The American Advertising Awards
Tuscaloosa’s biggest night in advertising.
The American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting over 40,000 entries every year in local AAF Club competitions. The mission of the American Advertising Awards is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.
Conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), the AAF Tuscaloosa’s local phase is the first of a three-tier, national competition. Concurrently, all across the country, local entrants vie to win an ADDY® Award —recognition as the very best in their markets. At the second tier, local winners compete against winners from other local clubs in one of 15 district competitions. AAF Tuscaloosa competes in AAF District 7’s competition. District winners are then forwarded to the third tier, the national stage of the American Advertising Awards. Entering AAF Tuscaloosa’s competition is the first step toward winning a national ADDY® Award.
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 government relations, public service, internships, advocacy groups, advertising education, and consumer awareness.
Tips for Entering
Start early.
We get it—the end of the year is busy! It just takes a few minutes a month to set aside your best work as possible American Advertising Award entries.
There are three deadlines for early birds, right-on-time birds, and better-late-than-never birds, too.
Early bird: Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Right on time: Friday, January 19, 2024
Better late than never: Weds, January 24, 2024
What work is eligible?
Work entered must have first appeared between January 1 and December 31, 2023, and be entered in the market where it was created.
Categories
Consult the category list to find where your work should compete. The list is maintained AAF National and updated yearly.
Submissions
Since entries will be judged virtually at the local level this year, there is no need to prepare and submit physical entries. That said, it will be even more important to upload great photos and videos, where allowable. For nearly all entries, you are able to upload five files/images and a video.
Frequently Asked Questions
01. What is the entry deadline?
The entry deadline is determined each year by the American Advertising Awards committee. The deadlines for the 2024 competition are:
Early bird: Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023
Right on time: Friday, January 19, 2024
Better late than never: Weds., January 24, 2024
02. How much does it cost to enter?
Each club sets their own entry fees and may change the cost each year. However, local entry fees of Gold winning entries include forwarding to the district competition.
Professionals: $80 member | $100 non-member per entry
(Early birds save $15/entry, procrastinators add $10/entry)
Students: $35 per entry (Early birds save $5/entry)
04. Who are the judges?
Each year the committee invites 3-4 industry professionals to participate as Judges. The committee strives to invite judges with a variety of backgrounds and from different markets to promote a well-rounded judging experience.
05. How do I know if I’ve won?
Winners will be contacted via email or printed invitation after Judging Week (which occurs in late January).
06. What is the awards gala?
It is a celebration hosted to recognize the ADDY® Award and Special Award winners. Everyone is invited to attend. Not only is it an exciting evening, but an opportunity to be inspired by the best local creative from the past year. This year’s gala is set for Thursday, February 29, 2024, at Downtown Social.
Still have questions? We’re happy to walk you through the entry process or help in any way we can.
Please email us at awards@aaftuscaloosa.com
View last year’s winners and check out photos from the 2023 Gala!