The shortlist for the 2026 Prolific North Champions Awards has been revealed, recognising top talent and work across the North’s creative, digital, tech and marketing sectors.
The prestigious awards will be back with a live ceremony on 14 May 2026 at Emirates Old Trafford – Lancashire Cricket Club, where all the winners will be announced.
Early bird tickets are now on sale for the event until 8 April, bringing together hundreds of professionals to see who’s a winner, network, and, most importantly, celebrate.
An independent panel of industry experts, including Warburtons, Kellogg’s, Buymedia, Formula 1, CLOUD NINE, AO Retail, Hearst Networks EMEA, Waypoint, Virgin Red and many more, recently came together to judge and score all entries. Find out more about them here.
A big thanks to them and to our category sponsors this year: BIG Partnership, Buymedia, Colony, Edison Media, Embryo, The Eastern Blok, Glaisyers, HUB, and Synergist.
There are also FIVE categories yet to be decided – Female Entrepreneur of the Year, Prolific Leader of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Prolific Rising Star of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement Award.
The winners of these categories will be decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public voting. Scroll to the end of the shortlist to find out who has been nominated and how to cast your votes.
Now, it’s finally time to reveal the shortlist…
The Prolific North Champions Awards 2026: The Shortlist
Independent Agency of the Year: Small
- C21 Creative Communications
- Excite OOH
- Interim Digital
Independent Agency of the Year: Medium
- Evoluted
- Fantastic Media
- ICG Strategic Marketing Agency
Independent Agency of the Year: Large
Integrated Agency of the Year
- BIG Partnership
- Bonded Agency
- CTI Digital
- HUB
- Open Partners
PR Agency of the Year
- McBryde & Co
- The Strong Agency
- Viva
Digital Agency of the Year
- Answer Digital
- Mutatio Marketing Agency LTD
- Open Partners
- Pixelbuilders
Production Company of the Year
- Eight Engines
- Sam Teale Productions
- The Chase Films
New Agency to Watch (under 3 years old)
- BrandXYZ
- EDGEY
- Exter Media
- Ginger Fury
- Hide Marketing Agency
- Invested
- Novaro Social Commerce
- Oceros
- Swype®
B2C Marketing Campaign of the Year: Small
- Calderdale College – Applications Now Open
- Keane Creative Ltd & Wilfreda Beehive
- RMS Marketing & Trafford Leisure – Unearthing Hidden Treasure
B2C Marketing Campaign of the Year: Medium
- Edison Media & Visit Blackpool – This Is Blackpool: Reigniting a Seaside Icon
- Evoluted & Supplement Hub – Supplementing Success, Sustaining Growth
- Jaywing, The Sun, & cardfactory – No Tricks Just Treats
- MPS – I’m a Consultant
- Trafford Centre – Beautopia
- Weber Shandwick – Knorrplay is the new foreplay
B2C Marketing Campaign of the Year: Large
- Edison Media – JD & Adidas
- Immediate – Crown Paints & Good Food
- Immediate – Ristorante & Radio Times Book Club
- Jaywing & Yorkshire Tea – Four Minute Wonders: Turning brew time into time well spent
- Reigning Media & Leasing Options
B2B Marketing Campaign of the Year
- Dentsu Creative – The Luximoment
- First Internet and Mulmar – AI Answers to Local Enquiries.
- Matter & Kelling Group – Transforming Lead Quality with Prospect Intelligence™ & ABM
- Salesfire – AI Connect Milk Carton
B2B PR Campaign of the Year
- Aberfield Communications & The Compleat Food Group – Establishing The Compleat Food Group as a ‘Star Performer’ in the UK grocery sector
- Altitude PR & IntelliAM AI – The Proof Over Promise Campaign
- Petal & Co & ReBound & ASC – Creating a new narrative. Turning retail returns into repeat spending.
- Viva & CoolKit – Electrifying the Cold Front
B2C PR Campaign of the Year
- Brazen PR & Sudocrem® – Sudocrem® Gets Uncovered with Brazen
- Citypress & Lurpak – Lurpak: The Taste Test
- HAVAS Red & GetYourGuide – Ibiza Unplugged
- Jam & Raisin: The Newsroom That Simplified Saving
- Prohibition PR & Martin House Children’s Hospice – THE BUILD
- RMS Marketing & Swizzels – Celebrating 70 years of Refreshers for Swizzels
- Smoking Gun & Philips – Fry & Mighty: Taking back market share for Philips airfryer
- Viva & Bolton Food & Drink Festival – Secret Menu Hits the Spot
- Weber Shandwick & Mars Petcare – A New Leash on City Life: Helping Mars Pet Build a Pet-Friendly World
- Weber Shandwick & McAfee – Repositioning McAfee for the AI Era
Not-for-Profit Campaign of the Year
- Epilepsy Action & Magpie – If I Told You
- Fusion Unlimited & Anchor – Closing the Digital Trust Gap in Care
- Hitch Marketing & Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance – Bowel Cancer Awareness Campaign
- Hotfoot Design & Together an Active Future – Healthy Hearts
- ICG & The Big Food Project – Support us or lose us campaign
- Medical Protection Society – Medical and Dental Students
- North East International Film Festival
- Resolution Communications & The Teesside Charity
- The Prominence Collective & The Widowed Collective – #WidowedAtChristmas
- Yasper & Row4MND – Whipping up a media storm for charity rowers
E-commerce/retail campaign of the year
- Be Found Be Chosen & Superdry – Paid Media driving Prominence & Performance
- Edison Media & Sik Silk – Black Friday
- Evoluted & Supplement Hub – Supplementing Success, Sustaining Growth
- HUB x Jorvik Tricycles – Putting the wheels in motion for a tricycle revolution
- Jaywing & Euro Car Parts – Stabilising Growth Through Search
- Vega & Propaganda – Cloud Nine – Strength Through Kindness
Property/Construction Campaign of the Year
- Bonded & The Arch Company – Digital Commercial Transformation
- co&co & Found – Found in Good Company
- Luma Marketing & Euan Kellie Property Solutions – EK Unlocked
- Pixelbuilders & Strata – My Home Finder
Social Impact Campaign of the Year
- Charter Walk Shopping Centre – Minutes Not Money Campaign
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority & OneMay – Digital Inclusion
- Northumbrian Water Group – Local Action
- One Minute Briefs & PAPYRUS – Suicidal Thoughts Don’t Wait
- Sam Teale Productions – Destination Florida Children’s Charity
- St Johns Shopping Centre – Fit n Fresh January
- The Broadway Bradford – Delivering Social Value at the Heart of the Community
- Weber Shandwick & Cadent – From Cold Truth to Warmth and Dignity
Best Brand Activation
- Cat Among The Pigeons & Birds Eye – Win Trips With Chips
- co&co & Found – Sundown Sessions Vol.2
- Dentsu Creative & Valspar – Enjoy & Valspar Colour Consult
- Equinox Group & Digitain – ICE Barcelona
- Make Events & Salboy x Nobu Hospitality – Groundbreaking: Transforming a construction site into an Iconic Brand Experience
- Weber Shandwick & Knorr – Knorrplay is the new foreplay
Best Application of AI/Data
- Key Group – More2Life
- Layopay – Ratechecker
- Matter – Prospect Intelligence™
- OneTwo – AI Avatar Event Assistant
Tech for Good Award
- Ciptex & Debt Free Advice – Video Advice Kiosk with Agent AI Assist
- HelloU Creative & Sewell Construction – AR Careers Ambassadors Campaign
- Hitch Marketing & Leicestershire Police – ‘Speak Out Space’ hate crime hub
- Hop Software
- Lhasa Limited – Rapid CPCA integration into Derek Nexus following global nitrosamine guideline changes
- Novi & Senior Stairlifts – “step-by-step” growth
- Numodo & Severn Trent Water – Turning the Tide on Carbon Emissions
- Pharmacy2U – Healthy Heart Workplace Programme
- R-2 Energy – Roadwave Technology
- Silvia Health – Structured Menopause Intelligence for Primary Care
Tech Platform of the Year
- Be Your Own Coach
- Lloyds Banking Group – Bereavement Digital Journey & Transformation
- Propello Cloud & South Western Rail – Full steam ahead for South West Railways ROAS
- Salesfire – AI Connect
Tech Company of the Year: Small
- !Coconut
- Cognni
- Crysp limited
- Hop Software
- Propello Cloud
- Salesfire
Tech Company of the Year
- BrightHR
- Buymedia
- fulfilmentcrowd
Culture & Workplace Champion
- AND Digital
- Art of Cloud
- Bonded Agency
Talent Development Champion
- AND Digital – AI Ignition
- Corecom Tech Academy
Best In-House Marketing Team
- AO Arena
- Calderdale College
- Corecom Tech Academy
- CTI Digital’s in-house marketing team
- eStar Truck & Van
- Go North East
- Ian Cheveau
- Leasing Options
- Medical Protection Society
- Woodlands Home & Garden Group, trading as Tiger Sheds
Female Entrepreneur of the Year
The winner of this category is decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public voting –CAST YOUR VOTE HERE. You have until 5pm on 10 April to vote.
- Danielle Hewitt – Reigning Media
- Dr. Meghana Nadella – PROBr
- Ginny Nicholls – Interim Digital
- Jordan Stachini – co&co
- Kathy Brooke – Be Your Own Coach
Prolific Leader of the Year
The winner of this category is decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public voting –CAST YOUR VOTE HERE. You have until 5pm on 10 April to vote.
- Catherine Forshaw – Brabners LLP
- Chris Burgess – CTI Digital
- Edwin Buckley – The Prominence Collective
- Jordan Stachini – co&co
- Lucy Gugas – Bloom North
- Sam Teale – Sam Teale Productions
- Zoë Blogg – Reboot Online
Prolific Rising Star of the Year (under 30)
The winner of this category is decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public voting –CAST YOUR VOTE HERE. You have until 5pm on 10 April to vote.
- Declan Real – Edison Media
- Dr. Giovannie Jean-Louis – PROBr
- Isobel Waterworth – HUB
- Matt Owens – Edison Media
- Matthew Haywood
- Millie Jackson – Jaywing
- Petr Bednarik – Numodo
- Pippa Gilroy – Bonded Agency
- Samantha Levene – Reboot
- Shoaib Ahmed – SA Personal Branding
- Tilly Ogden – Matter
- Wezi Mulenga – CGI
Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Under 30)
The winner of this category is decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public voting –CAST YOUR VOTE HERE. You have until 5pm on 10 April to vote.
- Elliot Ward – Excite OOH
- Niall Ratcliffe – noticed
- Samuel Marriott-Dowding – Marriott Communications
Lifetime Achievement Award
The winner of this category is decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public voting –CAST YOUR VOTE HERE. You have until 5pm on 10 April to vote.
- Christina Clarke – C21 Creative Communications
- Ian Wallace – Gaydio
- Malcolm Clifford – Jaywing
