- Glittering ceremony on 12 March set to reward Europe’s best work
- New category recognises outstanding festival sponsorship
- Pearlfinders renews partnership to return as Headline Sponsor
Entries are now open for the 2026 ESA Awards in partnership with Pearlfinders – the sponsorship industry’s most prestigious celebration of excellence across Europe.
Organised by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the Awards shines a spotlight on outstanding work by brands, rights holders and agencies across the entire panorama of sponsorship and brand partnership.
After the historic, five-trophy success of The Breathing Space activation by Norwegian insurance company Gjensidige in 2025, Europe’s most sought-after sponsorship prizes will again be up for grabs at The Brewery in London on Thursday 12 March 2026.
Entries are open until 17 October with early-bird discounts available until 26 September. Prices are frozen for a second consecutive year for all early bird and standard entries.
A new category for 2026 – Festival Sponsorship – reflects the increasing breadth of sponsorship work across arts, culture, entertainment and music (see below for a description of the three distinct categories in this sector).
From defending champions to returning entrants and those submitting their first entry, the ESA Awards offers a unique chance to earn international recognition. Competition is increasingly fierce, adding credibility to the accolade.
Rigorous and meticulous judging is a hallmark of the ESA Awards, and in 2025 the judges scored the winners higher than ever before at an average of 80.2%. The top five category winners averaged 83.2%, demonstrating the fine margins of success at this rarefied level.
Senior sponsorship and marketing professionals are invited to apply today to be part of the 2026 ESA Awards judging panel, which has numbered more than 100 in the past two years. The deadline for judging applications is Friday 5 September.
The 2025 ESA Diploma Top Student will also be honoured during the annual ceremony – which in 2025 attracted a record attendance of more than 550.
ESA Chair Sophie Morris said: “We are incredibly excited to open entries for the 2026 ESA Awards in partnership with Pearlfinders, continuing our tradition of celebrating the pinnacle of sponsorship excellence across Europe. The increasing quality of entries truly reflects the exceptional work being done in our industry.
“We are also delighted to introduce the new Festival Sponsorship category, acknowledging the growing breadth and innovation within the arts, culture, entertainment and music sectors.
“With a record attendance in 2025 and a commitment to rigorous judging, the ESA Awards remains the most sought-after recognition in European sponsorship. We eagerly anticipate seeing the outstanding campaigns that will define our industry’s best in 2026.
“Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to our ESA Awards Committee, headline partner Pearlfinders and each of our partners – IPSEM Squared, Meshh, Sponsorium, Sponsorworks, SPORTO and Wasserman Live – who help to make the ESA Awards so special.”
All entrants to the 2026 ESA Awards will be asked to submit a 250-word elevator pitch and either a 10-minute video presentation or a 2,000-word written entry.
ESA Awards Chair of Judges, Matthew Leopold, said: “The standard of entries in the ESA Awards keeps rising. The data proves it. Our judging scores in 2025 hit an all-time high.
“The finalists didn’t simply deliver excellent sponsorships, they made us redefine excellence. These campaigns weren’t just well-executed, they were culturally relevant, behaviour-shifting and creatively fearless.
“Our judging is exhaustive, demanding and fiercely impartial. To win here is to be benchmarked against Europe’s best, by a panel of leading industry experts. For those entering in 2026, the challenge is clear: pride isn’t enough. If your campaign changed something – for your brand, your audience, or your industry – then this could be your year.”
Pearlfinders CEO & Co-Founder, Denese Colbourne, added: “At Pearlfinders, we’re always looking to the future, so becoming Headline Sponsor of the 2026 ESA Awards is a perfect fit.
“As the only platform offering dedicated solutions across commercial teams in Sport & Entertainment and Charity & Arts, Pearlfinders is uniquely positioned to empower ESA’s vibrant community with the curated data and insights they need to secure new corporate partners and generate more sponsorship revenue, faster. We’re thrilled to support ESA for many years to come.”
CATEGORIES IN ARTS, CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & MUSIC
Arts & Culture Sponsorship
An award specifically focused on the arts and culture sector – for a campaign, activation or holistic partnership. This category is free to enter.
Festival Sponsorship
The best festival sponsorship. This could be any festival e.g. music, literary, any other arts & culture festival.
Music Sponsorship
The best sponsorship in the musical field. This could be a music event, music-related activation, or holistic partnership with labels / studios, etc.
Click here to read the full list of categories for 2026.
-ENDS-
About ESA
The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is the essential and inclusive community for all professionals working in sponsorship. We inspire more successful sponsorships, drive confidence in decision making and grow a diverse community through world-leading education, events and resources, industry connections and recognition of excellence.
ESA’s reach encompasses all types of sponsorship activity from sport, broadcast, education, charity, the arts and culture, to environment and the community. Its members include sponsors, rights holders, agencies and consultants, professional advisors and suppliers. Visit sponsorship.org for more information.
About Pearlfinders
Pearlfinders empowers commercial teams at Europe’s most successful sport rights-holders, charities, cultural organisations and agencies to generate more sponsorship revenue. Our platform provides access to Europe’s largest, most accurate and relevant database of sponsorship budget-holders – with analyst-generated, forward-looking intelligence on potential partners – giving you an edge when pitching partnership opportunities to key decision-makers. Better insights. Better contact data. Better results.
For media queries, please contact:
Jonathan Coates | ESA Marketing, Communications and Events Manager
marketing@sponsorship.org | +44 (0) 7788 352219
