About the Awards
Are you setting the standard in Digital Marketing?
In a world where mobile devices are ever-present and internet connectivity is constant, digital marketing has become the engine driving both brand equity and bottom-line performance. Today’s most successful strategies don’t just reach audiences—they deliver real value, elevate customer experiences, and generate measurable business results.
With digital advertising now accounting for over 73% of global ad revenue—and rising even higher when digital extensions like streaming TV, DOOH, and interactive formats are included—it’s clear that digital is no longer just part of the mix. It is the mix.
From $366 billion in global digital ad spend in 2019 to a projected $799 billion in 2025, the growth is not only unprecedented—it’s transformative. But the question remains:
Which brands are setting the standard?
Which marketers are innovating, not interrupting?
Who is earning consumer admiration instead of ad fatigue?
The Internationalist Awards for Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions were established to recognize outstanding efforts—campaigns that seamlessly integrate creativity, technology, and strategy to address genuine challenges, meaningfully engage audiences, and redefine what marketing success entails in the digital age.
If your brand or agency is delivering digital solutions that move the needle—through insight, integration, and impact—this is your moment to shine.
Share your story. Set the standard. Join us in defining what’s next in digital marketing.
SEE PAST WINNERS
17 Years of Spotlighting What’s Next in Digital Marketing
Key Dates:
- Mid-November 2025- Winners will be announced.
- 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.
2026 Awards Qualifying Period:
The 18th Annual Internationalist Awards for Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions will open for entries in June 2026 and close on September 10, 2026.
Initiatives appearing in any market between June 2025 through the Awards Deadline will qualify.
The Internationalist Digital Awards are included in the annual WARC Rankings.
It’s Easy To Enter
The digital components of contemporary marketing are being implemented throughout the world to make advertising more relevant, more personal and far more effective. by forming innovative solutions that range from boosting mCommerce to creating experiences in Augmented Reality to changing how people respond to brands.
It’s easy to enter– just answer 5 critical questions about insights and solutions, then show up to 3 examples of the work.
- Outline the marketing situation to which the campaign responded (15 points)
- Describe the critical insight or insights that became the foundation for the digital strategy (20 points)
- Tell us about key tactics employed and why they are innovative (25 points)
- Describe how this campaign solution may be a template for other markets or exemplify worldwide best practices (10 points)
- Discuss the success of the digital campaign and how this was measured (30 points)
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY ON THIS FORM
Entry Fees:
The entry fee is USD $495 for a single entry.
USD $445 for each entry when you have multiple entries.
Criteria
A digital campaign can create awareness, establish a brand, or drive sales through lead generation and conversion. Digital Innovation may mean any of the following:
- An exceptional website experience
- Integration of online & offline media
- Innovative content & advertising integration
- Engaging online advertising—either with display banners, pop ups, web tools or apps
- Business to business solutions- employing web seminars, podcasts, white papers or events
- Streaming or online video
- Social Media Solutions with viral marketing, word of mouth or user-generated content
- Online Community building via Social Networks
- Mobile strategy
- Digital out-of-home
- Search Marketing tactics—SEM or SEO
- In-game advertising
Again, any of these solutions qualify. These awards are looking at how any of these tactics lead to an innovative digital marketing strategy that crosses borders or can be an exemplary local best practice that may be implemented in other markets.
Eligibility: The Awards are open to those companies involved in media strategy and placement for advertising purposes, such as advertising agencies, media specialist agencies, advertisers with in-house agencies, any other media strategist organization, clients or any digital supplier or media owners/content providers.
Judging
Entries are evaluated by senior client-side marketers and industry experts through anonymous scoring across a set of rigorous criteria. Each case study is assessed on its ability to not only perform, but to push boundaries and demonstrate meaningful innovation in the digital space.
Campaigns are scored on the following dimensions:
- Insight & Innovation – Does the work demonstrate an innovative understanding of digital insights and audience behavior?
- Strategic Thinking – Is there clear breakthrough communications thinking with purposeful planning and use of digital tools?
- Problem Solving – Are the tactical elements well-executed in solving real marketing challenges?
- Cross-Cultural Relevance – Does the work reflect sustained, global-minded thinking and cultural fluency?
- World-Class Standards – Is the campaign a model of excellence—a solution worthy of global recognition?
- Measurable Results – Are the outcomes clear, provable, and impactful—demonstrating true performance success?
Unlike many awards that cite the best in a single product or media category, The Awards for Innovation in Media enable all case studies to compete equally across all classifications; winners are those with the highest point scores.
Scores across these dimensions are totaled to determine award designations. There are no quotas—just the most inspiring, effective, and globally relevant work rising to the top.
In 2025, the program will also feature a dedicated AI Judge for the second year. Created in partnership with the global AI marketing company XPLAIN, this “Artificial Intelligence persona” offers a unique perspective on campaign evaluation. By comparing AI scoring with human judgment, The Internationalist continues to explore the intersection of technology and human creativity in achieving marketing success.
What Makes These Awards Different
- No Category Limitations: All campaigns—regardless of format, market, or product sector—are judged on their merits, not media classification.
- Merit-Based Recognition: There are no predetermined numbers of gold, silver, bronze, or grand prix awards. Winners are determined solely by total point scores.
- Client-Side Marketer Judges: All judging is conducted anonymously through secure online scoring forms by a panel of senior client-side marketers—including members of The Internationalist community and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
Why Enter
Winning an Internationalist Award signals that your digital marketing solution stands out—not just creatively, but strategically and measurably. Entrants benefit from:
- Global Recognition of work that sets a standard for best practice
- Benchmarking against the industry’s most innovative campaigns
- Validation by respected client-side marketers and cutting-edge AI evaluation
- Lasting Visibility through case study features and international exposure
These awards go beyond gold or silver rankings—they’re a platform for thought leadership, a mark of distinction, and a statement that your brand is leading the future of marketing.