The shortlist for the Prolific North Marketing Awards 2026 has been revealed, recognising the agencies, in-house teams and individuals behind some of the North’s outstanding marketing work.
Winners will be announced at Manchester Hall on Thursday 19 November, when the industry will come together to celebrate the creativity, innovation and impact of Northern marketing.
This year’s finalists include campaigns for Manchester City, Yorkshire Tea, Cineworld and Northern Trains, alongside work tackling issues from smoking and debt to cancer care and violence prevention.
The awards return to Manchester after more than 400 marketers gathered at the Royal Armouries in Leeds for last year’s celebration.
Supporting this year’s event are sponsors Colony, Waypoint, Embryo, HUB, Two Stories, We Are The Allies, Propello Cloud, Williams Lea, Synergist and BuyMedia.
View the full Prolific North Marketing Awards 2026 shortlist here, or scroll down for every category and finalist.
Fun from last year’s awards
Fun from last year’s awards
Fun from last year’s awards
Fun from last year’s awards
Fun from last year’s awards
Fun from last year’s awards
Alexandra Balazs, MD of Prolific North, said: “The shortlist gives us plenty to celebrate, from campaigns for household names to work helping charities and public services reach the people who need them.
“Congratulations to all our finalists, and thank you to our judges for the time and care they have put into assessing the entries. We’re looking forward to bringing everyone together in Manchester on 19 November to recognise their achievements.”
Entries were assessed by a judging panel including Formula 1’s head of digital content Andrew Diggle, ITV Studios’ vice president of social media Claire Hoang, HECK! Food’s head of marketing Helen McTaggart and Leeds Building Society’s director of brand and marketing Nikki Dixon.
Hosting the awards is Adam Faulkner, a comedian, video producer and former journalist and TV producer who works with businesses and brands to make their content and events funnier and more human.
A Northerner now based in the South, Faulkner has built a following of more than 40,000 across his social media channels, sharing his take on business and the chaos of running one.
Who’s in the running?
Embryo, Enjoy Digital, HUB and Reading Room are competing for Independent Agency of the Year in the large agency category, with separate awards recognising small and medium agencies and emerging businesses.
The in-house shortlist brings together teams from organisations including Northern Trains, Trafford Centre, Calderdale College and Tiger Sheds.
Campaign finalists include Edison Media’s work on Manchester City’s 2026/2027 kit launch, Jaywing’s Yorkshire Tea campaign and CreativeRace’s “We’re Northern, just like you” work for Northern Trains.
Awards also recognise work across sectors including education, retail, health, financial services, property and tourism, with categories covering PR, search, social media, brand building and campaigns at different budget levels.
Have your say
Public voting is now open for three individual awards: Marketing Freelancer of the Year, sponsored by We Are The Allies; the Prolific Marketing Rising Star Award; and Prolific Marketer of the Year, sponsored by Embryo.
The full list of nominees appears below. Winners in these categories will be decided by a combination of public votes and judges’ scores.
Voting closes on 30 October. Voters can select one finalist per submission, and duplicate votes for the same nominee will not be counted.
Read about the finalists and cast your vote here.
Join us in Manchester
The evening at Manchester Hall begins with arrivals and a drinks reception at 6.30pm. Guests will be called for dinner at 7.15pm, with the welcome speech at 7.30pm and dinner served from 7.40pm. The awards begin at 9.15pm, with the ceremony scheduled to finish at 10.45pm before the entertainment gets underway. The event closes at 12.30am.
Early bird tickets are available until 29 October, with general tickets on sale from 30 October.
Book your tickets for the Prolific North Marketing Awards 2026 here.
The full Prolific North Marketing Awards 2026 shortlist
Agencies and teams
Best In-House Marketing Team, sponsored by HUB
- Calderdale College
- Key Group
- Leasing Options
- Northern Trains
- Printed.com
- Southport and Formby Health
- SugarBird Wines
- Summize
- Tiger Sheds
- Trafford Centre
Independent Agency of the Year, Small
- Another Concept
- Duo Consulting
- EDGEY
- Marriott Communications
- Relish Media
- Scala
- The Traveller and the Bear
- Unhooked
- WeAreNinety
Independent Agency of the Year, Medium
- 21 Degrees Digital
- ALT
- Edison Media
- I-COM
- noticed.
Independent Agency of the Year, Large
Full Service Agency of the Year, sponsored by Synergist
New Agency to Watch, sponsored by Waypoint
- Burograph
- Essheo
- Loud! OOH
- Shaka Social
- WE-COM
Campaigns
Best B2C Marketing Campaign, Less than 30 employees, sponsored by Buymedia
- 21 Degrees Digital & Monty Miracle – The £1.6M Peak Season
- Be Broadcast and Yours Sincerely & International Fund for Animal Welfare – Liked To Death
- Big Black Door & Merry Hill – From wallpaper to good times
- Edison Media & Manchester City – Manchester City Kit Launch 2026/2027
- Herd & PDHSports – Serving Up Triple Digit Revenue Growth
- One Day Agency & Cineworld – From Attention to Admission
- Powerhouse & Majestic Wine – Our Store Sommeliers, Your Majestic Christmas
- The Foundry & Mountain Equipment – The Wait
Best B2C Marketing Campaign, More than 30 employees, sponsored by Buymedia
- BWP Group & Trafford Centre – House of Beautopia
- Calderdale College – Applications Now Open
- Intro & The Cumberland Building Society – Community Conversations
- Rudy’s Pizza – Rudy’s Negroni Month: A shirt with benefits
- ZEAL & Kellanova – Seize the Cheese This Fringe
Best B2B Marketing Campaign
- Be Broadcast & Check Point – Six Days to Stop Hackers Publishing Nursery Children on the Dark Web
- Cravens & Route Agency – Zinsser – The Mark of a Pro
- GoodShip* & Liverpool Chamber – Liverpool Innovation & Impact Awards
- LGC Standards – PFAS Campaign
- noticed. & Hutchinson Engineering – 3-Part B2B Campaign
- On The Kusp & Vidonary – Vidonary Launch Campaign
- Salesfire – AI Connect Milk Carton
- The Co-operative Bank – Bank Like You Do Business: Turning Purpose into Performance
- Zircom & Shell – From invisible to visible: How Accelerate 2025 turned lubricant performance into a growth engine
Best Integrated Campaign, Brand, Awareness & Commercial Growth, sponsored by Propello Cloud
- ALT & Bright Signals – Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games
- BWP Group & Trafford Centre – House of Beautopia
- Cravens & Route Agency – Zinsser – The Mark of a Pro
- CreativeRace & Northern Trains – “We’re Northern, just like you”
- Enjoy Digital & Valspar – Removing Colour Decision Paralysis
- EssenceMediacom Scotland & Subway – Crave. Order. Eat.
- The Co-operative Bank – Bank Like You Do Business: An Integrated Campaign for Ethical Growth
- The Traveller and the Bear & Metrocentre – 40th Birthday Campaign
Best Integrated Campaign, Behaviour Change, Engagement & Action, sponsored by Propello Cloud
- Another Concept & PPS – Supplying PPS with a Multi-Channel Campaign
- Be Broadcast and Yours Sincerely & International Fund for Animal Welfare – Liked To Death
- Gardiner Richardson, Eski and Supersonic & Centre for Excellence – Turn the Corner campaign
- Influential & Champs Public Health Collaborative – Stop for Good
- JACK RYAN & Trust Deed Scotland – From Hidden Debt to Help
- Northumbrian Water – Bin The Wipe
- That Lot (Weber Shandwick Collective) & tombola – BCN – Checking In: The Most Important Thing Friends Never Ask
- Wienerberger & Rewired PR – The cost of compliance – uncovering the hidden burden on architects
Best Small Budget Campaign
- Another Concept & Indigo Car Hire – Driving Huge Organic Growth on a Small Budget
- Be Broadcast & Check Point – Six Days to Stop Hackers Publishing Nursery Children on the Dark Web
- Be Broadcast and Defined PR & Future Dreams – Mind the Gap: Exposing the Cancer Cliff After Treatment
- BWP & Dalton Park – Wellness Week
- Intro & Fibrus Broadband – Fibrus Rage Room
- Mabo & British Home Stores – Unlocking Growth Through a Catalogue-First Meta Strategy
Best Medium Budget Campaign
- Another Concept & RugbyPass – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
- Influential & Champs Public Health Collaborative – Social Smoking Counts
- Pets at Home – Big Summer for Little Pets
- Route Agency & First Bus – York Park & Ride – Clicks Don’t Ride Buses
- Wienerberger & Rewired PR – The cost of compliance – uncovering the hidden burden on architects
Best Large Budget Campaign, sponsored by Williams Lea
- Bellway – Feels like home
- CreativeRace & Northern Trains – “We’re Northern, just like you”
- Drummond Central & Bellway – ‘What if’
- Edison Media & JD Sports – Big Budget, Bigger Return
- Enjoy Digital & Valspar – Removing Colour Decision Paralysis
- EssenceMediacom Scotland & Subway – If YouTube Is TV, It Should Deliver Like TV
- One Day Agency & Cineworld – Making Big Budgets Work as One
- Vega Comms and Propaganda & Cloud Nine – Strength Through Kindness
- ZEAL & Kellanova – Seize the Cheese This Fringe
Best PR Campaign
- Be Broadcast & Check Point – Six Days to Stop Hackers Publishing Nursery Children on the Dark Web
- Be Broadcast & Sport England – Powered by Place: Bradford Proof, Global Impact
- BWP & Dalton Park – Wellness Week
- Hatch & MotoGP – Celebrating MotoGP’s return to Silverstone
- Intro & Fibrus Broadband – Fibrus Rage Room
- Scala & Maternity Scandal Association (MSA)
- Unhooked & Tradesman Saver – Covering What Matters to the Trades
- Wolfenden & Tiger Sheds – Turning Shed of the Year into a National Conversation
Best PPC Campaign
- Another Concept & Geo Green Power – Driving Geo Green Power’s PPC to Full Charge
- RedCore Digital & Vista Square – 39x ROAS for a Liverpool Student Accommodation Provider
- The SEO Works & Bellissima – Giving Ecommerce a New Style
Best Search Marketing Campaign
- B2 Agency & DCO – Farrow & Ball SEO & PPC Strategy
- Edge45 & Spin – Building global leads and page 1 rankings for social agency, Spin
- Wolfenden & J. Parker’s – From Seasonal Retailer to Category Leader in Organic Search
- Wolfenden & Panda London – From Specialist Brand to Sleep Market Challenger
Best Social Media or Influencer Campaign, sponsored by Waypoint
- Extreme & Silver Cross – Launching a new travel system? A Breez.
- Growth Gorilla & WorldFirst
- Hatch & The Hundred – 50 Days to Go – The Final Piece of the Jigsaw
- Influential & Unilever Prestige – Gifting skincare into unexpected communities
- Jam & Constance Hotels & Resorts – From Polished to Personal: Reimagining Luxury for the Social Age
- Jam & Park Holidays – From Brochure to Feed: Rethinking Holiday Discovery for the Social Age
- Jaywing & Yorkshire Tea – Health and Safe Tea: Turning an everyday office ritual into 20 million views
- Reading Room & Marketreach – Mail Unleashed: Reinventing Direct Mail Through Digital
- Smoking Gun & Philips – Floor Play: Cleaning up in a new category
Best Out of Home Advertising Campaign
- ALT & Scottish FA – Hear Us Roar
- Buymedia & Bluebird Care
- Cavendish Consultancy & Flood Re – Flood ReThink
- Creative Coalition & Access Training – Fill the Skills gap
- Edison Media & JD Sports & Scotland FA – From Subs to the Streets
Best Charity Campaign, sponsored by Colony
- Be Broadcast and Defined PR Future Dreams – Mind the Gap: Exposing the Cancer Cliff After Treatment
- Claire House Children’s Hospice – Claire House News
- Harrison Carloss & Dougie Mac Hospice – Dementia Campaign
- Influential & North West Cancer Research – I’m Here Today…
- Lucky North & Russell Hobbs – Plates for Change
- OffType & Ben, The Automotive Industry Charity – The Benevolent
Best Public Sector & Not-for-Profit Campaign, sponsored by Colony
- Be Broadcast & Sport England – Powered by Place: Bradford Proof, Global Impact
- Gardiner Richardson, Eski, Supersonic & Centre for Excellence – Turn the Corner campaign
- Influential & Liverpool City Council – Talking Bins
- Magpie & NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – Are your medicines stacking up?
- Resource & West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership – Keep the Door Open
- Route Agency & First Bus – York Park & Ride – Clicks Don’t Ride Buses
Best Brand Building Campaign, Brand Campaigns & Activations, sponsored by Two Stories
- Be Broadcast & Check Point – Six Days to Stop Hackers Publishing Nursery Children on the Dark Web
- CAVU & Wavemaker (a WPP Media Brand) – Breaking the Performance Ceiling through Brand Building
- Edison Media & JD Sports – Spring Activation
- EssenceMediacom Scotland & Subway – Putting Lunch Back On The Menu
- Fantasticate & Thistly Cross Cider – THIStly is Our Cider
- One Day Agency & Cineworld – Making Cineworld Mean More Than the Movie
- Vega Comms and Propaganda & Cloud Nine – Strength Through Kindness
Best Brand Building Campaign, Brand Strategy, Rebrand & Transformation, sponsored by Two Stories
- Bellway – Feels like home
- Big Black Door & Merry Hill – From wallpaper to good times
- Creative Coalition & Access Training – Find your Happy
- Gardiner Richardson & Newcastle City Council – Wander and Wonder: The Grainger Market rebrand
- Influential & Champs Public Health Collaborative – Smoking Ends Here
- On The Kusp & Vidonary – Vidonary Brand Building Campaign
- Rise & Amplify & Original Source – Workout Recovery
Sector-specific campaigns
Best Ecommerce/Retail Campaign
- 21 Degrees Digital & Monty Miracle – 45,124 Orders in One Spring
- ALT & Jura (Whyte & McKay) – Broadcast, Refined: Turning Premium TV into a Growth Engine
- Big Black Door & Merry Hill – From Wallpaper to Good Times
- Herd & PDHSports – Serving Up Triple Digit Revenue Growth
- Novi Digital & H&C’s Trees – With the help of Novi, money does grow from trees.
- One Day Agency & Cineworld – Turning Film Demand into Ticket Sales
- Pets at Home – Pets Club Prices
- RedCore Digital & Curo Skin – 9.8x Organic Revenue in 12 Months for Curo Skin
- Shaka Social & Gardeners Dream
- The Traveller and the Bear & Metrocentre – 40th Birthday Campaign
- Vega Comms & Propaganda and Cloud Nine – Strength Through Kindness
Best Education Campaign
- OneMay & LCR Be More – Connection First. Opportunity Follows.
- St Johns Shopping Centre – Learning Without Walls: How St Johns Shopping Centre Turned Public Art into Real-World Education
- We Are Futures & Scottish Water – Generation H₂O
Best FMCG Campaign
- ALT & Nemiroff – That’s My Spirit
- Rise & Amplify & PZ Cussons – Original Source – Workout Recovery
- ZEAL & Kellanova – Seize the Cheese This Fringe
Best Health or Life Sciences Campaign
- Be Broadcast & Sport England -Powered by Place: Bradford Proof, Global Impact
- Buymedia & Bluebird
- Gardiner Richardson, Eski, Supersonic & Centre for Excellence -Turn the Corner campaign
Best Professional & Financial Services Campaign
- Jam & Raisin UK – The Great British Savings Report 2025
- Key Group & Air – The Home Belongs in the Plan
- Reign & Surewise – From Performance Search to Mass Broadcast Fame
- The Co-operative Bank – Bank Like You Do Business: Turning Ethical Banking into Commercial Growth
- Unhooked & Tradesman Saver – Covering What Matters to the Trades
Best Property & Construction Campaign
- Absolute Agency & Dandara – “You’ll Feel Right at Home”
- Bellway – Feels like home
- Cartwright & UKREiiF – One Big Idea at UKREiiF 2026
- Cast Can & The Great Housing Development Summit – The Great Housing Development Summit
- Drummond Central & Bellway – ‘What if’
- E-Marketing Agency & Bailey Capital Investment Group – How Bailey Capital and E-Marketing Turned Investment Into a Solution for UK Homelessness
- Enjoy Digital & EweMove Estate Agents – From Enquiries to Expansion
- Holistic & UKREiiF – Insights Report 2026
- Wienerberger & Rewired PR – The cost of compliance – uncovering the hidden burden on Architects
Best Tourism & Leisure Campaign
- ALT & Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries – A Ferry Back in Time
- CreativeRace & Northern Trains – Summer Leisure
- Jam & Constance Hotels & Resorts – From Polished to Personal: Reimagining Luxury for the Social Age
- Marketing Cheshire – Chester Spring Campaign
- One Day Agency & Cineworld – Making Cinema a Leisure Choice
- Route Agency & First Bus – York Park & Ride – Clicks Don’t Ride Buses
- Visit York – This is York: The Chocolate City
- Vivid Everywhere – EMMCA ‘At The Centre Of It All’
Individuals
Marketing Freelancer of the Year Award, sponsored by We Are The Allies
- Charissa Redfern – Rosefern Communications
- Gemma Eccleston – Hendrix Rose PR
- Hollie Fraser – The General Store Global
- Ian Cheveau – Ian Cheveau Marketing
- Jen Lau – Firebolt Communications
- Lisa Jackson – Acorn Marketing
- Prateek Mathur – Animation.Life
- Sarah Swaroop – Sarah Swaroop Consulting
- Stefan Evans – Stefan Does Social
Prolific Marketing Rising Star Award
- Abbie Brookes – Datacove
- Aneena Elza Binod – The Internet’s Favourite
- Barnisha Lepcha – Primo Dialler
- Cameron Izzard – Edison Media
- Catherine Donaldson – Wireless CCTV
Prolific Marketer of the Year, sponsored by Embryo
- Aaron Crewe – Novi Digital
- Bethany Prior – Candid Hospitality
- Daniel Coole – Liverpool Cathedral / Diocese of Liverpool
- Gemma Ward – Trafford Centre
- Ian Cheveau – Ian Cheveau Marketing
- Ricardo Seixas – One Day Agency
- Sandra Almond – Southport and Formby Health
- Sarah Swaroop – Sarah Swaroop Consulting
- Stefan Evans – Stefan Does Social
