Creativity is a Pacific Northwest tradition—and our region’s agencies, marketers, production companies and solo professionals produce some of the best work anywhere. Throw in that we have some of the world’s most iconic and important brands, and it means it’s time to celebrate.
In 2024, NextNW celebrates the region’s creative, brand and media might with the Cascadia Creative Awards, a new Pacific Northwest tradition.
Our first jury president is Laura Jordan-Bambach, a global creative leader and multiple award-winner (Cannes, D&AD, One Show) based in London. Meet our jury here!
- Call for Entries Opens: February 27, 2024
- First Deadline: April 26, 2024
- Final Deadline:
May 1, 2024EXTENDED TO MAY 8, 2024 - Finalists Announced: May 13, 2024
- Awards Gala: June 6, 2024
Submissions are accepted ONLY for work produced by and/or for a Pacific Northwest-based company and presented to the public in the 2022 and 2023 calendar years.
We define the Pacific Northwest as the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska, and the province of British Columbia.
- Campaign entities must be paid media, unless otherwise noted in the entry. Spec work is not eligible unless noted.
- Entries may be from NextNW members or non-members.
- Agencies, brands (i.e., in-house) and individuals are welcome to enter.
- A single company may enter up to 10 total awards.
- All entries are subject to eligibility review and approval. Entries knowingly submitted that don’t meet requirements are not eligible for a refund.
Each category winner receives a specially-designed award from Portland Garment Factory. All other winners (gold, silver, bronze) receive a certificate celebrating the win. All winners receive digital assets (at no additional cost) to use wherever they’d like.
Please note that there may be no winners in categories or specific awards based on judge and jury discretion.
We strongly encourage the use of case studies for your entries.
Not sure which category and award to choose? Please fill out this short form and we can help!
There are several honors in the following main classifications:
TV/Video
:30 or less: Big Budget (Single)
Excellence in a single 30-second or less TV and/or video – budget of over USD or CAD 500,000.
:30 or less Mid Budget (Single)
Excellence in a single 30-second or less TV and/or video with USD or CAD 100,000 – 499,000 budget.
:30 or less Small Budget (Single)
Excellence in a single 30-second or less TV and/or video with a budget of under USD or CAD 100,000.
:60 or less: Big Budget (Single)
Excellence in a single 60-second or more TV and/or video with budget of over USD or CAD 500,000.
:60 or less Mid Budget (Single)
Excellence in a single 60-second or more TV and/or video with a USD or CAD 100,000 – 499,000 budget.
:60 or less Small Budget (Single)
Excellence in a single 60-second or more TV and/or video with a budget of under USD or CAD 100,000.
Campaign: Big Budget
Excellence in a TV and/or video campaign (three or more) with a budget of over USD or CAD 500,000.
Campaign: Mid Budget
Excellence in a TV and/or video campaign (three or more) with a USD or CAD 100,000 – 499,000 budget.
Campaign: Small Budget
Excellence in a TV and/or video campaign (three or more) with a budget of under USD or CAD 100,000.
Best micro video :06 or less
Excellence in a micro-video with a runtime of six seconds or less. Entries should demonstrate creativity and impact.
Best micro video campaign :06 or less
Excellence in a micro-video campaign (3 or more) with a runtime of six seconds or less. Entries should demonstrate creativity and impact.
Audio
Radio ad (over-the-air or online)
Excellence in radio advertising, a single spot—15, 30, or 60 seconds runtime. Entries should demonstrate strong writing, production, and other elements.
Radio campaign (over-the-air or online)
Excellence in radio advertising, a campaign of three or more spots—15, 30, or 60-second runtime for each. Entries should demonstrate strong writing, production, and other elements.
Use of music in TV/video
Excellence in using music in TV and/or video campaigns or spots. Tracks can be original or licensed music. This craft honor demonstrates astute music choice.
Audio editing in TV/video
Excellence in audio editing for TV and/or video campaigns or spots. This craft honor demonstrates effective techniques.
Best creative use of audio
Excellence in the creative use of audio: this honor demonstrates how audio impacted creativity in unique, non-traditional, and unexpected ways, including gaming, OOH, experiential, etc.
Media
Creative Use of Media – Big Budget
Excellence in building effective, impactful, and creative media programs with a budget of over USD or CAD 1,000,000.
Creative Use of Media – Small Budget
Excellence in building effective, impactful, and creative media programs with a budget of under USD or CAD 1,000,000.
Most engaging use of Mobile
Excellence in building effective, impactful, and creative mobile media programs. Entries should demonstrate impact and creativity.
Most engaging use of OTT/CTV
Excellence in building effective, impactful and creative OTT and/or CTV media programs.
OOH/Experiential
Best Use of OOH
Excellence in using out-of-home media, demonstrating best practices in creativity, platforms, and tools.
Experiential Campaign/Consumer Activation
Excellence in experiential and/or consumer activation, demonstrating best practices in creativity, platforms, and tools.
Live or Virtual Event
Excellence in live or virtual events for brands or in a B2B environment. Entries should demonstrate impact and creativity.
Social/Mobile/Digital
Influencer Campaign
Excellence in a single or continuous influencer campaign. Entries should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Social Video
Excellence in a single social video originated on social platforms (i.e., Instagram, TikTok). Entries should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Social Campaign
Excellence in a social campaign originated on a single platform (i.e., Instagram, TikTok, Snap). Entries should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Multi-Platform Social Campaign
Excellence in a multi-platform social campaign. Entries should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Best Use of TikTok
Excellence in the use of TikTok. Entries can include multiple elements and should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Best Use of Instagram
Excellence in the use of Instagram. Entries can include multiple elements and should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Best Use of Snap
Excellence in the use of Snap. Entries can include multiple elements and should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Mobile Advertising
Excellence in a dedicated mobile advertising campaign of three or more pieces. Entries should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Native Advertising/Content
Excellence in native advertising/content. Entries should demonstrate impact, creativity, and the most effective use of platforms.
Website
Most creative use of a website to drive business results.
ECommerce Site Design
Excellence in eCommerce site design. Eligible sites launched in 2022 or 2023 and can include mobile elements.
UX/CX
Excellence in UX/CX. Entries should demonstrate how they solved specific problems and/or improved an existing digital environment.
Best Use of Data
Excellence in using data. Entries should demonstrate how data led the creative idea and execution of the work.
Design
Product and/or Product Packaging
Excellence in product and/or product package design. Entries may be for new products or revisions of existing products, including product improvements/changes.
Illustration/Animation
Excellence in illustration and/or animation. This honor is platform agnostic, and entries should demonstrate exceptional artistry within the context of the subject matter.
Brand Design
Excellence in brand design. Entries should demonstrate overall creativity for a brand and can include any platforms or work for launches or brand refreshes.
Posters
Excellence in poster design, specifically in print. Entries should include the brand/event advertised and where they were placed.
Magazine/Print
Excellence in magazine or print advertising design. Entries can include single pages, smaller sizes, or spreads.
Typography
Excellence in the use of typography. Entries can include any medium and should demonstrate effective type use in their design.
Logo Design
Excellence in a single logo design for consumer-facing brands and/or organizations. Entries should include the underlying philosophy and process of the design.
Public Service + Purpose
Purpose Led Creativity
Excellence in purpose-led creativity for brands. Entries should include the work’s intended social impact and are eligible in any medium.
PSA Single
Excellence in public service advertising. A single ad in any medium that demonstrates creativity for nonprofits, organizations, or issues.
PSA Campaign
Excellence in public service advertising. A campaign in any medium that demonstrates creativity for nonprofits, organizations or issues.
B2B/Corporate
Annual Report
Excellence in corporate annual report design. Entries should demonstrate strong craft while ensuring effective communication.
Corporate Identity (logo/id)
Excellence in corporate identity, specifically logos, and marks. Entries should include the underlying philosophy and process of the design.
Corporate Branding
Excellence in overall corporate branding. Entries can include collateral and other elements that demonstrate sound brand storytelling.
B2B Campaign
Excellence in B2B advertising. Campaigns can be in any medium, and entries should demonstrate sound strategy and creativity.
Entertainment/Gaming/Culture
Use of Branded Content/Entertainment
Excellence in using branded content and/or entertainment to market a brand, product or organization. Entries should demonstrate sound principles and creativity.
Film
Excellence in using the film medium to effectively and creatively convey a message. Entries should be longer than three minutes, do not have to be associated with a brand, and may be considered entertainment.
Creativity in Gaming
Excellence in gaming creativity. Entries should demonstrate high levels of creativity for console or casual games and/or brands.
Brand Integration in Gaming
Excellence in using brands effectively in gaming. Entries should demonstrate the effective integration of brands in console and/or casual games.
Student
Think NW NEXT Creative Excellence Award
Excellence in student-led work. Entries can include school projects, pitches and/or spec work. Strong creativity and strategy are big plusses.
Bold Creative Thinkers (specialty honors)
Best Use of AI
Platform and medium agnostic, this honor seeks to find the best examples of creativity using artificial intelligence and/or machine learning. Spec work demonstrating AI skills is acceptable.
$0 Campaigns
Excellence in making something out of nothing. This honor seeks creative excellence in work/campaigns with no budget. Passion projects and side hustles are welcome.
Best Collaboration
Excellence in collaboration. Entries should demonstrate how brand/agency/media came together to create effective and creative campaigns.
Best Use of Humor
Excellence in humor. Entries can be in any medium and should demonstrate the effective use of humor. This description isn’t funny. So could you not enter anything like it?
NEW AWARD! Integrated Campaign Excellence
A great idea goes everywhere, and this category celebrates how ideas land across platforms. Campaigns in this category should cross over into at least three mediums (e.g., TV/video, social, OOH) and demonstrate impact for the client/brand.
- Singles: $229
- Campaigns: $279
- Student awards and Best Purpose-Led/Social Impact Creativity are free
NextNW members receive one free entry and 25% off all other entries. Members must email us first to get their bespoke discount codes for free and/or paid entries.
Rates increase by $40 per entry after April 26, 2024. NO LATE FEES IN 2024! There are no refunds for entry withdrawals or ineligible entries. Entries are not considered final until payment is received. Payments may be made online or by mail.
Video
- Formats: MP4, MOV
- Max size: 1GB
- Max length:
- Case films: 2 minutes
- Work: noted in entry
- Please provide passwords for any protected sites
Documents
- Format: PDF
- Max size: 4MB
Audio
- Format: MP3, WAV or AIFF
- Bitrate: 320 kbps
- Sample rate: 48 kHZ
- Max size: 5MB per file
Images
- Format: JPG, PNG, GIF
- Resolution: 72dpi
- Max size: 10MB per image
Links
- URLs should link to commercials, websites, microsites, demos, mobile apps, games.
- Links must be live during the judging process, ending mid-May.
Get in touch with us for sponsorship opportunities.