Special Awards

2025 CMA Awards: The Canada Post Direct Mail Award

A special award, recognizing the best use of direct mail marketing.

The Canada Post Direct Mail Award is free to enter. Please review the requirements carefully to ensure your entry is eligible.

Overview

Marketing is evolving faster than ever, presenting both challenges and opportunities. And as a marketer, you are often asked to do it all – balance the possibilities of new technologies with the imperative of building meaningful relationships with an increasingly discerning audience.

The Canada Post Direct Mail Award celebrates those who have successfully navigated this challenge by strategically integrating direct mail into multi-channel marketing campaigns.

In a world of jammed inboxes, suffocating social feeds and endless alerts, direct mail remains a vital component of successful strategies looking to stand out from the competition by ‘getting real’ with their marketing.

From driving in-store and online traffic to building brand loyalty, direct mail provides marketers with a tangible, personalized touchpoint that cuts through the noise and drives human engagement. Direct mail also has a unique ability to complement and amplify other channels as well as provide a targeted and personal connection. The home continues to be central to our lives and where decisions that really matter are made. That makes direct mail the ideal channel to break through to your target. Today, direct mail can be individually customized and delivered programmatically to the customer in as little as 48 hours, it can be combined with digital to drive higher brand recall, it can target consumers through location-based observed behaviour via smartphones or simply be integrated in an omni-channel marketing campaign.

The Canada Post Direct Mail Award celebrates the year’s most outstanding integrated marketing execution that strategically incorporates direct mail. We recognize campaigns that masterfully blend creativity, strategy, and measurable results to drive business success.

Who Should Enter

Any campaign that has strategically utilized direct mail as a part of an integrated marketing campaign within the last 18 months. The direct mail piece needs to have been delivered using Canada Post properties.

In addition to being an eligible entrant, fulfillment houses, statement design firms, consultants, form design firms and printing companies may be interested in collaborating with clients to develop an award submission.

A panel of judges, appointed by Canada Post and CMA, will select one winner based on the following criteria:

1. Creative solution. The campaign must use creative that inspired emotion, connected consumers with the brand or motivated a change of behaviour.

2. Strategic thought. We consider a campaign to be strategically sound when it has considered 3 attributes: Data – reaching the target market with precision to deliver relevance and value, Physicality – triggers emotion and Connectivity – strengthens connections across media touch points.

3. Results. These should be measurable, robust metrics that demonstrate how a campaign achieved its business objectives and business impact. The results could be an increase in sales, brand recall, a shift in perception or a proven behaviour change.

How to Enter

The Direct Mail Award, sponsored by Canada Post is FREE to enter!

You can enter as many times as you like; submissions can be the same creative as your other entry, or an entirely different campaign.

Instructions

Apply for this award on the CMA Awards entry website.

1. Select "Canada Post Direct Mail Award" from the drop–down menu and complete the entry form

2. If you copied and pasted/replicated this entry from another award entry, be sure to edit the text to address the criteria for the Canada Post Direct Mail Award

3. Complete the entry as needed

Each entry must be submitted and uploaded individually. If you are entering the same materials in more than one discipline/category, you must upload the files separately for each entry.

All entries, including French market campaigns, are to be written in English to ensure fair judging. Please provide English translations in print or "dubbed–in" for any creative elements in French.

By entering this award, you grant Canada Post permission to use your entry to demonstrate a "gold standard".

Presented by Cineplex Media, the Best in Cinema Award celebrates a single, standout creative execution that made the biggest impact on the big screen. This award honors a brand or agency that leveraged the unique power of cinema to deliver attention-commanding, immersive, and emotionally engaging storytelling. Whether designed specifically for cinema or as part of a larger multi-platform campaign, the winning entry will demonstrate how the big screen experience enhances brand storytelling, engagement, and impact.

There is no cost to enter, and submissions are open to a single campaign, commercial, or activation that ran in cinema between June 1, 2024, and June 1, 2025. The entry must include supporting evidence such as the ad creative, campaign strategy, and impact metrics.

The winning work will have embraced cinema as a powerful storytelling and video platform, leveraging the big screen’s scale, immersive environment, and engaged audience to create an unforgettable brand experience. Whether through compelling storytelling, seamless alignment with the moviegoing experience, or creative execution that made the most of the cinematic setting, the Best in Cinema Award celebrates the campaign that best demonstrates the unique impact of cinema for brands.

Who Should Enter?

The Best in Cinema Award will recognize work that embodies the power of cinema advertising across one or more of the following criteria:

Creativity & Impact: Used the scale, storytelling power, and immersive experience of the big screen to create a powerful and emotional connection with audiences.

Engagement & Action: Drove measurable audience impact, brand recall, or engagement through the cinema experience—whether by sparking conversation, inspiring action, extending engagement beyond the cinema, or influencing purchase decisions.

Innovation: Pushed creative and technical boundaries through unique formats, immersive storytelling, innovative integrations, or audience participation—leveraging the power of sight, sound, and motion to maximize the big screen experience.

How to Enter

The Best in Cinema Award is sponsored by Cineplex Media and is complimentary to enter!

You can enter as many times as you like; submissions can be the same creative as your other entry(ies), or an entirely different campaign.

Instructions

Apply for this award on the CMA Awards entry website.

Select "Best in Cinema Award" from the drop-down menu and complete the entry form.

If this submission was entered in another category, ensure the text aligns with the criteria for the Best in Cinema Award.

Each entry must be submitted and uploaded individually. If you are entering the same materials in more than one discipline/category, you must upload the files separately for each entry.

All entries, including French-language campaigns, must be submitted in English for judging. Provide English translations in print or “dubbed-in” for any creative elements in French.

By entering, you grant Cineplex Media permission to use your entry as an example of best-in-class cinema creative. Submitted materials, including campaign results, may be published.

This award will be judged by CMA and a panel of industry experts.

The advertiser must have obtained all necessary permissions for any images, recordings, or videos featuring individuals, including parental consent for children/youth if applicable. Campaigns must not be primarily targeted to children under 13.

A special award, recognizing the best use of data and analytics in marketing.

The Environics Analytics Data-Driven Marketing Award is free to enter. Please review the requirements carefully to ensure your entry is eligible.

Overview

The volume of available data, deeper analytics capabilities and innovations in technology allow marketers to connect more effectively with their customers and markets than ever before.

Whether aiding in the development of an overall marketing strategy, informing the planning of a campaign or evaluating the success of a specific promotion, data analytics is an essential tool in every marketer’s portfolio.

The Data-Driven Marketing Award, sponsored by Environics Analytics, recognizes innovative, creative and exemplary applications of data and analytics in the development of or as key elements in executing marketing campaigns that produce exceptional results.

Who should enter

For a marketing campaign or initiative to be considered for the Data-Driven Marketing Award, it must make use of data–driven analytics in a significant or meaningful way, whether in the development, execution or assessment of the campaign.

A panel of judges, appointed by Environics Analytics and CMA, will select one winner based on the following criteria:

• Creative planning and execution involving data analytics, such as developing a segmentation model to determine the best audiences to test–market a new product; combining purchase history and social values to produce more relevant or personalized messaging for an effective direct marketing campaign; or measuring the current and prospective value of customers to increase product sales per customer. 
• Strategic thought, such as analyzing past data on behaviour and preferences to identifying high–value target customers; determining knowledge gaps and accessing additional data to create a more comprehensive view of customers; or evaluating metrics within the marketing mix to allocate budgets more effectively and efficiently.
• Results: Innovative engagement, such as leveraging consumer segmentation information to identify and service pockets of underserved markets; offering sponsorship and reward program opportunities to partners that offer products of interest to current customers as determined by their lifestyles and purchase histories; or using social media data to identify and address health–related concerns within specific populations, such as recent immigrants and new parents.

How to Enter

The Data-Driven Marketing Award is sponsored by Environics Analytics and is FREE to enter!
You can enter as many times as you like; submissions can be the same creative as your other entry, or an entirely different campaign.

Instructions

Apply for this award on the CMA Awards entry website.

1. Select "Data-Driven Marketing Award" from the drop–down menu and complete the entry form
2. If you copied and pasted/replicated this entry from another award entry, be sure to edit the text to address the criteria for the Data-Driven Marketing Award
3. Complete the entry as needed

Overview

For the first time in the history of media, you can reach the world’s professionals—all in one place. LinkedIn is the largest global community of business professionals with 1 billion members and growing. These are the decision-makers, influencers, and leaders of today and tomorrow.

They come to LinkedIn with purpose and consume a range of professional content. This includes industry news, expert advice, professional learning, peer insights, and recommendations. This is a very different mindset and intent from other social media platforms. And it’s precisely this aspirational mindset that has led to the explosion of content now shared weekly on the LinkedIn feed.

This mindset and intent make LinkedIn a uniquely powerful social media channel for B2B marketers. Offering a full suite of products to help companies gain relevant visibility and recognition with their most valuable audiences, LinkedIn has proven a sound investment, which is why 97% of B2B marketers utilize it for their content marketing efforts.

The LinkedIn B2B Marketing Award rewards brands and agencies that leverage the world’s largest professional community to capture attention and drive business results in a business-to-business setting. The award will consider campaigns in terms of their use of strategy, creativity, LinkedIn’s products and campaign results.

Who Should Enter

In this category, we are looking for campaigns that use LinkedIn’s platform to achieve business goals. All entries must be part of a paid advertising campaign reaching an advertiser's primary target audience.

The campaign may be submitted by agencies or brands and will be evaluated in four areas by a panel of judges appointed by LinkedIn and CMA:

1. Strategy. The campaign must have a strategy that reaches a brand’s target market and solves a business problem in a unique and effective way.

2. B2B and LinkedIn. Effective use of marketing solutions from LinkedIn in a B2B marketing campaign. The campaign can be an integrated media execution beyond just digital, but winners will be selected based on the innovative use of digital advertising products from LinkedIn.

3. Creative. The campaign submitted must use creative that inspired emotion, connected customers with a brand, or motivated a change in behaviour.

4. Results. The outcome of the campaign must have a significant impact for the brand or business, whether it be calculated brand impact, leads delivered, cost per acquisition or sales lift.

How to Enter

The B2B Marketing Award is sponsored by LinkedIn and is FREE to enter!

You can enter as many times as you like; submissions can be the same creative as your other entry, or an entirely different campaign.

Instructions

Apply for this award on the CMA Awards entry website.

1. Select "B2B Marketing Award" from the drop–down menu and complete the entry form

2. If you copied and pasted/replicated this entry from another award entry, be sure to edit the text to address the criteria for the B2B Marketing Award

3. Complete the entry as needed

Each entry must be submitted and uploaded individually. If you are entering the same materials in more than one discipline/category, you must upload the files separately for each entry.

All entries, including French market campaigns, are to be written in English to ensure fair judging. Please provide English translations in print or "dubbed–in" for any creative elements in French.

By entering this award, you grant LinkedIn permission to use your entry to demonstrate a "gold standard" of B2B marketing.

A special award, recognizing the top agencies and/or brands showing the power of creativity on the TikTok platform.

The TikTok Power of Entertainment Award is free to enter. Please review the requirements carefully to ensure your entry is eligible.

Overview

TikTok Power of Entertainment Award

Presented by TikTok, the TikTok Power of Entertainment Award will seek to honour an agency or brand that understands TikTok’s core DNA— showing the power of creativity is on the platform—and created work made for TikTok that drove cultural and/or commercial impact.

Who Should Enter

There is no cost to enter and entry is open to campaigns, videos or actions that debuted and ran on TikTok between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. The supporting evidence must include work that ran in Canada on TikTok in those 18 months and can consist of videos, creative examples and case studies. ALL WORK ENTERED MUST HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY MADE FOR TIKTOK AND / OR A MAJOR COMPONENT WAS INSPIRED BY TIKTOK AND LIVED ON AND OFF THE PLATFORM. All sounds/songs/likeness used in the campaigns must have been pre-cleared for use. Campaigns developed in partnership with TikTok are not eligible.

The campaign, video or action will have leaned into one or more of TikTok’s core pillars and deliver on TikTok's mission to inspire creativity and bring joy:

- Community: Highlighted or engaged a community by showing up authentically, partnering with creators, and/or took advantage of community moment(s) and turned it into a movement.

- Sound: Leveraged or created net-new audio and/or trending sounds to amplify creative.

- Co-creation: Incorporated co-creation tools like duet, stitch, and hashtag challenges to spark user-generated content.

- Entertainment: The content was entertaining, sparked joy, and showcased brand storytelling in a surprise and delight way.

Instructions

Apply for this award on the CMA Awards entry website.

1. Select "TikTok Power of Entertainment Award" from the drop–down menu and complete the entry form.

2. If you copied and pasted/replicated this entry from another award entry, be sure to edit the text to address the criteria for the TikTok Power of Entertainment Award.

3. Complete the entry as needed.

Each entry must be submitted and uploaded individually. If you are entering the same materials in more than one discipline/category, you must upload the files separately for each entry.

All entries, including French market campaigns, are to be written in English to ensure fair judging. Please provide English translations in print or "dubbed–in" for any creative elements in French.

 

This award will be judged by CMA and TikTok.

A special award, recognizing the best campaigns from around the world that have been developed by Canadian based marketing teams and agencies.

The Global Creative Award is free to enter. Please review the requirements carefully to ensure your entry is eligible.

Overview

The Global Creative Award recognizes the best campaigns from around the world that have been built right here in Canada and the brilliant trailblazing minds behind them. These campaigns have a global impact and highlight the success stories in markets well beyond our borders.

Who Should Enter

Any campaign executed in a market outside of Canada that has been developed by a Canadian based marketing leadership team and/or agency team.

Entries may come from both CMA member companies as well as non-members.

A panel of judges, appointed by the CMA, will select one winner based on the following criteria:

1. Creative solution. The campaign must use creative that inspired, connected consumers with the brand or motivated a change of behaviour and positively impacted the business.

2. Strategic thought. We consider a campaign to be strategically sound when it has considered 3 attributes: Data – reaching the target market with precision to deliver relevance and value, Physicality – triggers emotion and Connectivity – strengthens connections across media touch points.

3. Results. These should be measurable, robust metrics that demonstrate how a campaign achieved its business objectives and business impact. For example, the results could be an increase in sales, brand recall, a shift in perception or a proven behaviour change

How to Enter

The Global Creative Award is complimentary to enter!

You can enter as many times as you like; submissions can be the same creative as your other entry, or an entirely different campaign.

Instructions

Apply for this award on the CMA Awards entry website.

1. Select "Global Creative Award" from the drop–down menu and complete the entry form.

2. If you copied and pasted/replicated this entry from another award entry, be sure to edit the text to address the criteria for the Global Creative Award.

3. Complete the entry as needed.

Each entry must be submitted and uploaded individually. If you are entering the same materials in more than one discipline/category, you must upload the files separately for each entry.

All entries, including French market campaigns, are to be written in English to ensure fair judging. Please provide English translations in print or "dubbed–in" for any creative elements in French.

By entering this award, you grant the CMA permission to use your entry to demonstrate a "gold standard" of Global Creative.