Greggs, Adidas and Asda among big names shortlisted for Prolific North Creative Awards 2026 – full list revealed

The wait is over… today, we can reveal all the talented finalists for the Prolific North Creative Awards 2026.

First launched in 2023, the Creative Awards celebrate all the ambitious individuals, teams, companies and work across the creative sectors in the North of England and Scotland.

The prestigious awards will be back with a live ceremony on 25 June 2026 at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, where all the winners will be announced.

Early bird tickets are now on sale for the event here until 31 May, with standard tickets available from 1 June, where hundreds of creatives will come together to connect, see the winners revealed live, and most importantly, celebrate!

An independent judging panel filled with industry experts from the likes of MediaCity, Trafford Centre, SocialChain, Dentsu Creative and many more recently came together to judge and score all entries. A major thanks to them and to our category sponsors this year: Buymedia, Print.com, Royal Liver Suites, Colony and Propello Cloud.

Two categories are yet to be decided – Creative Rising Star and Creative Trailblazer Award. The winners of these categories will be decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public votes. Scroll to the end of the shortlist to see all the finalists for these awards and make sure you cast your votes here by 5pm on 5 June.

Now, it’s finally time to reveal the shortlist…

The Prolific North Creative Awards 2026: The Shortlist

Advertising Campaign – Large 

Sponsored by Buymedia

• CreativeRace & Northern Trains – “We’re Northern, just like you”
• Gate & The National Lottery – National Lottery’s Because of You

Advertising Campaign – Medium 

Sponsored by Buymedia

• Cairn & Blum – MERIVOBOX launch
• Factory International – Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic Campaign
• IMA & Autotrader – It’s Time for Autotrader
• The Gate / Ardmore Group & Northern Ireland’s Department of Infrastructure – Road Safety Campaign

Advertising Campaign – Small 

Sponsored by Buymedia

• adam+gary & The Ryder Cup – The Ryder Cup 2025 Countdown
• Jaywing & ADT – Holidaymakers Campaign
• Poke Marketing & Alder Hey Children’s Charity – Alder Hey Children’s Charity

Best Collaboration 

Sponsored by Propello Cloud

• Bish Bash Bentos – Reigniting love for a Great British brand
• Cat Among The Pigeons & Birds Eye – Win Trips With Chips
• IMA & Adidas – The Band with the 3 stripes
• Listen to your body – NWCR & Cancer Alliance
• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority & OneMay – Digital Inclusion
• Very & various brands (incl. L’Oreal, Shark Ninja, River Island) – Party Season: From Midnight to Morning Light

Brand Launch – Activation or Event

• Holdens x Rocket Sports & Novuna – Novuna Champions
• Mearns & Gill x Wild Goose – Brand Launch
• Visual Architects & CASA SEAT – ‘Magic Days’

Rebrand

• Outdo – Rebrand
• Pharmacy2U Rebrand
• The Bigger Boat – Dominion
• The Bigger Boat – William Henry Smith Foundation
• THINK & Agecko – Waste not, want not. A bold brand reposition built for consultancy leadership

Healthcare Campaign

• Epilepsy Action & Magpie – If I Told You
• Eski & South East Smokefree Alliance – Stop Smoking, Feel Happier
• Influential & North West Cancer Research – SPF, even in the North West!
• Lhasa Limited – Rapid CPCA integration into Derek Nexus following global nitrosamine guideline changes
• Medical Protection Society – Medical and Dental Students
• SM92 & Home Instead – A Story In Every Home
• Vivid & Cheshire & Merseyside Cancer Alliance – Two Minutes of Chat and an Early Screening

Social Impact & Public Good 

Sponsored by ​​Royal Liver Suites

• Calderdale College – Applications Now Open
• Influential & Liverpool City Council – Talking Bins
• Jack Fox Productions – Think North Project
• STV Creative – Glasgow City Council Cycle to School
• The Gate & Northern Ireland’s Department of Infrastructure – Ardmore Group & Road Safety Campaign
• Weber Shandwick & Cadent – From Cold Truth to Warmth and Dignity

Most Impactful OOH & Ambient Campaign

• driven & Toft Cricket Club – The World’s Biggest Wickets
• Equinox Group & Digitain – ICE Barcelona
• Halton Borough Council/Tony Mallon – Winds of Change
• Ocean Outdoor and TBWA MCR & Prost8 – ‘Dodge the Finger’
• The Broadway Bradford – Delivering Social Value at the Heart of the Community
• Weber Shandwick & Knorr – Knorrplay is the new foreplay

Branding & Visual Identity – Medium to Large 

Sponsored by Print.com

• BWP Group & Victoria Centre – City Heart. High Street Soul.
• Chilli & Ringtons – Rebrand
• CreativeRace & Asda – In-store brand evolution
• CreativeRace & Greggs – Always on visual identity
• IMA & Kopparberg – Kopparberg Rebrand

Branding & Visual Identity – Small 

Sponsored by Print.com

• co&co & Found – Sundown Sessions Vol.2
• Hitch Marketing & Leicestershire Police – ‘Speak Out Space’ hate crime hub
• Influential & Champs Public Health Collaborative – Smoking Ends Here
• Vivid Everywhere & East Staffordshire / Burton – Upon It All

Best Use of Social & Engagement

• Hedonist Creative & Pepsi – In The Mix
• Vivid Everywhere & Halton Borough Council – Beyond the Tracks
• Perfect Storm & Stagecoach – A Ticket For Life

Excellence in Creative Craft (Audio, Visual & Motion)

• APS Group & Joint Maritime Security Centre – Operation Keel Film
• BWP Group & Trafford Centre – Escape Ordinary
• CreativeRace & Greggs – Christmas Characters
• Distant Future Animation Studio & Lloyds Register Foundation – Maritime Connected
• Our Studio Ltd – Visual Storytelling for the Built Environment
• Poke Marketing – EFL Rainbow Ball
• Releasing Hope – Battling the Spectre of disease
• STV Creative & Glasgow City Council – That Cycle to School Feeling
• The Gate / Ardmore Group & Northern Ireland’s Department of Infrastructure – Road Safety Campaign

Master of Narrative

• CreativeRace x Northern Trains – “We’re Northern, just like you” 
• Two Stories x Lancaster BID – Love Lancaster, A City with a Story
• Neil Anderson Media Ltd & Sheffield Blitz Memorial Trust – Defiant Voices: Telling the Story of the Sheffield Blitz Generation
• Poke Marketing – Novo Nordisk “The Knowledge”
• Sam Teale Productions Ltd – Rock Face Father’s Day Campaign

Best Brand In-House Team

• CARZAR Creative
• NWG Creative Team
• Wienerberger marketing team

Production Company

• adam+gary
• Eski
• Sam Teale Productions Ltd

Creative for Good Award 

Sponsored by Colony

• A Few Good Things & National Museums Liverpool – What Artists Wear Series
• Absolute Agency – Race to Save Lives Campaign
• Applied Systems & hūmānus  – Rebrand to open new funding pathways and partnerships with law firms
• Bewonder* & Capture DSRCT Charity – The first international DSRCT charity
• BSC Socials & KidsBank Chester – “A Gift of Forever”
• Hitch Marketing & Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance – Bowel Cancer Awareness Campaign
• Neil Anderson Media Ltd – Sheffield Blitz 85th: Preserving a City’s Living Memory
• Sam Teale Productions – 2025 Christmas Advert
• Sheepish Productions Theatre Company Limited – Fishlake
• Studio OBI & The Macari Centre – A Stepping Stone

Challenger Brand Award 

Sponsored by Buymedia

• !Coconut
• Be Your Own Coach
• Films Not Words & The Corinthians – We Were The Champions

Creative Rising Star 

Sponsored by Colony

The winner of this category is decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public votes – CAST YOUR VOTE HERE BEFORE 5PM ON 5 JUNE!

• Eleanor Duckers
• Emma White
• Eraj Lodhi
• Hannah Robinson
• Hannah Wainwright
• Jack Donohoe
• Luis Wyatt
• Matthew Haywood
• Rowan Monk
• Yasmin Stringer

Creative Trailblazer Award

The winner of this category is decided by a combination of judges’ scores and public votes – CAST YOUR VOTE HERE BEFORE 5PM ON 5 JUNE!

• Brett Harris
• Michael Nixon
• Dr Ria Meera Munshi
• Samuel Marriott-Dowding

Category sponsors