionals to showcase their expertise and gain recognition for their hard work. Entering marketing awards competitions can help you do the same. Several deadlines are fast approaching, and you don’t want to miss your chance to qualify.
3 Reasons To Apply
By applying—and hopefully winning—you stand to gain a lot. Here are a few reasons to throw your hat in the ring this spring and beyond:
Boost Visibility
Winning or being shortlisted for an award places your work (and brand) in front of industry leaders and potential clients. Put simply, honors can get you noticed and possibly more work.
Reinforce Credibility
Awards add an authoritative element to your brand, demonstrating your skills and achievements.
Celebrate Success
Recognize your team’s efforts by presenting their impactful work and creative thinking for public consumption.
5 Marketing Awards To Consider
To guide your search, we’ve put together a roundup of some popular marketing awards with open submissions through April. We’ve also included a few examples of notable past winners to inspire your application and outlook. So, make your calendars and get ready to let your creativity shine!
1. The Drum Awards for Marketing Americas: As one of the leading marketing awards programs in the Americas celebrated annually, this prestigious event recognizes and honors contributions across multiple industries. These awards put a spotlight on the people, campaigns and innovations that push marketing boundaries on both continents.
To qualify, you need to submit a marketing campaign executed between April 2024 and April 2025. The application should reflect details on the planning, execution, and results that defined the project.
For context, a previous winning agency, Splendid Communications, partnered with the charity Movember to amplify its message. The agency took home the coveted Grand Prix for its creative approach to Movember’s PSA.
The extended application closes on March 20, 2025, and finalists will be invited to an awards show in May 2025. You may submit your application here. The fee for the extended deadline is $595.
2. Ragan’s Top Women in Marketing Awards: The future is female! Women are a powerful force in the marketing world—and this global award celebrates females shaking up the scene. Ragan welcomes submissions that reflect all the ranks of female leadership, from recent graduates to those in the C-suite.
The idea is to give a platform to women who’ve built powerful brands and inspired action. Submissions should fall under one of more than a dozen of the provided categories, ranging from brand marketers to rising stars under 30. You can review past winners here to get a feel for the caliber of talent.
This year’s program is open to any work executed between April 1, 2024, and April 4, 2025. The deadline to enter is April 4, 2025, though you can apply through April 11, 2025, and meet the later deadline. A late fee of $325 per entry will be added to all entries received after 11:59 p.m. CT, April 4, 2025. Honorees will be invited to an in-person event in October 2025 in New York City.
Enter the award competition here.
3. The Savvy Awards: A niche award sponsored by the City-County Communications & Marketing Association, this one celebrates excellence in government communications. The competition is open to all local government entities (i.e. cities, counties, towns, villages, special districts, etc.). Public relations or consulting firms may submit entries on behalf of their local government clients.
To qualify, you need to submit work produced between January 1, 2024 and now. The project should reflect one of three categories: Communication and Marketing Tools, Graphic Design & Photography, or Communication and Marketing Processes. Each organization may enter up to three submissions per category.
The 2025 Savvy Awards will be presented at the 3CMA Annual Conference on September 3-5 in Las Vegas. See a list of past winners here.
Submissions for the 2025 awards period will open on April 4, 2025, with a final call for entry closing on May 30, 2025. You may submit your application here when it’s live. Note: the organization has a different fee schedule for members and non-members, so take that into account when you apply.
4. Influencer Marketing Awards: The creator economy has forever changed the way consumers interact and engage with brands. This award recognizes the role influencers play in the marketing mix. Agencies, brands, influencers, content creators, platforms, technology companies, talent managers, and talent agencies from around the world are eligible to enter and win. The work must have been produced between January 1, 2024, and the final deadline of April 21, 2025.
Entry submissions will be open until April 21, 2025. You can submit your entry directly or delegate it to an agency, PR partner, technology provider, or talent manager to do so on your behalf. You can learn more about the category criteria here. See last year’s slate of winners here and find instructions on how to enter here.
5. Ad Age Small Agency Awards: The seminal trade publication sponsors this award, which is focused on lifting up smaller organizations making a meaningful impact on the industry. Per Ad Age, they’re looking to spotlight creative approaches to marketing, recognize notable agency growth, and reward positive work cultures. For context, Ad Age defines a “small agency” as one of three categories: 1-10 staffers, 11-75 staffers, and 76-150 staffers.
The final deadline to enter is April 16, 2025. The publication doesn’t make a list of past winners available to non-subscribers. However, this press release from a 2024 Small Agency of the Year highlights one of the winner’s achievements.
Learn more about the awards and apply here. Note: You’ll need to first register for a free Ad Age account to apply.
Win With Comma in 2025
You worked hard in 2024. This isn’t the occasion to be humble. If you enter this year and aren’t successful, keep in mind it might take a few attempts to get noticed. Keep producing good work for its own sake, and you’ll be rewarded with loyal clients.
Speaking of clients, Comma is looking to partner with agencies this year to help you do more with less. Schedule your free 20-minute consultation today to learn how Comma’s marketing pros can help you produce high-quality content that scales.
