Prolific North is now accepting applications for its 2026 Partners cohort, following a year of significant growth that has seen the media and events company strengthen its position as the go-to publication for the North’s digital, creative and tech sectors.
Entering its sixth year, the Partnerships programme enables forward-thinking organisations to actively shape, support and engage with the North’s creative and digital communities.
There are now a small number of spaces for organisations to join the 2026 Partner cohot. Interested organisations can submit their application via the application form or contact Commercial Director Ben Waterhouse directly at [email protected].
A year of investment and growth
2025 has proven to be a landmark year for Prolific North, which has collaborated with a range of partners to deliver a packed calendar of high-quality events.
These include The Northern Marketing Festival, tech sector growth event GRAFT, an array of informative roundtable discussions, and the upcoming flagship end-of-year trends event, Prolific North Live, on November 6th.
The publication’s digital performance has been particularly impressive, with a 51% increase in both website visitors and newsletter subscribers, a notable achievement given the challenging wider industry landscape where organic traffic has been heavily impacted by AI.
Managing Director Alexandra Balazs said: “We’ve invested heavily in our team this year and it’s paying off. Our new editor, Karl Holbrook, joined us in January and has brought a brand new bag of tricks, tactics and instilled a different kind of momentum.
“Our original features content is getting stronger and stronger with Rachael Hesno at the helm and our veteran journalists, Stephen Chapman and Chris Newbould remain the lifeblood of the newsdesk. Equally importantly, we retained continuity with founding editor David Prior stepping into the Partnerships Editor role after 12 years at the helm of the publication. And our partnerships have been stronger than ever this year.”
The power of partnership
The 2025 Prolific Partners cohort demonstrates the programme’s broad appeal across sectors, including property company Bruntwood SciTech, expert global growth and M&A advisory firm Waypoint, legal firm Gateley, recruiter BetterPlaced, programmatic specialist SBS, print specialist Print.com and marketing agencies Embryo, Edison Media, HUB, McCann, Sun Branding, TALL and Cornerstone.
David Prior, Partnerships Editor, explained the value of the partnership model: “There’s no denying that the wider industry has been in a state of flux for quite some time now.
“Working together with our trusted Partners means we can collaborate to shape strategy and come together to support the digital and creative community. Our Partners participate in a series of roundtables, events and contribute to interviews, articles and valuable content.”
Guy Utley, co-founder of marketing agency TALL, praised the partnership: “Partnering with Prolific North has been a great way for us to stay involved with the creative industries. The work they do to celebrate projects, news and talent across design, marketing, advertising and digital fits perfectly with what we care about.”
Join the 2026 cohort
Prolific North is now accepting applications for a select number of partners for 2026. These annual, bespoke partnerships represent a strategic, high-value investment to embed your brand in the North’s creative economy, with the core partnership package starting from £11,000+vat for the 2026 cohort. Other packages are also available. The programme will span the entire year and includes exclusive meetups, thought leadership opportunities, content collaborations, advertising opportunities and event speaking slots.
Interested organisations can submit their application via the application form or contact Commercial Director Ben directly at [email protected]
