Follow three simple steps:
1. Pick your category
There are a total of eight categories you can enter this year, plus a Grand Prix, which will be chosen by the Chair of Judges.
In addition, new for this year is our ‘Ad of the year’ award, but no need to complete an entry for this category. The shortlist will be comprised of the winners of our regular ‘Ad of the month’ polls as voted by you across 2024.
The Newsworks Awards are free to enter.
To be eligible, work must have been commercially released between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024, although it can also run either side of that period.
Entries must have run in one or more of the UK national news brands listed below:
This category will reward brilliant display advertising within news brands, be it in print, digital or a combination of publisher-owned platforms. We’re looking for a campaign that used news brands in an engaging way to drive real impact for advertisers.
The judges will be particularly interested in
- The strategic approach to display advertising
- The role of news brand display advertising within the wider communications mix
- Innovative and engaging use of display formats which attract attention and create impact
- The link between the communication activity and commercial performance against the defined objectives — i.e. what happened as a result of the activity
This category will reward the best content collaboration between advertisers and publishers, where brands were integrated into the editorial fabric of news brands to really resonate with readers (think content partnerships, advertorials, sponsorships and so on).
This year we are expanding this category into three separate awards to recognise and celebrate more content collaborations, of different shapes and sizes:
- Small budget: up to £100k media investment
- Medium budget: between £101k-£250k media investment
- Large budget: over £250k media investment
The judges will be particularly interested in
- The unique role of the news brands content partnership within the wider communications mix
- The big idea which fuelled the content
- The extent to which different news brand platforms were used to bring the campaign to life
- The power of collaboration and examples of where this was apparent across the planning process
- The link between the communication activity and commercial performance against the defined objectives — i.e. what happened as a result of the activity
It’s no secret that news brands are brilliant when it comes to taking advantage of a particular moment in time. From quick-witted responses to all-important announcements, this category will reward best in class tactical advertising, which demonstrates how an advertiser has used news brands to react quickly to make an impact.
The judges will be particularly interested in
- The thinking behind using news brands as a tactical communication opportunity
- The tactical/creative idea and how this was activated across news brand platforms
- What was unique and powerful about the campaign
- How tactical use of news brands drove short term (and potentially longer term) results
With the news agenda changing constantly, this award will go to a campaign that cleverly uses editorial content and media placement to amplify and elevate their message to boost overall impact.
The judges will be particularly interested in
- The role of news brands in harnessing the power of contextual planning
- The big idea — what was unique and powerful about the campaign
- Collaboration between the media agency, creative agency and the news publisher
- How contextual use of news brands drove short-term and longer-term objectives
We know that news brands deliver return on investment and boost long-term brand health. This category will reward a campaign that can demonstrate the role that news brands played in enhancing those all-important business results. Get your best-case study at the ready!
The judges will be particularly interested in
- The link between the communication activity and commercial performance against the defined objectives i.e. what happened as a result of the activity
- More specifically how the campaign drove business outcomes (results are the big scorer for the effectiveness category)
- Whether it’s possible to isolate the specific impact made by news brands?
This category is for purpose-led campaigns with a conscience that support an important cause and inspire or provoke change. Whether this is tackling sustainability to drive change for a greener future, addressing a taboo subject or pushing boundaries, telling unheard stories, championing diversity, inclusion and equality, and campaigning for a better society. Tell us how you’re changing the world.
The judges will be particularly interested in
- Campaigns with an ambition to make a measurable positive impact on society
- The role that news brands played in the campaign
- The level of impact that has come from the campaign and how effective it’s been in delivering results
- Considerations taken around sustainability, inclusivity and representation when planning the campaign
This award commends young talent across the industry. Someone who has made a real difference to their agency and their clients, who champions news brands and has made an outstanding contribution to news brand planning. They will be making a positive impact, internally or externally, making waves and going over and above what is expected of them.
The judges will be particularly interested in
- The individual’s passion for the news publishing industry
- How the individual has gone above and beyond to contribute to the industry or deliver a news brand campaign for advertisers
Individuals can work in any department and either nominate themselves or receive a nomination from an agency colleague.
We hope that with the level of talent and brilliant work being produced that organisations will choose to enter multiple individuals. We will be encouraging judges to keep an eye out for diversity of submissions made.
This category will hero the advertiser of the year: a brand that has used news brands consistently as a core part of their media plan over the last year to deliver on their overall communications strategy and drive effective long-term objectives.
The judges will be particularly interested in
- A consistent commitment to news brands over the longer term (12 months+)
- The strategy behind this, including the unique role that news brands played as part of a broader communications mix
- How this strategy was activated
- The extent to which news brands drove both short-term and longer-term brand and business objectives as a result of long-term investment
No need to submit an entry for this award but you can play a part in choosing the winner.
The shortlist for this award comes from the winners of Newsworks’ ‘Ad of the month’ competitions, our regular feature that celebrates stand out display, content-rich partnerships and brilliant multiplatform campaigns in news brands. Every month, our eight shortlisted ads go up against each other in a week-long poll, with the winner chosen by you.
Our nine winners from January until October 2024 will be in with a chance to win the coveted ‘Ad of the year’ award and a shiny Newsworks Award trophy to boot. Again, it’ll be up to you to choose the winner, with the results announced at the Newsworks Awards party on 3 December.
This is the big one! Whether cleverly using publishers’ ever-increasing portfolios of trusted content, or an amazingly brilliant campaign that pushes boundaries, this award will celebrate the very best of the best in news brand advertising and will be selected by the chair of judges from all submitted entries across the different categories outlines above.
2. Write your entry
Entries should be written in Word.
At the start of your entry, write an executive summary of no more than 200 words summarising the key elements of your submission.
The main body of your entry should cover the judging criteria in more detail. This section should be no more than four sides of A4 or 1000 words. Please include a word count to the top of your entry.
For all categories (except Rising Agency Star of the Year), please include sections on the following:
- Background: Tell us about your brand. What was the market, consumer and business context that framed your challenge?
- Challenge: What were you trying to achieve with this campaign? Summarise the business, marketing and communication objectives behind the investment. What was the specific role for news brands?
- Insight & strategy: What was the insight behind the campaign and how did you get there? Tell us how this informed and shaped your strategy. Credit any other agencies/consultancies involved and their expertise.
- Plan: How was the strategy and big idea executed in order to engage your target market? How did it make the most of news brands? How did news brands interact with and complement other marketing activity?
- Results: Establish the link between the communication activity and commercial performance against the defined objectives. Is it possible to isolate the specific impact made by news brands? What happened as a result of the activity? Include third-party verification where possible and please mark any commercially sensitive information “Judges’ eyes only”.
- Client view: Lastly, include a quote from your client. You’ll get extra points for this!
For the Rising Agency Star of the Year category please include sections on the following:
- Role and background: Tell us who you are nominating, what their role is within the agency and team, and a bit about their background.
- Championing news brands: How do they keep up to date with all that news brands have to offer? How have they championed news brands among agency planning teams and client marketing teams? What specific initiatives have they led to promote investment in news brands?
- Contribution to news brand planning & revenue: How have they made an outstanding contribution to news brand planning? Have they made a real difference for a client? Perhaps they’ve delivered an incredible campaign, something that hasn’t been done before or has seen impressive results. Have they made a significant, positive contribution to news brand investment across the agency?
- Achievements: Don’t be shy. Tell us all about their successes and standout achievements. How have they gone above and beyond?
3. Submit your entry
You can submit your entries by clicking on the ‘Enter now’ page.
For all categories, please ensure that you include
- At least three supporting hi-res JPEG images to showcase and tell the story of your entry (ideally 1200×763 or bigger)
- A high-res JPEG logos for the agency
- A high-res JPEG logos for the advertiser
If relevant, you can include supporting video or audio content too.
Please note: Case studies will be published on the Newsworks website following the Awards. If any of the information in the entry is confidential, please clearly highlight as “Judges’ eyes only”.
Also, please be aware that by submitting an entry, you agree with our Terms & Conditions: newsworks.org.uk/events/award-terms-conditions
Top tips
1. Tell a story. Explain the narrative behind your entry with detail and colour. Whilst you know it’s a great piece of work, the judges are yet to be convinced so don’t be afraid to really sell your campaign and highlight why it’s a winner.
2. Don’t forget to connect the challenge and objective to the results.
3. Address all of the judging criteria. This sounds obvious but it’s worth being mindful of where your focus should be.
4. Demonstrate collaboration. Some of the best entries show how well all parties worked together including the client, agencies, and publishers.
5. Get your client on board. They can provide essential information on the results and a complimentary quote makes all the difference.
6. Finally, proofread your entry. Don’t let a ‘smelling pistake’ get in the way of top marks!
Good luck! We look forward to receiving your entries.
