Award Categories
1. Excellence in Advertising
Winning entries will show clarity of strategy, originality of idea, strength of execution, and tangible outcomes such as brand lift, engagement, sales impact, or behavioural change.
2. Excellence in AI-Powered Storytelling
Judges will look for thoughtful application of AI, creativity in execution, and evidence of deeper audience connection or improved campaign performance driven by AI-enabled storytelling.
3. Excellence in Anniversary Marketing
Winning entries will show clear strategic intent, a compelling anniversary narrative, and thoughtful execution across relevant channels. Judges will assess the relevance of the milestone to the target audience, creativity of the storytelling, strength of integration, and measurable impact on brand perception, engagement, or commercial outcomes.
4. Excellence in B2B Marketing
Winning entries will demonstrate a deep understanding of the B2B audience, clear articulation of the business challenge, and strong strategic thinking behind the approach. Judges will look for relevance of messaging, effectiveness of execution across appropriate channels, and measurable outcomes such as lead quality, pipeline contribution, engagement levels, or shifts in brand perception among business stakeholders.
5. Excellence in Brand Awareness
Winning entries will demonstrate clarity of objectives, strong audience insight, and effective use of channels and creative to cut through a competitive landscape. Judges will assess the strength of execution and evidence of impact, such as uplift in awareness, reach, recall, consideration, or other relevant brand health metrics.
6. Excellence in Brand Strategy
Winning entries will show how brand strategy was translated into coherent and consistent execution across touchpoints. Judges will look for clarity of strategic intent, originality of thinking, alignment between strategy and execution, and measurable outcomes such as strengthened brand equity, relevance, differentiation, or long-term business impact.
7. Excellence in Communications / Public Relations
Winning entries will demonstrate clarity of communication goals, strong narrative and messaging discipline, and effective execution across relevant channels and stakeholders. Judges will assess strategic alignment, originality of approach, responsiveness to context or issues, and measurable impact on perception, trust, credibility, engagement, or organisational outcomes. This category celebrates communications that not only manage reputation but actively build long-term brand value and influence.
8. Excellence in Consumer Insights / Market Research
Winning entries will show how insights were meaningfully translated into strategy, creative direction, channel selection, or experience design, rather than remaining theoretical. Judges will look for clarity of insight, rigour of research methodology, relevance to the target audience, and clear evidence of impact such as improved effectiveness, engagement, behavioural change, or business outcomes.
9. Excellence in Content Marketing
Winning entries will show how content was planned, created, distributed, and optimised to drive sustained engagement rather than one-off visibility. Judges will assess originality of storytelling, consistency across touchpoints, relevance to the audience, and measurable outcomes such as engagement, reach, brand affinity, lead generation, or conversion.
10. Excellence in CSR / Cause Marketing
Winning entries will show how cause-led efforts were strategically executed to drive awareness, participation, or behavioural change, alongside measurable social and business impact. Judges will look for credibility, sensitivity, strength of partnership (where applicable), clarity of objectives, and evidence of tangible outcomes.
11. Excellence in Customer Engagement
Winning entries will show how brands moved beyond one-way communication to create meaningful touchpoints across the customer journey. Judges will assess clarity of engagement strategy, relevance to audience needs, creativity of execution, and measurable outcomes such as interaction rates, participation levels, loyalty indicators, or advocacy.
12. Excellence in Data Privacy and Security Marketing
Winning entries will show thoughtful strategy, audience-centric messaging, and creative execution that built confidence and trust. Judges will look for clarity of purpose, relevance to real consumer concerns, originality of approach, and measurable impact on awareness, understanding, behaviour, or brand trust.
13. Excellence in Data-Driven Marketing
Winning entries will show a clear connection between data insights and execution, such as targeting, personalisation, optimisation, or media efficiency. Judges will assess the intelligence of data use, clarity of objectives, and evidence of tangible outcomes such as improved ROI, conversion, engagement, or business growth.
14. Excellence in Digital Marketing
Winning entries will show cohesive execution across digital touchpoints, supported by strong creative, smart channel selection, and optimisation. Judges will look for strategic clarity, quality of execution, and measurable results such as engagement, traffic, conversion, or brand impact.
15. Excellence in eCommerce Marketing
Winning entries will show innovation across user experience, content, platform utilisation, promotions, or performance optimisation. Judges will assess strategic coherence, creativity, customer-centric design, and measurable outcomes such as traffic growth, conversion uplift, basket size, or revenue performance.
16. Excellence in Event Marketing
Winning entries will demonstrate clear objectives, thoughtful audience design, and strong execution before, during, and after the event. Judges will look for creativity, experiential impact, integration with broader marketing efforts, and measurable outcomes such as attendance, engagement, brand perception, or lead generation.
17. Excellence in Experiential Marketing
Winning entries will show originality, relevance to the target audience, and strong linkage between experience design and brand objectives. Judges will assess creativity, execution quality, and measurable impact such as engagement, sentiment shift, advocacy, or behavioural change.
18. Excellence in Gaming
This category recognises marketing initiatives that leveraged gaming environments, platforms, or mechanics to engage audiences and enhance brand experience. Entrants should demonstrate strategic relevance to gaming culture or behaviours.
Winning entries will show authentic integration rather than superficial placement, with creativity that respects the gaming context. Judges will look for originality, audience relevance, quality of execution, and measurable outcomes such as engagement, participation, brand affinity, or performance metrics.
19. Excellence in Influencer / KOLs Marketing
Winning entries will show meaningful collaboration rather than transactional endorsements. Judges will assess relevance of influencer partnerships, creative execution, audience response, and measurable impact such as engagement, reach quality, sentiment, or conversion.
20. Excellence in Integrated Marketing
Winning entries will show strategic integration rather than siloed execution, with each channel playing a defined and complementary role within the overall approach. Judges will look for clarity of objectives, consistency of storytelling, effectiveness of channel synergy, and measurable outcomes such as extended reach, deeper engagement, behavioural response, or positive business performance.
21. Excellence in Interactive Marketing / AR & VR
Winning entries will show thoughtful user experience design, relevance to audience needs, and creative use of technology. Judges will assess originality, usability, and measurable impact such as participation, dwell time, engagement depth, or brand lift.
22. Excellence in Launch Marketing
Winning entries will show clear strategic intent, compelling storytelling, and strong execution across relevant channels. Judges will look for clarity of objectives, launch differentiation, and measurable outcomes such as awareness, sales uptake, engagement, or market penetration.
23. Excellence in Live-Streaming Marketing
Winning entries will show strong audience interactivity, compelling real-time content, and thoughtful execution that encourages participation and immediacy. Examples include product launches, live shopping events, educational streams, or interactive Q&A sessions that deliver real-time value and foster community engagement. Judges will assess creativity, relevance to the target audience, execution quality, and measurable outcomes such as viewership, engagement levels, conversion, or community growth.
24. Excellence in Location-Based Marketing
For example, a fast-food chain utilised real-time location data to adjust its online advertising spend, ensuring its ads were directed to customers based on their proximity to stores. This strategy significantly enhanced ad relevance and increased foot traffic to physical locations, illustrating the power of location-based marketing in driving consumer engagement.
25. Excellence in Loyalty Marketing
Winning entries will show how loyalty strategies were thoughtfully designed and activated over time. Judges will assess strategic cohesion, customer-centricity, creativity, and measurable outcomes such as retention, frequency, lifetime value, or engagement growth.
26. Excellence in Marketing Innovation
Winning entries will demonstrate originality with purpose, showing how innovation addressed a real challenge and delivered impact. Judges will look for strategic intent, boldness of approach, and measurable outcomes rather than novelty alone.
27. Excellence in Marketing to a Specific Audience
Winning entries will show how strategies and execution were tailored to resonate meaningfully with that segment. Judges will assess audience insight, relevance, creativity, and measurable effectiveness such as engagement, conversion, or behavioural change.
28. Excellence in Marketing Transformation
Winning entries will demonstrate strategic leadership, execution excellence, and clear impact on marketing outcomes. Judges will look for evidence of meaningful change, scalability, and measurable improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, or business results.
29. Excellence in Media Strategy
Winning entries will show smart use of channels, data, and insights to maximise impact. Judges will assess clarity of strategy, efficiency, innovation in media use, and measurable outcomes such as reach quality, engagement, or ROI.
30. Excellence in Mobile Marketing
Winning entries will show how mobile was leveraged strategically across formats such as apps, messaging, mobile commerce, or location-enabled experiences. Judges will assess creativity, relevance, user experience, and measurable impact such as engagement, conversion, or behavioural response.
31. Excellence in Multilingual Marketing
Winning entries will show thoughtful integration of language and culture into creative execution, media selection, and audience targeting. Judges will assess originality, inclusivity, clarity of communication, and measurable outcomes such as engagement, reach, brand sentiment, or behavioural response. The category recognises campaigns that not only communicate across languages but also foster connection, understanding, and resonance within Singapore’s multilingual communities.
32. Excellence in Omnichannel
Winning entries will show clarity of omnichannel strategy, smart orchestration of channels, and consistency of messaging across the customer journey. Judges will look for evidence of improved conversion rates, enhanced customer experience, operational excellence, and measurable business impact resulting from an integrated, end-to-end approach.
33. Excellence in Out-of-Home Advertising
Winning entries will show originality of concept, effective media planning, and integration with broader marketing efforts. Judges will assess clarity of objectives, execution quality, creativity, audience reach, and measurable outcomes such as brand recall, engagement, or campaign performance.
34. Excellence in Performance Marketing
Winning entries will show clear performance objectives, smart use of optimisation tools, and evidence of measurable results. Judges will look for creativity, efficiency, ROI, and overall effectiveness in translating marketing investment into tangible, trackable business outcomes.
35. Excellence in Personalisation Marketing
Winning entries will show strategic use of personalisation across messaging, offers, and experiences, with clear measurement of engagement, satisfaction, conversion, or retention. Judges will assess originality, relevance, integration with omni-channel strategy, and evidence of improved customer experience or business outcomes.
36. Excellence in Programmatic Marketing
Winning entries will show thoughtful planning, creative execution, and measurable impact on audience reach, engagement, conversions, or efficiency. Judges will assess strategic use of programmatic tools, precision of targeting, originality of approach, and evidence of performance improvement.
37. Excellence in Public Sector / Non-Profit Marketing
Winning entries will show thoughtful integration of purpose, creativity in engaging stakeholders, and evidence of measurable outcomes such as participation, behavioural change, social impact, or policy adoption. Judges will assess relevance to target audiences, clarity of messaging, execution quality, and the meaningful contribution of marketing to public good.
38. Excellence in Purpose-Driven Community Engagement *NEW*
Winning entries will show how brands designed community engagement as an ongoing relationship rather than a one-off activation, with evidence of two-way interaction, sustained participation, and meaningful involvement over time. Judges will look for clarity of purpose, strength of community strategy, originality of approach, and measurable outcomes such as engagement depth, advocacy, behavioural change, or positive social impact, alongside clear relevance to brand or business objectives.
39. Excellence in Relationship Marketing
Winning entries will show how brands built durable relationships with customers by leveraging insights, communication strategies, and tailored touchpoints to encourage retention, advocacy, and lifetime value. Judges will assess strategic clarity, originality, execution quality, and measurable outcomes such as loyalty growth, repeat purchase, customer satisfaction, or brand advocacy.
40. Excellence in Retail / Shopper Marketing
Winning entries will show creativity in engaging shoppers, strategic use of touchpoints, and alignment with broader marketing objectives. Judges will assess the relevance of the shopper experience, execution quality, and measurable outcomes such as footfall, conversion, basket size, repeat purchases, or incremental revenue.
41. Excellence in Search Marketing
Winning entries will show clear strategic intent, creative and technical execution, and measurable results. Judges will assess originality, optimisation, relevance to the target audience, and tangible impact on metrics such as traffic growth, rankings, lead generation, or conversions.
42. Excellence in Social Media Marketing
Winning entries will show creative storytelling, platform-specific optimisation, and strategic use of data or insights to enhance engagement. Judges will assess originality, execution quality, audience resonance, and measurable impact such as reach, interaction, follower growth, sentiment, or conversions.
43. Excellence in Sponsorship Activation
Winning entries will show creativity, strategic alignment with brand values, and seamless integration with marketing efforts. Judges will assess originality, execution quality, audience engagement, and measurable outcomes such as brand visibility, social impact, sentiment, or business performance.
44. Excellence in Tech-Driven Marketing *NEW*
Winning entries will show how technology shaped planning, execution, and optimisation, delivering clear and measurable impact across the customer journey. Judges will look for clarity of objectives, intelligent application of technology, originality in execution, and tangible results such as improved engagement, efficiency, conversion, personalisation, or commercial performance. This category recognises marketing excellence where technology meaningfully elevates strategy, creativity, and outcomes.
45. Excellence in TV / Video Advertising
Winning entries will show creative excellence, strong storytelling, and effective media use that achieved clear marketing objectives. Judges will assess originality, execution quality, audience engagement, and measurable outcomes such as reach, recall, brand impact, or conversions.
46. Excellence in Urban Guerrilla Marketing
Winning entries will show originality, strategic intent, and effective execution that resonated with city-dwelling consumers. Judges will assess creativity, engagement, relevance, and measurable outcomes such as awareness, social amplification, footfall, or behavioural response.
47. Excellence in Viral Marketing
Winning entries will show originality, cultural or emotional resonance, and the ability to trigger widespread sharing or participation. Judges will assess creativity, execution quality, audience response, and measurable impact such as reach, engagement, social amplification, or business outcomes.
48. Marketing Leader of the Year
Entrants can nominate themselves or others; they should show achievements against objectives and evidence of business impact in the following areas within the eligibility period:
• Creativity, innovation, and the ability to pivot quickly and effectively
• Strategic, out-of-the-box thinking
• Excellent execution that helped manage cash flow for optimum business health
• New business or the creation of new business opportunities / new markets etc.
• Stability of the organisation’s business performance
• Unquestionable leadership, motivation, and support for their teams
• Any other exceptional action, achievement or work that especially merits this award
49. Marketing Team of the Year
This category recognises outstanding work from a client-side marketing team which has made a significant impact to their brand / organisation’s overall marketing campaigns, executions, and results. Entrants can use one particular campaign as a case study of evidence to form their entry or can use aspects from various projects, but all work must have taken place within the eligibility period and they must show evidence of:
◦ Outstanding achievements in campaigns and project management
◦ Creativity and innovation
◦ Strategic thinking
◦ Excellent planning and execution
◦ Successful results against objectives / KPIs
◦ Any other exceptional achievements or work that especially merits this award.
50. Marketer of the Year (Not for Entry)
This category recognises the brand that performs best at the Marketing Excellence Awards 2026.
Points System:
- Gold: 4 points
- Silver: 2 points
- Bronze: 1 point
Tie-Breakers:
Most Gold: If total points are tied, the brand with the highest number of Gold awards wins.
Most Silver: If Gold awards are also tied, the brand with the highest number of Silver awards wins.
Highest Average Score: If a tie still persists, the brand with the highest average score percentage (as assigned by the judges across all their winning entries) will win.