Ad Age is inviting submissions for its new Digital Campaign of the Year category as part of its annual Small Agency Awards.
The annual contest honors independent shops with 150 or fewer employees. The goal of these awards -- now in their sixth year -- is to ensure that the smart thinking and innovative brand ideas produced by smaller shops are getting their due. We've observed that all too often this community's work isn't being surfaced in the big awards shows.
The best part? Winning a Small Agency Award can help under-appreciated shops get noticed in a major way.
After Ad Age named its first-ever Small Agency Award winner in 2009, that agency, Rockfish, was snapped up by WPP in short order. For Pereira & O'Dell, which won in 2010, it helped propel the agency to win three Grand Prix awards in Cannes.
Other past winners in this contest include The Via Agency of Maine and North Carolina-based Baldwin&. Last year the crown went to Nebraska shop Bailey Lauerman.
"We launched the Ad Age Small Agency Awards not only to honor excellent marketing-services firms with 150 employees or fewer, but also as a service to marketers," said Abbey Klaassen, associate publisher-editorial & audience at Advertising Age. "These are the kind of shops more and more clients are seeking today. In a world of increasing consolidation, marketers still want agencies that are quick, nimble and innovative, and our mission is to highlight them."
To keep the show accessible, all entry fees are under $300. The deadline for entry is April 9. Submit here. We've also greatly simplified the entry process this year.
For 2014, Ad Age is launching two new entry categories, a Digital Campaign of the Year award, and a b-to-b award.
As in years past, we'll award gold and silver for an Agency of the Year -- Overall; Campaign of the Year -- Integrated; Campaign of the Year -- Pro-Bono; and Best Agency Culture. We'll also award winners in three size categories for Agency of the Year, plus regional winners (Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, West, Northwest and Northeast) and international winners.
The contest is open to independent agencies with staff of 150 people or less. For questions about eligibility, head to our handy FAQ page on the Small Agency Awards site.
Winners are announced in July at Ad Age's Small Agency Conference and Awards Show, an annual event which travels to vibrant ad markets around the country. In the past we've held the two-day confab in cities such as Portland, New Orleans, Denver and Minneapolis. For 2014, we're headed to the home of barbecue and awesome music: Austin, Texas. The event will be held July 23 and 24.
Again, the entry deadline for awards is April 9, 2014. For complete details on how to enter and to register for the conference, head here.
