Guidelines

Each entry into Agency of the Year should be accompanied by a written summary outlining the strategic approach taken and the thinking behind the execution - five (5) for Agency, three (3) for Media, Digital, PR, Design and Small - in addition to visual assets. 

Please start preparing your materials before the submission period. The sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to overcome any issues that might occur. Submissions that do not adhere to the following will not be accepted, and neither will late submissions.

Eligibility

• The work must have first launched in the 12-month period from June 1st 2023 to June 1st 2024.
  
  
• The campaigns have to be for different brands. For instance, if you submit a plan for Bud, you can’t also submit for Bud Light. Similarly, you cannot submit one campaign designed to sell beer and another designed for responsible use.
  
  When entering work for two or more brands under the same parent company, the brands must be from different categories. For example, you may enter work for PepsiCo's Doritos and Tropicana brands, as they target their own unique audiences and sit within separate food and beverage shelves in-store. However, you can't enter work for two brands of the same category, even if they have their own unique audiences. A campaign for Bud and work for Stella Artois cannot be entered into the same category, as both are AB-InBev beer brands.
  
  
• All campaigns must be Canadian – global or North American work must have also run in Canada. Note: the only exception to this rule is for Canadian-owned companies (such as a Canadian tourism operation) that run campaigns for a foreign market. 
  
  
• Self-promotional work will not be accepted
  
  
• Agencies are able and welcome to submit to multiple categories, and different campaigns for the same brand can be entered in their own category. However the campaigns must be unique for each competition. For example, an agency can’t enter the same work for a specific CPG brand in Agency of the Year and Design AOY, even if it just includes design-driven creative (like a poster or website) that was a part of the overall campaign also entered into AOY. No double-dipping!
  
  
• For Small AOY only: participating shops should have less than 50 staffers in their ranks; they must be independently owned (or at least have a majority stake); and they must identify as a general creative ad agency. 
  
  
• Entries must meet Canadian advertising regulations & standards; entries assessed as offensive to viewers will be disqualified.
  
  
• Entries that are deemed ineligible in any category, and entries that are incomplete and/or removed at the request of the entrant after payment has been made, will not be refunded.

How To Enter

• All entrants must first be approved for eligibility before submitting any entries to the Agency of the Year Awards. (Please fill out the Entry Form for approval, no later than Thursday May 16th, 2024)
• Next, the campaigns will be vetted for eligibility (according to the program's strict criteria) and approved by strategy's editorial team.
• And finally, if the campaigns you intend to enter are approved, we will notify you so that you can begin putting together case materials for submission. You will have until Friday June 7th to finish editing your entries, uploading the required supporting files, and submitting payment.

Written Cases

Every entry requires a written case summary document. These summaries should be approximately 500 to 750 words long and should include the following:

• The client and campaign/program name
• The timing (when the campaign ran)
• The challenges and goals
• The insights and strategy
• The execution
• The results and impact
• Supplementary information (confidential material, if applicable)
• Please declare if - and how - AI was used in the process of developing/creating/executing your entry. If AI was employed, please add a brief overview of how it was used. Please also flag if AI was used to help craft/produce your case study or write your submission, and if so, please confirm that no third-party copyrights have been breached.
• Please ensure that you do not reveal the name or logo of your agency within your case summary. Entries will be reviewed anonymously, to ensure fairness

The Exceptions:

In addition to the above criteria, written case studies for Digital and Design Agency of the Year entries should also include the following: 

Digital AOY

• Technology and tools: explain how digital/mobile/social tools were used in an innovative way

• User experience: detail the challenges and solutions in terms of the user’s experience 

• Supporting channels: describe how traditional media were used in support, and how the digital component was the driving force in the campaign's success

Design AOY

• Project impact: explain how design was the primary component in driving the project's success

• Creativity and craft: describe the prowess in which the shop tackled and overcame a technical design challenge in an innovative way

Visual Materials

All entries must include a visual component for consideration. Case summary videos are encouraged, but are not mandatory.

• You will be able to upload visual components online for each entry in the Entry Dashboard.
• You may specify one file as a summary video during the upload process by selecting Summary Video in the drop down menu. (If you include a case summary video, please ensure it is no longer than 2-minutes in length.)
• Each individual image and video file must be 500MB or less.
• Images must be JPEG and 300 dpi. No dimension preference, but please ensure the file is hi-res.
• Audio must be MP3 format and a maximum of 10MB each
• The following are the support file formats: Video: H.264 MP4, Audio: MP3, Documents: PDF, Photos: JPEG 
• All entries must not reveal the agency name/logo anywhere within their case summary, and/or their supporting files. Entries will be reviewed anonymously, to ensure fairness

Rights Clearance

By submitting video, digital or print content, or any forms of entertainment, advertising or promotional materials (hereinafter "Content") as part of an entry or entries (hereinafter "the Entry") to the Agency of the Year Awards competition, the entrant company grants permission to Brunico Communications Ltd. (hereinafter "Brunico") to: show, play and/or publicly exhibit the Entry or submitted Content at the awards show; to telecast such awards show; to exhibit and communicate the Entry and submitted Content to the public by telecommunication; to include the Entry and submitted Content in screenings of the award winners' reels on websites operated by Brunico, its affiliates and independent third parties; and to exhibit the Entry and submitted Content in any educational or informational setting; and to charge admission therefore where applicable. The entrant company acknowledges and agrees that Brunico may use the Entry and submitted Content, or any reproduction of the Entry and submitted Content in whole or in part, in telecasts, webcasts, exhibits, books, pamphlets, and other publications or in television broadcasts featuring award entries and for which Brunico may receive compensation. The entrant company holds all necessary rights and/or licences for such aforesaid uses by Brunico of the Entry and submitted Content, including all music and other works contained within the Entry and submitted Content. The entrant shall be responsible and shall hold Brunico, its assignees and licensees harmless for talent and/or other residual fees or claims arising by or due to the uses of the Entry and submitted Content by Brunico as referenced herein. The entrant company submitting the Entry and Content certifies and confirms that it has the full authority to grant the rights to Brunico for the uses referenced herein, on its behalf and on behalf of any client for whom the Content and/or Entry was produced, unless Brunico is otherwise advised in writing at the time the entrant submits the Entry and Content to Brunico.