SINGAPORE, March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) proudly announces the opening of entries for the 2026 SMARTIES™ Awards, the premier marketing awards program that honors trailblazing brands, agencies, and marketers driving innovation and business impact.

SMARTIES™ celebrate marketing that drives growth, strengthens brand connections, and pushes the boundaries of innovation across the global marketing ecosystem.

SMARTIES™ Awards 2026 Call for Entries, Celebrating Marketing That Drives Real Business Impact

As marketing continues to evolve through the integration of technology, creativity, data, and media, the SMARTIES™ framework has been updated for 2026 to better reflect how today marketing organizations operate and how impactful work is delivered today.

Continuing its mission to recognize marketing that drives growth, inspires innovation, and shapes the future of the industry, SMARTIES™ 2026 ensures the full spectrum of advance marketing excellence is celebrated. Critically, the same channels and categories will be available across all SMARTIES™ programs globally positioning the awards as a unified benchmark for marketing excellence while allowing regions to highlight the work that best represents their markets.

SMARTIES™ 2026 Channels
The program is organized into four key channels representing the pillars of marketing excellence today:

Purpose Driven Marketing
Campaigns that leverage the power of brands to drive meaningful societal and cultural impact, advancing causes such as sustainability, diversity, and inclusion.

Impact Marketing
Campaigns that deliver measurable business outcomes by strengthening brand relationships, enhancing customer experiences, and driving growth.

Media & Growth
Excellence in media strategy and execution, demonstrating how integrated media ecosystems effectively reach, engage, and grow audiences.

Creative & Innovation Impact
Breakthrough marketing powered by creativity, data, and emerging technologies to create new forms of brand engagement.

"Asia Pacific continues to be one of the most dynamic and innovative marketing regions in the world. The diversity of this region - its cultures, consumers, and digital ecosystems - means marketers here are constantly pioneering new approaches to drive genuine business impact. SMARTIES™ Asia Pacific exists to surface that innovation, benchmark it against the best in the world, and turn it into the learning that elevates the entire industry. The work coming out of this region deserves that platform," says Rohit Dadwal, CEO of MMA APAC & Global Head of SMARTIES™ Worldwide.

Beyond the Trophy: Industry Recognition & Global Rankings
Winning a SMARTIES™ Award provides more than prestige. Awarded campaigns will be featured in MMA SMARTIES Business Impact Index, RECMA, and the WARC Media 100 Ranking, reinforcing their influence and credibility across the industry.

Showcase Your Marketing Excellence
Submit to SMARTIES™ 2026 Today!

Key Details for 2026 SMARTIES™ Entries

• On time Deadline: Jul 9, 2026
• Awards & Honors: Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in each category; top honors include Best in Show, Juror's Choice Award of the Year, Most Resilient Brand of the Year, Advertiser of the Year, Brand of the Year, Publisher of the Year, Enabling Technology Company of the Year, Media Agency of the Year, Creative Agency of the Year, Independent Agency of the Year, Holding Agency Company of the Year, Agency Network of the Year (Regional /Global award) and Specialist Agency of the Year
• Judging Panel: Senior brand marketers and industry leaders will evaluate campaigns based on innovation, creativity, and measurable impact.
• Entry Levels:
  • SMARTIES™ X Global: The pinnacle of marketing achievement, recognizing the best campaigns on a worldwide scale.
  • Regional SMARTIES™ Awards – Honoring the top marketing talent and innovations across Asia Pacific
  • National SMARTIES™ Awards – Spotlighting the best campaigns in Cambodia | China | India | Indonesia | Philippines | Thailand | Vietnam

Marketers, agencies, and brands are encouraged to submit their best work and gain industry-wide recognition.

About the Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA)
The Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) is the global, non-profit community of Chief Marketing Officers and senior marketing leaders advancing marketers' ability to create value. Led by CMOs and supported by the entire ecosystem at the governance level — including brands, media, agencies, consultancies, AdTech, and MarTech — MMA develops evidence-based models, frameworks, and tools validated through multi-year, multi-million-dollar Think Tanks and Labs.

Headquartered in New York City, with operations in 16 countries across APAC, Europe, MEA, LATAM, and North America, MMA has more than 825 corporate members who gather at 62+ MMA conferences worldwide, and flagship gatherings in the APAC, including MMA Innovate, CEO&CMO Summit, MMA Executive Dialogues, SMARTIES Unplugged, MMA IMPACT and MMA SMARTIES. Learn more at https://mmaglobal.com/

The Marketing + Media includes the world's most influential marketers and partners, including Unilever, P&G, Grab, McDonalds, Coca Cola, Google, TikTok, Facebook, Diageo, Mondelez, Heineken, Pepsi, Perfetti, Affle, Emtek Group Indonesia, GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, Mayora, Godrej, Reliance – and many more.

About SMARTIES™
SMARTIES™ is the prestigious marketing awards program hosted by MMA, recognizing excellence in marketing effectiveness and innovation. The SMARTIES Awards celebrate campaigns that push creative boundaries while delivering measurable business impact. With programs spanning local, regional, and global markets, SMARTIES has become the industry's most respected benchmark for marketing that drives real growth.

Source: Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA)