To have great award winning interactive agencies, you need to have great interactive award programs for them to enter and win. Awards are an agency's way to get independent third party feedback on the quality of their work. Entering takes time and money, but the rewards when they win are worth the effort.
Below are the major award programs that the online marketing community recognizes as significant awards for interactive marketers. These are not all of the award programs out there, only some of the best. Many of these interactive awards are categories of long-standing advertising award programs. Others have been started specifically to recognize outstanding interactive advertising and great websites.
Click on the name of the award program to go to its website.
Program Name | Sponsor | Deadline to Enter | Description | |
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WebAwards | WMA | May | The WebAwards are the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. It recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals all over the world who create and maintain outstanding Websites. Now in its 17th year, the international WebAward Competition has become the premier award event for Web developers and marketers worldwide. Entry deadline May 31st. |
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Internet Advertising Competition Awards | WMA | January | The Internet Advertising Competition Awards are the first and only industry-based advertising award competition dedicated exclusively to online advertising. This international award program will evaluate all forms of online advertising, including email, page-based ads, online newsletters, mobile apps, Websites, video and social media in 86 industry categories. |
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MobileWebAwards | WMA | September | The annual international MobileWebAward competition recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals all over the world who create and maintain outstanding mobile Websites and mobile applications. Entrants benefit from assessment of their marketing efforts by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented by being recognized as an award-winning entry. |
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Clio Awards | e5 Global Media | March | CLIO maintains its original commitment to celebrate and reward creative excellence, honoring a powerful form of communication and its impact on modern culture. At the same time, the CLIO Awards remains focused on evolving with the industry in order to acknowledge the most current, breakthrough work. |
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Cannes Cyber Lions | EMAP plc | March | The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world's only truly global meeting place for those interested in creativity in communications. Each year it awards Lions to the best work in brand communications across all media platforms, and offers an intense learning programme during Festival week. |
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Ad Club of New York Andy Awards | The Advertising Club of New York | January | The International ANDY Awards, known as the world’s toughest award show, was established in 1964. It stands as one of the most sought-after awards for creative excellence in advertising. The ANDY Awards are sponsored by The ADVERTISING Club, a professional not-for-profit organization administered by its Chairperson, Beth-Ann Eason |
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Effie Awards | Effie WorldWide | October | With an influential network of 40+ global partners, Effie Worldwide is responsible for the assessment, determination and celebration of effective marketing communications in every corner of the globe. |
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AAF Addy Awards | American Advetising Federation | October | The ADDY Awards is unique among other advertising creative competitions in that it is the only competition that includes three levels of judging: local, regional, and national. Winning an ADDY at each level qualifies the work to progress to the next higher level. |
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One Show Interactive | The One Club | January | Celebrating the year’s best in digital advertising from across the globe, One Show Interactive began as a One Show competition category in 1998. In its 14th year, the awards competition has become a vanguard event, recognizing the achievements of digital advertising creatives and promoting excellence in advertising worldwide.nnovation and Development, and the new Online Branded Content category, One Show Interactive reflects the ever-expanding realm of online and interactive work. |
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D&AD Pencil Awards | Design and Art Direction | January | Design and Art Direction "Pencils" are recognised the world over as a symbol of true creative achievement. Year on year the D&AD Annual showcases the very best work and continues to provide an unrivalled source of creative inspiration. |
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Shorty Awards | Sawhorse Media, LLC | February | The Shorty Awards are a worldwide effort to engage hundreds of thousands of Twitter users to identify the best people and organizations on social media, culminating in a blockbuster ceremony in New York City. |
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DMA Echo Awards | Direct Marketing Association | May | The DMA International ECHO Awards Competition honors the world's best response marketing campaigns — campaigns that have raised the bar in terms of strategy, creativity and results. No other awards competition looks at the direct response marketing discipline in such totality. Which is why no other awards competition is so important. |
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Hatch Awards | Ad Club of Boston | May | Fifty Two years ago the leaders of the Greater Boston advertising community began the tradition of honoring their peers for creative excellence in their field. |
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W3 Awards | International Academy of the Visual Arts (Recognition Media) | May | The W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning sites, videos and marketing programs. Simply put, the W³ is the first major web competition to be accessible to the biggest agencies, the smallest firms, and everyone in between. Small firms are as likely to win as Fortune 500 companies and international agencies. |
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SXSW Interactive Awards | SXSW Inc. | November | The SXSW Interactive Awards competition uncovers the best new digital work, from mobile and tablet apps to websites and installations, while celebrating those who are building tomorrow's interactive trends. Founded in 1997, this competition was initially known as the SXSW Web Awards. |
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Horizon Interactive Awards | December | The Horizon Interactive Awards is a prestigious international competition recognizing outstanding achievement among interactive media producers. The competition recognizes and awards the best web sites, videos, online advertising, print media and mobile applications. Each year, the Horizon Interactive Awards receives thousands of entries from all over the world. A panel of industry professionals, from diverse multi-media, graphic design and marketing backgrounds, review the entries to determine the work that is to be recognized. Entries are given either a Gold, Silver, Bronze, and in some cases honorable mention award distinctions. | |
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Interactive Media Awards | The Interactive Media Council Inc. | December | The Interactive Media Awards™ recognize the highest standards of excellence in website design and development and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement. |
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IAB MIXX Awards | Interactive Advertising Bureau | July | The international IAB MIXX Awards honors the teams and talent that push interactive advertising to new levels—celebrating creatives and brands for unprecedented work in the interactive arena and elevating the creative and metric standards of the medium. Focused on creativity and impact, the MIXX Awards is the only competition that evaluates all key facets of interactive marketing, including strategy, creative development and execution, media placement and integration, effectiveness and ROI. |
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BIMAS Awards | British Interactive Media Association | July | The UK leads the world in terms of the diversity and dynamism of its digital media industry, and there's only one awards programme that reflects this: the BIMA Awards. Spanning four decades, the BIMA Awards are not only the world's most established and respected, but they are also among the most coveted. |
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Appy Awards | Media Post | January | The Appy Awards are all about acknowledging creativity and excellence in app design. The Appys were created to acknowledge extraordinary Applications, whether they be mobile, social, or Web-based Apps living inside another Web site. |
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CSS Design Awards | January | CSS Design Awards is a living archive of the world's greatest websites and an inspirational showcase celebrating emerging talent. The goal of CSS Design Awards is to capture every step in the rapid evolution of web design and to shine a light on designers that inspire us all. | |
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Silver Anvil | PRSA | February | The Silver Anvil, symbolizing the forging of public opinion, is awarded annually to organizations that have successfully addressed a contemporary issue with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness. |
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Bronze Anvil | PRSA | February | For more than 40 years, the Bronze Anvil Awards have celebrated the “best of the best” in public relations tactics — the individual items or components that contribute to the success of an overall program or campaign. |
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Stevie Awards | Stevie Awards, Inc. | March | The Stevie Awards honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide. Our mission is to raise the profile of exemplary organizations and individuals among the press, the business community, and the general public. In short order the Stevie has become one of the world's most coveted awards. |
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Webby Awards | The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (Recognition Media) | December | The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, The Webbys is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) — a 1,000+ member judging body that includes Executive Members comprised of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities, and Associate Members who are former Webby Award Winners and Nominees and other Internet professionals. |
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Favourite Website Awards Site of the Year | December | FWA is an industry recognised award program and inspirational portal, based in England and is one of the World's leading website recognitions. FWA is widely recognised as the number 1 achievement for innovative web design through the Site Of The Year award. | |
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Davey Awards | International Academy of the Visual Arts (Recognition Media) | November | David defeated the giant Goliath with a big idea and a little rock - the sort of thing small firms do each year. The annual International Davey Awards honors the achievements of the "Creative Davids" who derive their strength from big ideas, rather than stratospheric budgets. |
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Communicator Awards | International Academy of the Visual Arts (Recognition Media) | November | The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program recognizing big ideas in marketing and communications. Founded nearly two decades ago, The Communicator Awards receives over 6,000 entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the world. As we enter our 19th season, we're also introducing expanded mobile and new cause marketing categories, making this year's awards bigger and better than ever. |
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BtoB | November | BtoB, the magazine for marketing strategists, delivers timely editorial on all disciplines of business-to-business marketing. They name Top BtoB Agencies as well as other recognitions. | |
AdWeek | November | ADWEEK connects brands to media’s most influential audience – industry leaders who create and build brands, shape business strategy, push technology and drive culture forward. They regularly recognize the top advertising agencies and award winning work. | ||
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Advertising Age | November | Ad Age is the leading global source of news, intelligence and conversation for marketing and media communities. It's annual awards include the Small Agency Awards and Top Interactive Agencies. |