Deadline:
June 20, 2025
Location(s)
Online United States of America
Overview
Enter the most prestigious competition for creativity in advertising, the Communication Arts Advertising Competition.
Details
Any advertising project printed, published or aired for the first time from June 2024 through June 2025 is eligible. Selected by leading creative directors, art directors and writers, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Advertising Annual, in print and digital editions, and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work.
Each winning entrant will receive a personalized Award of Excellence, milled from solid aluminum, and award certificates issued for firms, individuals and clients.
Advertising Competition Categories
These categories are judged by the advertising jury and will appear in the Advertising Annual. For a list of fees, please download the category PDF:
- Consumer Magazine Advertising: small space, page or spread
- Consumer Newspaper Advertising: small space, page or spread
- Trade/Institutional Advertising: small space, page or spread
- Posters—Outdoor: 24-sheet or larger
- Posters—Transit: bus, subway, shelter, etc.
- Posters—Point-of-Purchase: in-store or other location where purchase decisions are made
- Posters—Other: any poster not covered in previous categories
- Sales Promotion: direct mail, data sheets, sales kits, collateral, etc.
- Self-Promotion: promotion for ad agencies, creative suppliers, art schools, etc.
- Self-Promotion for Ad Clubs: promotion/communication for Advertising clubs
- Television Commercials: commercials aired on TV/cable channels
- Radio Commercials: commercials on traditional, podcast or web radio
- Digital Advertising Online Video: viral video, paid online commercial, etc.
- Digital Advertising Banner Ads: static, pop-up, rich media, etc.
- Digital Advertising Social Media: innovative use of social media platforms
- Digital Advertising Mobile: ads on smartphones and tablets
- Digital Advertising Other: any digital ad not covered in previous categories
- Public Service Print Ads: magazine/newspaper ads
- Public Service Posters: outdoor, transit or other
- Public Service Collateral: brochures, booklets, etc.
- Public Service Television: television commercials or online videos
- Public Service Radio: commercials on traditional, podcast or web radio
- Public Service Non-Traditional: out-of-home, guerilla, etc.
- Integrated Campaign: comprehensive campaign using at least 3 different media types
- Non-Traditional Advertising: out-of-home, guerilla, stunts, etc.
- Student Work: work created for school assignments
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
Selected by leading creative directors, art directors and writers, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication ArtsAdvertising Annual, in print and digital editions, and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work.
How to Enter
All competition entries are processed through our online competition system.
Before you begin the process of entering a competition, please have the following information and materials ready. This will make the process go quickly:
- Your contact information for registration and notification.
- Title and basic credits for each project.
- Printed copies or digital files of work you want to submit. See below for file specs.
Please submit only one version of each entry (i.e.: do not send printed copies if you already uploaded digital files of the same entry). Entries can be submitted in the following formats:
- Print Entries: Must be unmounted and sent to our office by mail/courier. Do not tape series together. Send all multi-page projects—books, brochures, etc.—in bound form. Any project over 18" x 24" must be submitted as digital images. If you enter a project in multiple categories and wish to submit printed samples, you must send an additional sample for each entry with the appropriate form attached.
- Digital Images: Must be RGB in JPG format with a maximum width of 1024 pixels and a maximum height of 768 pixels at 72 dpi. NO EXCEPTIONS. Digital images will be projected for the judges using an HD projector on a 6' x 4' screen.
- Video Entries: Must be in MOV, MP4 or MPG format, with a maximum file size of 1 GB. Include 4 seconds of black, no slates or bars, at the beginning of each video and 2 seconds at the end.
- Audio Entries: Must be submitted as MP3, WAVE or AIFF files with a maximum file size of 5 MB.
No entries will be returned. NO EXCEPTIONS. CA is not responsible for damage or loss of any entry. All entrants grant Communication Arts the right to reproduce work selected in the Advertising Competition on the Communication Arts website and in materials used to promote the magazine, the competition and/or future related promotions.
Dates
Deadline: June 20, 2025
Cost/funding for participants
Each winning entrant will receive a personalized Award of Excellence, milled from solid aluminum, and award certificates issued for firms, individuals and clients.
CA’s Award of Excellence is one of the most-coveted awards in the industry. If chosen, winning places you in the highest ranks of your profession.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
