About the Awards
Artificial Intelligence has shifted from promise to practice—reshaping how brands connect with people, anticipate needs, and spark growth. Yet the true power of AI in marketing is not found in faster data-crunching or endless personalization alone. It lies in creating meaningful, human connections at scale—connections that inspire, resonate, and endure.
The 2nd Annual AI Awards for Better Marketing celebrate the brands and teams who are proving that AI, when paired with human insight and imagination, can do more than drive efficiency. It can deepen trust, elevate purpose, and make marketing matter in entirely new ways.
Last year’s winners showed us that AI is not simply about algorithms—it’s about empathy, creativity, and courage. They demonstrated how technology can help brands listen more closely, respond more personally, and act more responsibly. This year, we want to see how you are pushing those boundaries.
Which brands will lead the way in showing that AI isn’t just transforming marketing—it’s transforming relationships? Enter now to share your story, inspire the industry, and be recognized as part of the next chapter of Better Marketing.
Why Enter
- Gain global recognition as a pioneer in AI-driven marketing.
- Showcase how your team uses AI not just for speed or scale, but to inspire deeper human connections.
- Elevate your brand’s role in shaping the future of Better Marketing.
- Be part of a select group of case studies that spark ideas across the industry.
Why We’re Different
- We celebrate emotional impact, not just technical achievement.
- Winners are chosen for blending AI with human creativity, empathy, and strategy.
- The focus is on Better Marketing—where AI enables more meaningful customer relationships.
- Recognition goes beyond an award: winners are featured through The Internationalist’s global marketing community.
2025 WINNERS ANNOUNCED
It’s Easy To Enter
Understanding consumers is at the heart of marketing.
The brands flourishing in this new AI Era will put the customer at the center of every action and communication.
It’s easy to enter– Answer these 8 defining questions, and provide supporting links, images or video examples of the program.
1. Outline the marketing situation to which the program responded.
2. Describe the critical insight or insights that became the foundation for the program.
3. How was AI’s role central to this initiative?
4. Tell us about key tactics employed and why they may be considered pioneering.
5. How was the AI combined with human insight and emotion to achieve great marketing?
6. Understanding consumers is at the heart of marketing. How was AI used to prioritize customer needs?
7. Discuss how the success of the project and how it was measured. For example, did it engender brand growth, impact the bottom line, or change attitiudes and behaviors?
8. Describe how this AI program demonstrates the significant impact marketing can have on “making a world of difference.”.
Please aim to keep answers to roughly 300 words.
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY ON THIS FORM
Key Dates:
- March 30, 2026 – Call for Entries Opens
- May 8, 2026- Deadline for Entries.
- Mid-June 2026- Finalists alerted. Winners announced at the Cannes Ad Festival.
- Virtual Awards Show to follow.
- Winners will also be interviewed as part of the Trendsetters or People Behind the Brands podcast series on iHeartRadio’s Spreaker and via video shows on Internationalist Marketing TV on YouTube. They will also be highlighted on the Internationalist Awards site, Internationalist Magazine, and LinkedIn.
Qualifying Period:
Cases may be submitted for initiatives appearing in any market in 2025—up to the Awards deadline of late May 2026.
Entry Fees:
The entry fee is USD $495 for a single entry.
USD $445 for each entry when you have multiple entries.
Judging
These awards are not about gimmicks or hype. Each entry is carefully reviewed by an international jury of senior leaders who understand both the promise of AI and the realities of marketing.
What makes our judging unique is the balanced perspective: technology matters, but it’s always measured against human understanding and brand-building impact. That’s what makes these awards truly different.
Judging is anonymous through online forms and by client-side marketers who are part of The Internationalist community or ANA members.
This year’s awards, appropriately, will also feature an additional AI Judge, given our success with using an Artificial Intelligence “persona” for the first time in the 2024 Digital Awards. The AI Judge was created with the help of Global AI Marketing Solutions Company XPLAIN. The Internationalist will continue to consider AI data-driven scoring and how it compares to our client-side marketer judges’ human experience, insights, and emotional responses.
Entries are judged for:
- Insights & Strategy – How well the case demonstrates a deep understanding of customers and a smart use of AI to meet their needs.
- Creativity & Innovation – How AI is applied in new, imaginative ways that go beyond efficiency to inspire.
- Results & Impact – Clear outcomes that show AI not only drove performance, but also built stronger connections with consumers.
- Human + AI Collaboration – Evidence that human ingenuity and emotional intelligence shaped the use of AI for better marketing.
MORE ABOUT THE AWARDS:
Yes, AI has been around for decades. What’s different now for marketers is the capability for enhanced computing power, combined with unprecedented advances in natural language processing (NLP) and Generative AI, which leverages machine learning capabilities to create new content, such as text, images, or videos, often in response to prompts. Together, NLP and Gen AI can train chatbots, make predictions, analyze, translate, categorize, and develop highly relevant messaging—and make a world of difference to marketing at its best.
While the benefits of Artificial Intelligence are clear, so are the risks of overstepping privacy, developing biases, and fueling misinformation. The Internationalist’s AI FOR BETTER MARKETING Case Study Awards will highlight those brands and organizations that are using AI to gain a deeper understanding of their customers’ needs so that they can provide solutions that create excellent value for all.