Nomination and Award Guidance
Who can make a nomination, and who can be nominated?
Nominations can be made by the prospective nominee themselves, by a third party or by the event organisers. Practices, employers, institutes, clients, suppliers and colleagues who have had positive contact with the marketing profession are encouraged to make nominations to ensure the fullest range of candidates are put forward. Marketing professionals who meet the criteria for a category can also make their own entry. The period for work referred to runs from October 2025 to October 2026, other than for awards such as Outstanding Achievement which is assessed over a longer period.
Sponsoring companies are unable to nominate, this includes agency submissions that are on behalf of a sponsoring company.
Entries are open to all individuals, teams and agencies from all industry sectors operating within the following areas: Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne & Wear, Teesside and Redcar & Cleveland
Criteria for each award can be viewed on the categories page. Please note individuals can only be entered into one of the following categories: Rising Star of the Year, Marketer of the Year and Marketing Leader of the Year. Campaigns can only be entered into one campaign of the year category. I.e. you can not enter a campaign for both Not for Profit Campaign of the Year and Campaign of the Year Budget under 50k, you must choose one or the other.
How are nominations judged:
All nominations will be judges through a two-step process.
Stage 1: Written nomination
All nominees are asked to submit a written nomination and these are reviewed and scored by a judging panel. This process will determine who will proceed through to stage two as a NEMA finalist. This score will also count towards the final result.
Stage 2: In person interview
Those who are successfully selected as finalists will be invited to attend a judging day where they will meet with their judging panel. The score from the interview is then combined with the score from the written nomination to determine a winner.
How do I submit my written nomination?
Making a nomination is very straightforward and is designed to be targeted and not overly time consuming. From the category page click on the nominate now link and it will take you to an online submission form. Once you select the category you wish to enter from the drop down it will reveal the set criteria for that specific category. We recommend around 200 words per criteria point. Please provide as much detailed information for each criteria as you can. Tangible evidence such as facts and figures can better help judges assess the outcome of your work.
We strongly recommend drafting and saving your application in a word document before copying it into the submission form in case the form times out or encounters a technical error.
How does the judging day work?
A “Meet the Judges” event will take place for all finalists. This is an opportunity for the Judging Panel to discuss the nomination face to face with the nominee in a dedicated interview slot. Please note all shortlisted nominees should be present for this event, non-attendance may significantly affect your nomination.
The judging day will take place on Thursday 5th November 2026. If you are entering the awards please put this date in your diary,
When are the winners announced?
The winners of the Awards will then be announced at the Awards Dinner on the 3rd December 2026 at the Vertu Arena.
