Awarded to the best pre-packaged audio advertisement, which demonstrates creativity, innovation, and high production quality. Judges will evaluate the advert's ability to capture the audience's attention and deliver the brand's message in a compelling way. Includes any form of audio advert, from radio, podcasts, streaming, apps & games.

The award recognises branded content within existing audio shows - including branded miniseries, branded episodes and branded segments - demonstrating exceptional storytelling while seamlessly integrating the brand's messaging. Judges will evaluate the brand's relevance and how effectively it aligns with the show's identity (whether podcast or radio), creating a memorable and enjoyable listening experience. Judges will also look for measurable impact on brand awareness and listener engagement, and long-term value for both the audio platform and the brand.

This award recognises innovation in branded content podcasting, including creativity in format and execution. Judges will look for delivery of commercial goals, audience figures and evidence of growth and/or added value for the brand. Evidence of how the podcast team adapted and/or innovated to suit business conditions will also be considered by the judges.

This award recognises innovation in branded content podcasting, including creativity in format and execution. Judges will look for delivery of commercial goals, audience figures and evidence of growth and/or added value for the brand. Evidence of how the podcast team adapted and/or innovated to suit business conditions will also be considered by the judges.

Aimed at celebrating skillful audio craft and production flair, this award celebrates the very best in audio creativity. Judges will be looking for campaigns which have leveraged the unique properties of audio, and who have demonstrated thoughtful and effective approaches to campaign planning and production to meet clients’ goals.

This award acknowledges ads that are skilfully delivered by hosts or presenters in various media formats. This category celebrates the ability of hosts to seamlessly integrate brand messaging into their content while maintaining authenticity, credibility, and engagement.

With the ability to generate high reach and share-of-voice for advertisers, audio can really help kick-start new launches. This category awards campaigns that have made significant use of audio as part of a launch media strategy. The entry should explain the role audio played within the mix and provide evidence of effectiveness on measures such as awareness and sales.

This award celebrates sponsored experiences that effectively connect with the audience beyond the audio medium. This can include live recordings, tie-in events, festivals or conferences, and in-person activations at wider events. Judges will evaluate the creativity, execution, and impact of the activation. The winning entry will have effectively leveraged the power of live events or interactive experiences to forge a deeper connection with its audience, leaving a lasting impression and fostering brand loyalty.

This award celebrates a creative and impactful brand partnership within a podcast. The winning entry will showcase a collaborative effort that uses the intimate, on-demand nature of the podcasts to connect with a highly targeted and loyal audience. This partnership will have demonstrated authenticity and a deep understanding of the podcast's specific community to achieve their long-term objectives.

This award recognises an exceptional partnership on a radio station or network. The winning entry will show how a brand seamlessly integrated with a show or segment to build trust and connect with a broad, engaged audience. This partnership will have gone beyond a traditional spot advertisement to become a memorable part of the daily listening experience. This could be anything from a new format that resonated with listeners to a campaign with a mutually beneficial approach that drove genuine results.

This award recognises excellence and innovation in the field of audio advertising technology. This can include platforms like audio ad exchanges, DSPs and SSPs, as well as measurement, targeting and analysis tools. This category honours platforms and providers that have demonstrated exceptional capabilities in facilitating the buying and selling of audio ad inventory, optimising ad delivery, and enhancing the overall audio advertising ecosystem.

This category celebrates audio advertising campaigns designed to deliver specific results with a focus on driving actions. Entries will be evaluated based on clear and well-defined campaign objectives, highlighting the alignment between the goals and the achieved outcomes. The winning campaigns will demonstrate a data-driven approach, utilising key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success and optimise performance. Moreover, judges will consider the campaign's ability to drive action and conversions, as well as its overall impact on brand awareness and customer engagement.

This award recognises work which demonstrates a commitment to sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. Judges will evaluate entries based on campaign or production environmental impact, educational value, and creativity. Ethical practices and audience engagement will be considered, along with the potential long-term impact of the campaign on promoting sustainable behaviours. The award aims to recognise and honour initiatives that go beyond compelling messaging, actively contributing to a greener and more sustainable world.

Sound is a powerful emotional influencer meaning that audio advertising can play a powerful role in building brands in the longer-term. This category awards campaigns that have committed to audio strategically over time to build the brand. The entry should clearly identify the role for audio alongside other media (if used) and include strong evidence of the effect of audio on brand-related metrics and/or long-term business growth.

This award recognises the agencies that are most effectively working audio into their clients’ media plans. Whether it’s the centrepiece of a campaign, or a supporting channel being used particularly thoughtfully, the winner of this award will demonstrate a clear understanding of audio’s role in a media plan, as well as impactful use of audio channels to meet campaign objectives.

This award acknowledges exceptional efforts in leveraging insights and research to enhance the effectiveness of audio advertising campaigns. Judges will evaluate entries based on the depth of the research conducted to understand the target audience, market trends, and consumer behaviour. Innovative research methods that provide unique perspectives and uncover untapped opportunities will be valued, as well as the measurable impact of the insights on campaign results. The winning entry will exemplify the power of research-driven strategies in elevating audio advertising to new heights of effectiveness and audience engagement. This category also covers use of data to target audiences through programmatic campaigns.

This award celebrates outstanding social media strategies that enhance the impact of an audio advertising campaign. Judges will evaluate entries based on the creativity and originality of the social media content. The award will recognise campaigns that excel in audience engagement, fostering meaningful conversations, encouraging user-generated content, and creating a vibrant community around the audio advertisement. The winning social strategy will demonstrate the power of combining audio advertising and social media to create a compelling and immersive brand experience.

The award recognises exceptional and innovative utilisation of sound and audio elements to create a powerful and recognisable brand identity. Entries in this category should demonstrate a memorable integration of sound, music, voice, or other auditory elements to enhance brand recognition, evoke emotions, and strengthen the overall brand experience.

This category recognises the most effective and creative use of sonic branding to enhance brand identity, recall, and emotional connection through audio.

Entries should demonstrate how sound assets — such as audio logos, brand mnemonics, music, voice, or other consistent sonic elements — were developed and applied strategically across channels (e.g. radio, podcast, streaming, smart speaker, in-store, etc.) to build a distinctive audio presence.

This prestigious award recognises an audio advertiser that has made a significant impact within the audio advertising landscape. Judges will evaluate the advertiser's engagement with the audio industry, as well as its ability to craft compelling and effective audio campaigns. The winning advertiser should showcase a creative approach to messaging, leveraging the power of sound to deliver impactful and memorable brand experiences. This award aims to honour the advertiser that has made significant strides in pushing the boundaries of audio advertising, contributing to the growth and success of the medium.

This award recognises the agency that demonstrates exceptional expertise and specialisation in audio advertising. Judges will consider the agency's proven track record in delivering successful campaigns within this specific medium and its ability to meet clients' advertising objectives effectively. The winning agency will stand out for its commitment to excellence, creative prowess, and ability to drive results through the power of audio advertising.

This category is open to candidates that have been working in commercial audio roles for under 5 years. This award celebrates an up-and-coming talent that has shown exceptional skills and achievements in driving revenue growth within the audio advertising industry. Judges will evaluate the rising star's ability to build and maintain strong relationships with clients and brands, demonstrating a deep understanding of their advertising needs and objectives. The winning candidate should showcase innovative sales strategies and a proactive approach to identifying new business opportunities.

This award celebrates an exceptional creative or production team that has demonstrated outstanding talent, innovation, and contributions within the audio advertising industry. Judges will evaluate the team's ability to conceptualise and execute captivating and memorable audio campaigns that resonate with audiences and effectively deliver on client goals. The winning team should showcase a fresh and innovative approach to storytelling, sound design, and messaging, pushing the boundaries of traditional audio advertising.

This category is open to candidates that have been working in creative audio roles for under 5 years. The award celebrates an emerging talent in the field of audio advertising creative, recognising an individual who has demonstrated exceptional creativity and innovation in their work. Judges will consider the candidate’s ability to craft engaging and memorable audio ads or brand partnerships that resonate with audiences and effectively convey the brand's message.

This award honours the publisher, platform, or network that fosters exceptional audio advertising delivery. Quality, reach, collaboration, audience diversity, targeting capabilities, insights and the use of innovative ad formats to enhance the overall audio advertising experience will all be taken into account. The winning company should provide robust measurement and analysis for clients to demonstrate effectiveness, successful partnerships with brands and content creators, and seamless ad integration.

This award recognises the very best in sales teams within the audio sector. Winners will be able to demonstrate understanding of the audio landscape, collaboration, innovation and an acknowledgement of advertiser needs, as well as the ability to win and retain business. The winning team should showcase a strong track record of building and maintaining long-term relationships with partners. Additionally, the sales team of the year should display effective teamwork, communication, and adaptability in navigating the ever-evolving landscape of audio advertising.