April 2, 2025
New York, New York
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Campaign creatively using product placement or branded entertainment media opportunities as its centerpiece. Includes sports and music events.
Contest, event or experience created by a brand or product
Original film, video, or interactive film created by a brand or product.
Creative use of media for a branding campaign
Creative use of print, TV, digital and/or other media in a campaign aimed at a business-to-business audience.
The creative use of content to promote a product, brand or service with lead generation as the primary focus.
Best creative execution or creative direction of advertising content by a media agency.
The creative use of data, including manual and/or algorithmic, processing, integrations, fusions, sourcing, etc., that achieve a better media campaign outcome.
Creative use of influencer marketing to identify key individuals/groups that have sway over potential buyers.
The most creative integrated plan across three or more advertising media.
Campaign creatively using media aimed at a specific multicultural/LGBT segment.
The creative use of content, in partnership with a publisher, to promote a product, brand or service with the primary purpose of increasing brand awareness/social engagement.
A campaign creatively utilizing a new or experimental use of media. Excludes VR/AR
Creative use of outdoor or place-based media as a campaign’s centerpiece.
Creative use of performance-based advertising or marketing in any media.
Creative use of magazines or newspapers in a campaign aimed at a consumer audience.
Innovative use of proprietary or syndicated research that resulted in a creative media strategy.
Creative use of social networks as a campaign’s centerpiece.
Campaign creatively using TV, interactive or addressable technology to enhance advertising.
Campaign with creative use of media in the serving the public
Entry Eligibility Dates: November 1, 2023- December 31, 2024
Early Entry Fee Discount Deadline: December 20, 2024
Entry Deadline: February 14, 2025
Finalists Notified/Published : mid March, 2025
Q. What are the eligibility requirements?
To qualify for the awards submission, all work must have been presented to the public in a verifiable location or medium during the eligibility period, we do not accept "spec" work.
Q. What are the eligibility dates?
Media campaigns must have run during calendar year 2024.
Q. What is the deadline?
The Early Discount Deadline is December 20, 2024.
All entries must be received by 10:00PM EST on February 14, 2025.
Q. What are the Entry Fees:
Early Discount entry fee is $395 per entry. This offer expires on December 20, 2024.
Regular entry fee is $495 per entry.
When submitting the same entry into multiple categories, the above fee will be multiplied by the number of categories selected. Entries will not be judged if they are not accompanied by full payment or if they are incomplete in any way.
Q. What are the Payment Options:
All entry fees are due at the end of the submission process via our online entry system. The only accepted methods of payment are Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card. We can not issue invoices or accept purchase orders, checks, and bank transfers.
Q. How do I enter?
Entrants can submit ads, promotions, campaigns and websites for as many categories as they like, and/or submit multiple entries for each category. Submissions should reflect work that was predominantly done by the submitting agency or other company, and the role of any collaborating creative and media agencies, the client, and any other entities should be referenced in the separate "Affiliated Agencies" field provided on the entry form. PLEASE PROOF campaign name and those you list as part of the team as this information will be published if you become a finalist.
Each entry also requires a "Brief" which must contain the objectives of the individual ads, campaigns and websites as well as any anecdotes, supporting facts or figures that illustrate its creativity and accomplishment. Briefs should be no more than 300 words in length.
All other supporting materials must be submitted electronically:
Provide a single URL link per entry. This should link to a page containing all creative materials, easily viewable by our Judges. Clear and concise presentation of all relevant creative assets at a single web URL will be important to proper consideration and the jury convenience. The entry URL must remain accessible until the day of the award ceremony.
Q. What required fields are on the online Entry Form?
The online entry form consists of 4 pages:
(1) Entrant's contact info
(2) Entry details:
Category (-ies) (each entry can be submitted into either one or multiple categories)
Agency (that will receive the award if won)
Client/Brand/Advertiser
Campaign Title
URL containing the creative materials for the judges
Individual Credits (ECDs, Developers, Designers, etc.)
Any 3rd party Affiliated Agencies that were involved in the work
300-word Brief
NOTE: Each time you revisit an entry to make any edits, the previously uploaded versions of your media files will be deleted. If you edit and entry, you MUST upload your files again on this 3rd page of the entry form.
(4) Review submitted entries and Checkout
Q. What are the Judging Criteria?
By the time a P&BA entry has reached the winner’s circle, it has survived two rounds of judging. The combined experience of the judges enables the Planning & Buying Awards to honor the industry’s most effective work.
Round One judging consists of an internal editorial team reviewing and judging the briefs and creative materials. Our editors handpick three finalists per category and then send the results to the jury for the Final Round.
The Final Round of judging is comprised of a panel of industry experts and our editors who review the briefs and creative materials of all the finalists. Together they will decide which brief in each category was the most effective in conveying the "IDEA" and how the idea drove the campaign.
Q. Will we be informed if we are finalists?
Finalists will be announced mid March 2024.
Q. What is your Publishing Policy?
Creative materials and briefs become property of MediaPost Communications. MediaPost is granted the right to publish the winning briefs and creative materials on the Planning & Buying Awards Web site and within MediaPost’s online and print publications.
Q. When and where will the awards show be held?
Winners will be announced on April 2 in New York City.
Please contact Nicole Fadner, Director of Communications, at nicole@mediapost.com.
Please contact Nicole Fadner, Director of Communications, at nicole@mediapost.com.
For questions regarding sponsorship of this event please contact Seth Oilman, SVP, Chief Revenue Officer at seth@mediapost.com.
For press inquiries, please contact Nicole Fadner, Director of Communications, at nicole@mediapost.com.
