AdNews AOTY.
AdNews Agency of the Year Awards entries reveal an industry in the middle of a profound shift — one where creativity, commercial impact and cultural intelligence are no longer separate lanes but the new baseline for best-in-class work.
That's the official word from this year's judges, CMOs and senior marketers from across the country.
Judges described 2025’s field as the tightest they’ve seen in years, with multiple categories coming down to “miniscule points” and heated debate as agencies pushed beyond big ideas to prove real business outcomes.
The winners will be unveiled at the long lunch ceremony on February 19, 2026 at Doltone House, Sydney.
Finalists, purchase your tickets here before they sell out.
Afterpay director of marketing strategy and innovation Courtney Goes told AdNews that this year’s submissions showed a clear step-change in how agencies are thinking about the role of marketing in driving business growth.
“What really stood out was the breadth of thinking. We saw fewer one-off ‘big ideas’ and more examples of marketing being leveraged as a true commercial growth engine,” Goes said.
“The best entries came from teams that are commercially sharp, culturally connected and using creativity to solve real business problems.
“Those entries were grounded in strategic and financial impact, demonstrating a deep understanding of the business and the customer problem they were solving.
“If there’s one area to keep pushing, it’s distinctiveness. In a crowded landscape, the work that rose to the top wasn’t just smart or well-crafted, it was unmistakably original and confidently its own.
“Great storytelling and genuine distinctiveness remain the most powerful differentiators.”
Uber Australia brand manager Dan Greenberg said that this year’s nominations had creative bravery, craft and DEI.
“Across all kinds of work there was a consistent thread of bold ideas, backed with strong strategic thinking. From challenger brands cutting through to larger brands evolving,” Greenberg said.
“There was a real focus on execution and proving that it's this which sets the strongest work apart. This was in design, tech integration, and beautiful storytelling.
“DEI showed a real emphasis across agencies and brands noninclusive practices, with genuine progress shown through tangible initiatives.”
He said that the notable trends were blending AI with humanity, the maturity of DEI work and the focus on effectiveness.
“There’s been a real shift to leveraging tech in creative, human ways, being able to elevate and enhance ideas without overshadowing them or using tech for tech's sake,” he said.
“DEI work is maturing: these are no longer early-stage initiatives but embedded cultural practices - and ultimately the expectation of employees.
“There were also some incredible turnaround stories which really helped showcase marketing's role in driving business results.
“Now there needs to be improvement in more consistent linking of (sometimes vanity) engagement metrics to true brand and business impact, and socioeconomic diversity still remains under-addressed in otherwise strong DEI programs.”
Aussie Broadband general marketing manager Rebecca Rizzo said that the calibre of entries was fantastic.
“In most times, we had so many entrants with miniscule points between them which resulted in great conversations and really trying to pull them apart in granular detail,” Rizzo said.
“In particular, the transparency around business results was one of the key items that helped this.
“Was fantastic to see some of the key entries really delve into the genuine business results, beyond some of the fluffier marketing, advertising and PR results.
“The key winners stood out because of their genuine impact on the category, the business and the end customer.
“A focus on efficiency through AI and business process improvements stood out but one of the key notable trends was the amazing focus on DEI across all of the categories.
“Its not just being spoken about as an award entry topic, but something that is permeating through the entire business and the results.”
She said that the winners were the ones that not only showcased the amazing work that our industry is creating, but the ones who showed genuine business results.
“If an awards entry spoke too much to the “how cool is this” without the “and this is what it achieved” it didn’t make it to the top of the pile,” she said.
“Don’t be afraid to be transparent, it really shows when an entry is proud and loud about their entry based on how transparent they are with the strategy and results.”
Entain Group GM of digital and media Jack Elkins said that agencies who nailed their responses were those that found the goldilocks zone between strategy, culture and commercial outcomes.
“It’s one thing to write about happiness scores and wellness initiatives, but those that really stood out were able to demonstrate how these things helped teams to thrive and deliver clients a competitive edge,” Elkins said.
“Pleasingly, despite the mounting pressure agencies faced this year a lot of the core trends of supporting diversity, investing in culture and supporting staff to grow in agency land were quite consistent.
“Tough times are often when these values are put to the test, so it was great to see a lot of returning agencies staying true to their ambitions.
“But although I saw plenty of creative uses of AI for campaigns, I was surprised to see relatively few agencies embracing these tools to improve how they work.
“As marketing teams start to accelerate their usage of these tools it will be on agencies to demonstrate how they’re doing the same to deliver better work and keep up.”
Intrepid global brand director Natalie Placko said this year’s entries demonstrated bold ambition and a strong sense of cultural relevance.
"The most impressive work combined strategic insight with creative innovation and presented a clear, compelling narrative from challenge through to results," Placko said.
"Small agencies showed how earned-first ideas can deliver outsized impact, while marketing teams set a high bar for creativity and commercial effectiveness.
"Across all categories, a clear trend emerged - the rise of data-driven creativity. Teams and agencies are increasingly integrating insight with innovation to demonstrate effectiveness.
"The strongest entries connected strategy to outcomes seamlessly, with narratives that stood out for their clarity and cohesion."
The awards were judged by over 50 CMOs and senior marketers from major brands including ANZ, Bonds, BMW, Unilever, Suncorp, Bankwest, UTS, RAC Insurance, Optus and HIF as they set expectations high for 2025.
AdNews would like to thank our sponsors. Presenting partner ACM, Supporting partners Blis, Boomtown, Integral Ad Science, Magnite, Perion, Pinterest, PubMatic, Reddit, StackAdapt, Snapchat and Associate partners Coles 360, Mamamia, and NEXXEN.
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