Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards Categories 

Please note that many campaigns fit into multiple categories. When preparing entries, please review all the categories to find the ones that best apply to your campaign.

All work submitted is judged based on Creativity, Relevance and Impact (unless otherwise note in the description below) - please read descriptions carefully.

African American

Represents all types of creative engagement that directly targets the African American demographic.

Asian

Represents all types of creative engagement that directly targets the Asian demographic. (Southeast Asian audiences are best entered in the Rising Multicultural Segments category.)

Content Marketing - NEW!

This award honors exceptional brand-developed or integrated content designed to engage, inform, or interact with consumers to drive meaningful action. Unlike Entertainment Marketing, which relies on external entertainment assets, this category focuses on original or user-generated content that a brand creates or curates. Winning entries will showcase effective storytelling, branded media (online or offline), gaming experiences, interactive content, educational initiatives, or community-driven engagement. Examples include brand-produced video series, podcasts, immersive experiences, influencer-driven content, and social-first storytelling campaigns.

Cross-Cultural Campaigns

Entries in this category will feature campaigns that include multiple cultural segments. Inclusiveness should be an integral focus throughout the entire strategic and creative process. While casting and representation will be a consideration, this category will also recognize multicultural and inclusive marketing insights throughout the entire execution.

Cultural Moments and Calendarized Events

This category will spotlight how marketers leverage the unique aspects of specific holidays and cultural events to enhance their relevance and support of special milestones in the lives of their diverse consumers. Events include annual festivals and holidays (e.g., Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year, Easter), cultural milestones (e.g., Quinceañera, Valentine’s Day) and special observances (e.g., Juneteenth, National Coming Out Day, Veteran’s Day).

Data and Measurement Excellence - NEW!

This category recognizes brands use the effective use of data to understand different inclusive marketing segments, track campaign performance, and measure the ROI of that campaign. A particular emphasis is to highlight innovative strategies to collect and use first-party data, and / or leverage third-party data strategies and execution.

Digital Excellence

This category is for any creative executions that leverage digital platforms that directly target a multicultural consumer segment. This includes programs involving mobile sites, apps, geo-location strategies, email campaigns, social media campaigns, web-based campaigns, etc. This category also rewards the best use of Social Media tools (e.g., TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X, etc.) targeted to consumers as the primary communication tactic/strategy to reach your objective.

Emerging Technology - new!

Showcase how you generated growth and drove results via the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), voice recognition, machine learning, NFTs etc. Demonstrate how the emerging technology drove the growth of a brand, enterprise, product, or service with a particular multicultural and inclusive marketing segment.

Entertainment Marketing

This category highlights marketing activations that leverage entertainment properties—such as film, TV, music, talent, and audio platforms—to drive brand impact. Entries should showcase how brands partnered with or integrated entertainment assets to enhance visibility, engagement, or consumer action. Examples include branded collaborations with film or TV franchises, music artist partnerships, product placements, entertainment-driven live experiences, and campaigns tied to streaming platforms, concerts, or podcasts..

Experiential Marketing

This award recognizes outstanding event marketing and sponsorship activations that bring brands to life through in-person experiences tailored to multicultural and inclusive audiences. Winning entries will showcase how brands engaged consumers through live events, branded experiences, or sponsorships that foster cultural connections, community engagement, and brand affinity. Eligible campaigns may include festival sponsorships, branded activations at major cultural events, touring experiences, on-site brand integrations, grassroots or community-driven events, and immersive pop-ups designed to directly engage diverse consumer segments. Successful entries will highlight how the event strategy authentically resonated with the target audience and created lasting impact.

Hispanic

Represents all types of creative engagement that directly targets the Hispanic demographic.

Holiday and Milestones

This category will spotlight how marketers leverage the unique aspects of specific holidays and cultural events to enhance their relevance and support of special milestones in the lives of their diverse consumers. Events include annual festivals and holidays (e.g., Kwanza, Lunar New Year, Holi), and cultural milestones (e.g., Quinceanera) and special observances (e.g., Juneteenth,National Coming Out Day).

Influencer Marketing

This category rewards the best use of Influencer Marketing - marketing that utilized multicultural and inclusive individuals, groups, or associations to help advocate and promote the brand or product to gain credibility with target consumers (growth audience segments) as the primary communication tactic/strategy to reach your objectives. Programs/campaigns can include any type of influencer or content creator, from local, micro to macro influencers to entertainers and national celebrities, and anything in between. 

In-Language Marketing - NEW!

This category recognizes marketing campaigns that engage audiences using their native or heritage language domestically (United States or Canada), where it is not the dominant language. Entries should demonstrate how brands connect with multilingual communities through culturally resonant, in-language messaging. Examples include Spanish, Spanglish, or French in the United States and Mandarin or Punjabi in Canada. Successful campaigns will highlight how in-language marketing fosters deeper connections, enhances accessibility, and drives engagement within multicultural consumer segments. For judging purposes only, all entries must include English translations of in-language copy to ensure a fair evaluation process.

LGBTQ+

Represents all types of creative engagement that directly targets the LGBTQ+ demographic.

Local, Regional, or Market Specific Marketing

This category recognizes marketing programs and campaigns designed to engage consumers within a specific local, regional, or market-defined geography, with a focus on multicultural and inclusive audiences. Winning entries should demonstrate how brands tailored their approach to reflect the cultural nuances, preferences, and community dynamics of the selected location. Entries should include details on why the specific market was chosen, how insights and local context informed the campaign strategy, and the execution process. Successful campaigns may include hyper-local activations, regional partnerships, community-driven initiatives, or city/state-specific media strategies that authentically connect with multicultural and inclusive audiences.

Marketing to the 50+ Consumer

This population is growing in size, spending power and influence and entries in this category give voice to who this consumer is, how they wish to be seen, and ensures accurate representation in all forms of marketing and advertising.

People with Disabilities and Neurodivergent Communities

This category recognizes marketing that includes and represents people with disabilities across a broad spectrum, including physical (e.g., mobility impairments, limb differences), sensory (e.g., vision or hearing impairments), cognitive (e.g., intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities), and neurodivergent communities (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia). It also encompasses mental health disabilities (e.g., anxiety, PTSD), chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities (e.g., multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic pain), and communication disabilities (e.g., speech impairments, non-verbal conditions). Entries can be campaigns that specifically target these audiences or integrate them meaningfully within broader efforts. Strong submissions will demonstrate authentic representation, inclusive design, or accessibility considerations that help ensure people with disabilities are seen, heard, and engaged.

Purpose Marketing

This award, supported by the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, is for the program/ campaign that makes a positive impact on society via a social cause, an environmental/sustainability effort, or support of a charity/cause. This can include pro bono campaigns, those involving donations, marketing campaigns developed for the good of a cause, corporate responsibility programs, advocacy, partnerships, etc. We want to see the passion behind your campaign and how you effectively made a difference in bringing your brand purpose to life. 

Rising Multicultural Segments

In recognition of the numerous multicultural segments that add texture and richness to the fabric of our diverse country and contribute to brand growth, this category embraces all the segments not covered by the established awards categories and recognizes creative work and programs which primarily target any other multicultural consumer market, including but not limited to Native American and Indigenous, Eastern European, Middle Eastern/North African (MENA), and Southeast Asian consumers.

Sports Marketing

This award recognizes outstanding achievements in leveraging sports as a platform for innovative and impactful brand activation strategies with multicultural and inclusive marketing segments. This category celebrates the intersection of sports and marketing, where creative campaigns, activations, and partnerships come together to enhance brand visibility, engagement, and resonance among target audiences. Whether through sponsorships, fan experiences, social media engagement, or other pioneering methods, this award highlights the efforts that have elevated brands through the dynamic world of sports. Entries are accepted from brands that leverage a sport, league, team or player, or directly from a sport, league, team or athlete themselves.