ELIGIBILITY RULES
1. Any work first published, aired or commercially available between 1st January 2024 - 25th April 2025 (please ensure the work has not been entered previously). Please note: the Strategy categories have extended eligibility from the 1 July 2023 - 25th April 2025 (however the same work can not be re-entered). Innovation categories also have extended eligibility in order to meet the entry criteria as outlined in the sub-category descriptions.
2. Each entry must be accompanied by a signed letter from the client, authorising the works entry into the Awards and confirming the dates the work was/will be first aired, in order to be eligible for entry to the awards. These letters need to be uploaded online as PDF (template available in Entry Kit).
3. Entries must have been created within the context of a normal paying contract and genuine brief from a Client/Brand OR if it’s entered into a self-promotion specific category or done for a non-profit organisation, the Client/Brand must have approved all of media/production/ implementation. The Entry must be submitted exactly as published/aired/released and not have been modified for entry into the awards.
4. AWARD accepts work that has appeared anywhere in the world, with the following requirements: In all non-craft categories; the work must have originated and been completed in Asia, New Zealand or Australia. In craft categories; the work must have been created by a Production, Post Production, Music Company, Internal Production Agency or relevant craftsperson (i.e. Director, Cinematographer) from Asia, New Zealand or Australia. If the relevant craft was not completed by an Australasian company/crafts person then the agency, client and production company must ALL be Australasian.
5. Check with your production company, agency, media partner or PR partner before entering work to avoid duplicate entries. Please note that AWARD does not refund for any duplicate entries. if a piece of work is entered more than once into one category, AWARD reserves the right to remove one of those entries from the Awards. The entering agency should be agreed on before entry as to who originated the idea, or in the case of the Craft categories, who did the production on the craft in the subcategory it is entered into. In general for all non-craft categories the agency would have first right to enter and in Craft categories the production/post-production companies would. AWARD does not accept joint entries. Duplicate trophies can be purchased post-awards presentation evening.
6. Please choose the category/section you are entering your work in with care. Read thoroughly through these Call for Entry details before submitting work as AWARD does not refund ANY entry fees under any circumstances.
7. Has the work been entered before? Work entered in previous years is only eligible as part of a campaign entry and only when outnumbered by new advertisements of the same campaign. AWARD will remove any ineligible work which has appeared in the AWARD Awards in previous years (with no refund provided).
8. If work is submitted in a language other than English, it must include an English translation or English subtitles as all entries will be judged in English.
9. Any person or firm professionally engaged in or studying any fields covered by the categories listed may submit work. For example Advertising Agencies, Design Groups, Film Production Companies, Media Agencies, Marketing or Manufacturing Companies, Radio Stations etc.
10. Entries, which, up to and including the final date of judging, have infringed any of its country of origins voluntary or regulatory codes of practice, are not eligible other than in the specific circumstances outlined below. It is the responsibility of the entrant to withdraw ineligible work should an infringement arise prior to the AWARD Awards presentation evening. Due to the nature of these categories: PR and Promotion and Branded Entertainment and Content - consideration will be given to accepting entries found to breach the codes in these two categories only. The case report from the relevant authority must be included.
11. All entrants who have work accepted for publication in AWARD must be able to provide proof of publication or transmission, plus proof that the work was approved and paid for by the client. If proof is not provided or is deemed insufficient then work will automatically be disqualified. The judges' decision on validity of proof is final. Directors' cuts are not eligible.
12. AWARD judges reserve the right to reject a piece of work they feel doesn't comply with the spirit of AWARD. The purpose of this is to actively discourage people seeking loopholes in order to enter work that has been created solely for AWARD and not for bona fide clients. Judges may also use their own discretion and deem work ineligible for the Grand Award if it has been undertaken pro bono and not from a legitimate client brief. Special awards judges also have the right to not have a winner in a particular category should there be insufficient entries / quality of work does not meet the standards required.
13. Anyone found deliberately breaking the rules of entry as laid out in these T&Cs or entering an item (or a version of an item) that never ran may have their work and any work bearing their name deemed ineligible for AWARD for up to 10 years.
14. Work completed for a Charity (any company registered as a charity for taxation purposes) can only be entered into Charity sub-categories or Health and Wellbeing, Strategy or all Craft categories. Please check the ACNC register here
15. Special Awards are judged be both panels of judges and a points based system. All entry based categories will be judged by a jury panel. All non-entry based awards are calculated using a points system allocated according to how many Gold, Silver, Bronze and Finalist entries a campaign has been awarded, regardless of who the entrant company is (with more weight being placed on higher gongs). To be considered for special awards you must have work entered into the awards that year. The Grand Award will be judged by a panel of jurors and selected from the gold-winning entries. Judges may also use their own discretion and deem work ineligible for the Grand Award if it has been undertaken pro bono and not from a legitimate client brief. Special awards judging panels have the discretion to not award a winner in a certain category should there be insufficient entries / the quaility of work is not deemed high enough.
16. In entering the AWARD Awards, the entrant agrees AWARD can publish the external materials submitted and use them for publicity purposes. AWARD will not be held responsible for any errors made by the entrant in relation to materials uploaded, credits, titles, names or any other information submitted with entries. It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure all materials submitted are correct.
17. In respect of all external materials (including without limitation advertising) included in or supplementary to the entry, any permissions required from the copyright owners for their use in connection with the Awards and these rules and conditions, must be obtained in writing prior to submission of the entry and must be delivered to Advertising Council Australia on request.
18. The AWARD committee reserves the right to change eligibility rules from time to time. They also reserve the right to make exceptions to rules with written application if special circumstances require it.
19. The decision to accept or reject an entry is at the sole discretion of Advertising Council Australia and no correspondence will be entered into.