Entry Portal Opens for the 2025/2026 American Advertising Awards in Baltimore

The 2025/2026 American Advertising Awards entry portal is officially open, marking the start of a new awards cycle that highlights creative excellence across Baltimore’s advertising, design, media, and communications community.

This year’s competition welcomes submissions from agencies, studios, independent creatives, in-house departments, production teams, and students producing work that reflects innovation, craft, and strategic impact. The American Advertising Awards, one of the industry’s largest and most representative creative competitions, serve as the first stage of a three-tiered system leading to District 2 and National recognition.

With the portal now open, eligible work created and published during the 2025 calendar year can be entered into dozens of professional and student categories.

The competition spans disciplines including:

• Integrated campaigns

• Design and illustration

• Digital experiences and websites

• Social media and content strategy

• Film, video, and motion graphics

• Out-of-home and environmental

• Print advertising and collateral

• Experiential and activation

• Student work across multiple formats

And the awards program continues to evolve alongside industry trends, ensuring that emerging media, digital platforms, accessibility innovation, and new production methods have an appropriate place within the competition structure.

A Spotlight on Baltimore’s Creative Economy

The opening of the portal marks the beginning of a season that consistently showcases the depth and range of creative talent in Baltimore. Past competitions have highlighted work from major agencies, nimble studios, entrepreneurial designers, and student teams shaping the next generation of creative leadership.

Looking Ahead

With the portal now live, the 2025/2026 season is officially underway. As entries begin to populate the competition, updates will follow regarding deadline reminders, judging timelines, and initial show preparations for the 2026 American Advertising Awards Gala taking place this March.

The Baltimore creative community now enters its busiest and most anticipated phase of the year—a chance to celebrate the work, the people, and the craft that define this region’s unique creative voice.