The American
Advertising Awards
The mission of the American Advertising Awards is to recognize and
reward the creative spirit of excellence in advertising.
Submissions are Now OPEN!
The American Advertising Awards, home of
the ADDY® Award, is one of the industry's largest creative competitions, attracting nearly 35,000 professional and student entries each year through competitions offered through local
AAF clubs.
Conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), the local Ad Club phase is the first of a three-tier, national competition. Concurrently, all across the country, local entrants vie to win ADDY Awards - recognition as the very best in their markets. At the second tier, local ADDY winners compete against winners from other local clubs in one of 15 district competitions. District ADDY winners are then forwarded to the third tier, the national stage of the American Advertising Awards.
2026-2027 American Advertising Awards Information
Submissions
Start Date: November 1st, 2026
End Date: January 10th, 2027
NO LATE ENTRIES THIS YEAR!
EARLY BIRD ENTRIES: November 1, 2026 - December 1, 2026, Professional entries will be discounted $10, and Student entries will be discounted $5.
REGULAR ENTRIES: This applies to creative work submitted between Dec. 2, 2026 to Jan. 10, 2027. Standard entry rates apply, when you turn in materials within this window.
LATE ENTRIES: No late entries will be taken after January 10, 2027 due to the deadlines with Districts and Nationals
Entry Fees
Members of AAF Suncoast get a 50% discount when entering the American Advertising Awards competition:
Member Single: $140.00
Non-Member Single: $295.00
Member Campaign: $190.00
Non-Member Campaign: $390.00
Student: $60.00
2027 will be judged virtually.
No physical entries are required.
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2027 Call for Entries - Entry Categories
Entering your local American Advertising Awards competition is the first step toward winning a National ADDY. If your entry wins a Gold ADDY in the local competition, it will be automatically forwarded to the District competition at no charge. If the entry then wins Gold again it will be forwarded to the National competition with fees paid by the District.
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Professional Rules & Categories
Entering the American Advertising Awards supports the entire advertising industry, because the AAF and its local and district affiliates use the proceeds to enhance advertising through programs such as public service, professional development, internships, advocacy groups, advertising education, and consumer awareness.
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Student Rules & Categories
The American Advertising Awards Student Division is also a three-tier national competition, which is sponsored by the AAF. Occurring in conjunction with the professional competition, the Student Awards recognize and reward creative excellence by students.
How do I win an ADDY Award?
Selection of the most creative entry in each category is affected by a scoring process in which a panel of judges evaluates all creative dimensions of every entry. A Gold ADDY is recognition of the highest level of creative excellence and is judged to be superior to all other entries in the category. Entries that are also considered outstanding and worthy of recognition receive a Silver ADDY.
Who can enter?
This competition is open to all creative services and industry suppliers including but not limited to advertising, graphic design, photographers, printers, newspaper, radio, television, web, marketing and communication professionals as well as students studying in these areas.
All creative submissions must have run between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026. All submissions entered into the AAF Suncoast competition must have been created in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Highlands, Charlotte, Hardee, Lee, Collier, Glades and Hendry Counties. If the work was not created in one of these counties, please ensure you enter through the correct club in the AAF Fourth District.
Get Involved
Joining the ADDY Committee is an excellent opportunity to get involved with your local American Advertising Federation club and network with the area’s talented industry professionals. Volunteers can help coordinate judges, facilitate email and social media content, design and enhance the website, create collateral and more.
The ADDY Committee meets to plan the local ADDY contest every year, and AAF Suncoast is always searching for help. Your input and skills are a welcomed and appreciated addition on our team, as we showcase industry excellence from Sarasota, Manatee, Desoto, Highlands and Hardee counties.