#ESAawards
Special Categories
• ESA Best of Europe
for 2018/19 national sponsorship award winners across Europe, 3 awards: Bronze, Silver and Gold – by invitation only
• ESA Sponsorship of the Year
the overall best sponsorship campaign of the year and how it was brought to life – winners of the eligible categories below (marked with an asterisk) are judged for this award
Main Categories
A project may be entered into more than one category, but a separate entry form must be prepared and tailored to suit the specific category selected.
Please refer to the Rules of Entry for further details.
Sector-focused awards
• *Arts & Culture Sponsorship
an award specifically focused on the arts and culture sector – for a campaign, activation or holistic partnership
• *B2B Sponsorship
the best business to business sponsorship activation (a campaign primarily targeting business customers rather than consumers)
• *Best Music Sponsorship
the best sponsorship at a music event or festival – for an activation or holistic partnership
• *Community Sponsorship
the best sponsorship that makes an impact on communities – small and large
• *CSR Partnership
the best CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) partnership/ sponsorship that helps to fulfil an organisation’s CSR agenda
• *Esports Sponsorship
focusing on outstanding campaigns and sponsorships in esports
• *Exhibition or Conference Sponsorship
recognising the growing exhibition and conference sponsorship industry – and leadership and innovation in this field
• *Mass Participation Sponsorship
celebrating the best mass participation event – either created or sponsored – that drives participation from a significant number of people
• *Media Sponsorship
(print, radio, cinema or online)
best media partnership / sponsorship across all channels e.g. broadcast partnerships, online media partnerships, magazine and press partnerships, etc
• *Sport Sponsorship
awarding the brand that has demonstrated a successful sponsorship in sport.
3 sub-categories:
– *Sport Sponsorship < €1million
– *Sport Sponsorship between €1million and €2million
– *Sport Sponsorship > €2million
• *TV Sponsorship
the best media partnership or sponsorship across TV e.g. broadcast partnerships, TV programme sponsorships, etc
Discipline-focused awards
• Best Newcomer to Sponsorship
recognising a brand new to sponsorship, entering a new sponsorship contract or a new business/ agency in the industry
• *Best Use of Branded Content in Sponsorship
celebrating the most effective use of branded content in a sponsorship campaign
• *Best Use of Data, Insights or Analytics
the best example of actionable use of data, insights & analytics, demonstrating intelligent use of quantitative or qualitative insights, and how this insight has positively impacted decision-making in commercial partnerships or sports and entertainment campaigns
• *Best Use of Digital Channels in Sponsorship
best overall digital campaign – does not have to be specifically social media, it should reflect overall use of digital as a platform (e.g. use of website, content, and social media) linked to a sponsorship or event
• Best Use of Employee Engagement in Sponsorship
the best activation of a sponsorship specifically targeted at engaging employees
• Best Use of Hospitality in Sponsorship
celebrating creativity and execution specifically in hospitality as part of a sponsorship programme
• Best Use of PR in Sponsorship
the best example of how PR has been used as part of a sponsorship campaign, or in a tactical way to activate around a sport and music event / moment / news story, driving measurable ROO (rather than solely focusing on media value or reach)
• Best Use of Social Media in Sponsorship
best use of social media by a brand in sponsorship execution or tactically in sport, music or entertainment
• *Best Use of Sponsorship across Multiple Markets
celebrating an integrated sponsorship or activation that crosses at least 3 European countries
• *Best Use of Talent in Sponsorship
best use of talent in sponsorship and activations – may be an ambassador, celebrity, influencer, blogger, sports star etc and can be an individual, group or team
• *Game Changer
celebrating new thinking in sponsorship. Whether related to an innovative approach to an overall commercial strategy, a game-changing social media campaign or an inspiring video, this award is to celebrate the work that best brings genuine creativity to the industry
Organisation-focused awards
• Agency of the Year (Pan-Europe)
recognising the very best agency or consultancy engaged in sponsorship (or related disciplines) work that spans MORE THAN ONE European country. Usually, you will have offices in more than one European country
• Agency of the Year (Single Nation)
recognising the very best agency or consultancy predominantly focused on delivering work in sponsorship (or related disciplines) in ONE European country. Usually, you will only have an office in one European country
• Industry Team of the Year
this award is to celebrate those who have best brought to life the spirit of teamwork to deliver outstanding sponsorship results. The award is open to any team from 2-20 people, whether rights holders, agencies or brands working in sponsorship – and could be any group from an account team delivering ongoing fantastic client service, to specialists such as creative, sales or digital teams creating brilliant projects or achieving excellent commercial results
• Rights Holder Innovation
celebrating the Rights Holder that has gone out of their way to support sponsoring brands, offering innovative solutions and opportunities, and hitting targets. The RH may be a charity, sport, music festival, artist or athlete.
***the ESA Sponsorship of the Year award brings the winners of 17 eligible categories (see asterisk) together to be judged again by the expert panel of judges and one campaign that is regarded as the very best among these winners, is crowned ‘ESA Sponsorship of the Year’.