The judges are looking for any initiative targeted at a City-focused audience, whether that is, for example, a capital markets day, results announcement or financial transaction.

From blogs to employee-generated videos and corporate podcasts, companies are experimenting with content as never before. The judges are looking for a one-off campaign or ongoing initiative with a compelling narrative that brings the corporate story to life. This can be across any platform, and either an internal or external.

The judges are looking for an event - either virtual, hybrid or in person - that is carefully designed to meet the needs of its audience, whether that is employees, shareholders, or any stakeholder group. They will consider creativity, innovation and execution to understand the experience of the attendees. Video footage, while not compulsory, can bring the event to life for the judges.

This category is open to communications professionals working in-house or within a consultancy aged under 30 as of 30 June 2026. The judges will be looking for evidence of the individual’s own initiatives and work rather than their contributions as part of a team. The entry should be supported by a letter of recommendation, no longer than 500 words, by the candidate’s manager.

Required supporting material

• Name of candidate
• Title 
• Image of candidate
  

The judges are looking for a campaign or initiative driven by a clearly defined societal issue or cause, where communications have been used to raise awareness, influence attitudes or effect behavioural or policy change.

Apart from the obvious examples of draft releases, grammar checks and imagery, the judges are looking for ways in which organisations have embedded AI into their work patterns or in creative campaigns.

The judges are looking for a campaign that uses audience insights, research and a carefully defined strategy to achieve its goal, which must be clear and measurable.

The judges are looking for a campaign that demonstrates a clear and consistent message across multiple channels, reaching and engaging audiences to deliver measurable results.

The judges are looking for a campaign that, while initiated in the UK, has a remit across at least three countries. They want to understand the challenges of reaching different audiences, and any change in approach needed to reflect different cultures or media consumption behaviours.

Each entry will be judged against five main criteria - up to 300 words can be used for each aspect.

1) How the team works together. The judges will be looking for evidence that each member plays an essential role and contributes to its success.

2) How the team supports its various stakeholder audience(s).

3) Evidence of a clear strategy, objectives and plan.

4) How the team approached a significant challenge, reputational issue or creative campaign.

5) Demonstrable results.

Each entry will be judged against five main criteria - up to 300 words can be used for each aspect.

1) How the team works together. The judges will be looking for evidence that each member plays an essential role and contributes to its success.

2) How the team supports its various stakeholder audience(s).

3) Evidence of a clear strategy, objectives and plan.

4) How the team approached a significant challenge, reputational issue or creative campaign.

5) Demonstrable results.

Each entry will be judged against five main criteria - up to 300 words can be used for each aspect.

1) How the team works together. The judges will be looking for evidence that each member plays an essential role and contributes to its success.

2) How the team supports its various stakeholder audience(s).

3) Evidence of a clear strategy, objectives and plan.

4) How the team approached a significant challenge, reputational issue or creative campaign.

5) Demonstrable results.

The judges are looking for a campaign in which video played an integral part. It does not matter if the video has been produced on a smartphone, to Hollywood standards or whether it is of TikTok length. The key here is creativity, rather than simply viewing figures.

The judges are looking for a report that is aligned to an organisation's sustainability and business strategy. It should identify and discuss the long-term ambitions while setting short-term targets for priority areas. Key performance indicators and metrics should demonstrate progress against these goals.

The judges will consider the user experience and ease of navigation, as well as the authenticity of the website’s narrative. It should be authoritative, informative and accessible.

The website does not need to have been launched within the past year, but performance data should be supplied for a mature one. And, though the importance of GEO is only starting to be recognised, any examples of how content has been adapted for Large Learning Models would be welcome - though not compulsory. 

The judges are looking for a holistic strategy that has improved employee engagement levels and two-way dialogue within an organisation. Entries should demonstrate how employees’ needs were identified, the initiatives put in place, and the results, including the impact on engagement scores.

It doesn’t cost money to be creative. The judges are looking for a campaign in any discipline that achieves (or exceeds) its goals without spending more than £25,000, proving that budgets should not be a barrier to either creativity or achieving great results.

The judges are looking for examples of a clearly defined and well-executed strategy that was deployed to minimise the potential fall out and reputational impact.

These entries are judged against five main criteria:

1. The ethos of the agency
2. How the agency supports various clients
3. Evidence of a USP or approach that sets your agency apart from others
4. How the agency approached a significant challenge, reputational issue or creative campaign
5. Demonstrable results (can include client endorsements)

The judges will consider the effectiveness of the campaign, which should go beyond simply generating coverage. While traditional media remains the predominant channel, campaigns promoted through relevant influencers, such as bloggers, are included. 

The judges are looking for a campaign that was created either to mitigate a potentially negative issue, such as business transformation, crisis or M&A, or galvanise employees around a specific business initiative from new vision and values to ESG. The campaign should have clear objectives, consider how risks were managed and/or employee participation achieved and include clear measurement of results.

The judges are looking for an organisation that lives and breathes its corporate purpose through everyday actions and strategic initiatives. Please state your organisation's corporate purpose in the entry, highlighting activities that have brought it to life, or even refreshed for an ever changing labour force.

The report will be judges against five main criteria:

• Accessibility: is it easy to read?
• Narrative: is its story well written and compelling?
• Design: are the images and graphics clear and easy to understand?
• Brand: does the design reflect the brand?
• Best practice: does the report follow the latest recommended guidelines?

The report will be judged against five main criteria:

• Accessibility: is it easy to read?
• Narrative: is its story well written and compelling?
• Design: are the images and graphics clear and easy to understand?
• Brand: does the design reflect the brand?
• Best practice: does the report follow the latest recommended guidelines?
  

The report will be judged against five main criteria:

• Accessibility: is it easy to read?
• Narrative: is its story well written and compelling?
• Design: are the images and graphics clear and easy to understand?
• Brand: does the design reflect the brand?
• Best practice: does the report follow the latest recommended guidelines?
  

It might be a piece of research, the rewriting of a corporate website or a change to standard press releases... it is early days in the GEO story and organisations are just feeling their way. The judges are looking for an initiative that is pushing the agenda.

The judges are looking for an initiative, such as a corporate partnership or community project, that can demonstrate tangible, measurable results for employees, communities or society as a result. 

The judges are looking for a campaign with a clear objective that, thorough authentic and creative storytelling, platform-specific content and high quality visuals achieved its goals.

At a time of dramatic change when AI is disrupting how brands and individuals show up, who are the in-house teams embracing state-of-the-art technology to enhance their storytelling capabilities, manage or work with agency partners and demonstrate ROI. 

The report will be judges against five main criteria:

• Accessibility: is it easy to read?
• Narrative: is its story well written and compelling?
• Design: are the images and graphics clear and easy to understand?
• Brand: does the design reflect the brand?
• Best practice: does the report follow the latest recommended guidelines?