2026
Ad Club CT
Awards
Thursday, October 15 – 5:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.
The Bushnell Performing Arts Center (Autorino Great Hall)
166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Entries submission will be open from August 1-15.
The 71st Awards Competition is open to members only. Join Here
WHAT’S ELIGIBLE
Submissions are open to members only. All creative originated and/or produced in Connecticut and used between July 1, 2025 and July 30, 2026 is eligible for entry into the 71st Annual Awards Show on Thursday, October 15, 2026. All entries must be received by 11:59PM on August 15, 2026.
Work created or executed by a member Connecticut agency or supplier on behalf of an advertiser may be submitted by the agency, advertiser or supplier. If the same work is submitted by two or more entrants, duplicate entries will be eliminated. Work entered in an incorrect category will be transferred to the correct category at the discretion of the judges.
The Committee reserves the right to request verification of production. In addition, all Awards Show entries must represent newly produced work, and not “carry overs” from previous years. New executions of a continuing campaign can be entered; however, updating copy/photos of existing work is not permissible.
Submit a summary for each entry (optional). Limit one page per entry. It can include the following: background, target audience, objectives, budget, the big idea, execution, how long that it ran, and results.
ENTRY FEES/PAYMENT
$100 per entry
Open to AD CLUB OF CT MEMBERS ONLY
ALL ENTRIES MUST BE PAID IN FULL PRIOR TO JUDGING
JUDGING
The Award Show judging panel will include accomplished copywriters, designers and creative directors from around the country.
The judging will take place on August 17, 2026-September 10, 2026.
CATEGORIES
Best of Industry Awards
Best of B2B Marketing
Best of B2C Marketing
Best of Retail Marketing
Best of Financial Marketing
Best of Healthcare Marketing
Best of Tourism & Hospitality
Best of Non-Profit
Best of Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
Out-of-Home
Billboard Series – Campaign
Billboard Single – Piece
Transit (Bus, Train, Airport) Ad – Single Piece
Transit (Bus, Train, Airport) – Series Campaign
Place-based Network (Hospitals, Convenience Stores, Pharmacies, Movie Theaters, etc.) – Single Piece or Campaign
Street Media (Murals, Chalk Stencils, Posters, etc.) – Single Piece or Campaign
Business Identity
Business Identity System – Single Piece
Business Logo Design – Single Piece
Digital, Social Media, Website
Media Ad Series – Campaign
Media Single Ad – Single Piece
Organic Social Media Branding – Campaign
Influencer Campaign – Campaign
User Generated Campaign – Campaign
Website Rebrand/Redesign – Single Piece
Website Microsite – Single Piece
Experiential & Omnichannel
Grassroots/Guerrilla – Campaign
Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality – Single Piece
Experiential/Event Signage – Single Piece
Environmental Graphics – Single Piece
Omnichannel Consumer Campaign
Omnichannel Digital Campaign
Print Materials
B2B Direct Mail – Single Piece
B2B Magazine Series – Campaign
Booth/Exhibit Design – Single Piece
Consumer Magazine Ad – Single Piece
Packaging Design Piece – Single Piece
Posters Series – Campaign
Single Poster – Single Piece
Annual Report – Single Piece
Miscellaneous Collateral – Single Piece
Miscellaneous Signage – Single Piece
Radio, TV, and Streaming
Audio Series – Campaign
Audio Single – Single Piece
Television Series – Campaign
Television 60 seconds – Single Piece
Television 30 seconds – Single Piece
Television 15 seconds or less – Single Piece
Video
Long-form Video – Single Piece or Series
Original Art, Photography, Animation/Motion Graphics, and Music
Original Art – Single Piece or Series
Original Photography – Single Piece or Series
Animation/Motion Graphics – Single Piece or Series
Original Music – Single Piece or Series
Promotional
Presentations/Brand Storytelling – Single Piece
Agency/Self-Promotion – Single Piece
Promotional Items – Single Piece
Email & SMS
Email marketing – Campaign
SMS content – Single Piece
Artificial Intelligence
Best use of AI Open Category
Miscellaneous
Uncategorizable : Think it fits in the show, but not in any category? Enter it here.
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