The American Advertising Federation (AAF) American Advertising Awards is one of the industry’s largest creative competitions, attracting nearly 35,000 professional and student entries each year through local club competitions. The mission of the American Advertising Awards is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in advertising.
submission details + rules + categories
Online Submission Deadline
Work is submitted online. The deadline for submitting is in January. No physical submissions are required this season. Judging is virtual. Please disregard the message about physical submissions in the Rules PDFs below.
Submit your work beginning October 15, 2024
Timeline
October 15: Call for entries begins
January 17, 2025: Deadline for entries
January/February: Judging takes place
February 12: Winners will be notified
March 6: American Advertising Awards Show
Submission Cost
Professional Members:
$75 per single entry; $100 per campaignProfessional Non-members:
$150 per single entry; $200 per campaignStudents:
$40 per entry or campaign
Late fees will apply to any entries that are accepted after the deadline.
2024 Winners
American Advertising Awards ADDY recipients for work created in 2023
Judges Choice Awards:
Aly Lopez
Aly is the Co-founder + Creative Director for Mise Studio based in Miami, FL. LinkedIn
Judges Choice Award:
Acuity Insurance 2022 Annual Report
DuFour Advertising
Sales & Marketing; Printed Annual Report
Kevin Zengel
Kevin is the VP + Associate Creative Director at international agency, Havas. LinkedIn
Judges Choice Award:
B(ART) Integrated Campaign
A2Z Design
Cross Platform; Consumer Campaign-
Regional/National
Lauren Schild
Lauren currently works as a Senior Producer at Three Seas, Inc based out of Washington DC/Baltimore. LinkedIn
Judges Choice Award:
Frango Chocolate Packaging Design
Altura Design
Sales & Marketing
Single Unit
Best in Show
Vollrath SerVue - Shift Visuals
Elements of Advertising – Cinematography
Sales + Marketing
SILVER:
MARCH | "Going for Gold" Feature - A2Z Design
GOLD:
Acuity Insurance 2022 Annual Report - DuFour Advertising
Frango Chocolate Packaging Design - Altura Design
Lazy Fietser Dutch Pale Ale - April Greider
Cross Platform
SILVER:
Flavor Factory Campaign - Element
GOLD:
B(ART) | Integrated Campaign - A2Z Design
Advertising/Media Industry Self Promotion
GOLD:
Coalesce Holiday Promotion - Coalesce Marketing & Design
Merry Shiftmas - Shift Visuals
Film, Video + Sound
SILVER:
Miller Electric ArcStation - NorthCoast Media Group
GOLD:
Charter Steel: Art of Steel - Element
Smart Squad - School Specialty
Vollrath SerVue - Shift Visuals
Elements of Advertising
SILVER:
Bellin Women's Half Marathon Poster - The Art of Carolyn Paplham
Fork Farms - Image Studios
Happy Egg Style Guide/Illustration - Altura Design
KI Furniture - Image Studios
Miller: COBOT - Image Studios
Say Cheese - Image Studios
WISCORE 2023 Graphics - Iana Tikhoniuk
GOLD:
(B)ART - Image Studios
Favorable Weather - Iana Tikhoniuk
GLC Minerals Photography - Shift Visuals
Vollrath SerVue - Shift Visuals
A look at the American Advertising Awards
Jim Rivett Award of Excellence
Entries considered to receive this award are work done pro-bono receiving a high score eligible for a gold or silver ADDY.
This award was not presented in 2024
The Jim Rivett Award of Excellence honors an entry based on creativity, community and impact. Jim Rivett believed social change could be driven by design. His professional career in advertising reflected this belief and included leadership positions at the Goltz Agency, Arketype, and president and creative director of his own agency, KHROME. Peers throughout the industry, particularly the AAF, consistently recognized Jim’s creativity, vision, originality, and leadership.
2023 winner:
EPH - Be Amazing Grace - Shift Visuals
Public Service; Non-Broadcast Audio/Visual
A look at the American Advertising Awards
frequently asked questions
+ What are the American Advertising Awards?
The American Advertising Awards (AAA) are the largest and most representative advertising competition. Each year it attracts more than 40,000 entries in local American Advertisign Federatation (AAF) competitions, including AAF Fox River.
The competition includes both professional and student work, recognizing and rewarding creative excellence in the art of advertising.
+ What awards can you win?
Awards given out include Gold ADDYs, Silver ADDYs, Judge's Choice, Best of Show, Mosaic Award, and the Jim Rivett Award of Excellence. A Gold ADDY is recognition of the highest level of creative excellence and is judged to be superior to all other entries in the category. Entries that are also considered outstanding and worthy of recognition receive a Silver ADDY.
+ How many awards are given out?
The number of awards given each year is determined by the judges and the AAF Fox River board. A percentage of the highest scoring entries receive Gold and Silver ADDYs. Each judge, usually 3 in our local competition, selects an entry to receive their Judge's Choice Award. The judges collectively choose one entry for Best of Show and the Board determines the entry best suited for the Jim Rivett Award of Excellence and the Mosaic Award.
+ What happens after the local competition?
The Gold winners are automatically forwarded on to the District 8 level competition. Silver winners may choose to pay a forward fee to send their entry to the next level. District Gold winners are then forwarded on to compete at the National level.
+ What do the American Advertising Awards support?
Entering the American Advertising Awards competition supports our entire industry. The AAF and its local and district affiliates use the proceeds to enhance advertising through programs such as public service, internships, advocacy groups, advertising education, and consumer awareness.
+ What are the Student American Advertising Awards?
The American Advertising Awards has a student division of the competition that runs alongside the professional competition to recognize excellence at the student level. To see student eligibility requirements, please see page 2 of the AAA Student Division Rules and Categories.
+ What do national student winners receive?
National winning entries may receive the following:
- Finalist certificate—great for resumés and portfolios
- Prestigious Student American Advertising Award for all National Gold and Silver ADDY Award winners
- $1,000 cash prize for national Best of Show winner
