Categories and Entry Criteria

Deadline: 12th September 2024

The award on every agency’s radar, Best Agency Credentials offers a rare opportunity to submit your agency’s creds presentation to showcase your unique capabilities and proposition to a jury of top brand CMOs.

Judges will be looking to answer the ultimate question – would I want this agency working on my business? Successful agencies will showcase their value through a strong agency proposition, clear evidence of collaborative partnerships, and great team chemistry – all of which will be brought to life through your creds.

After an initial round of online judging, 3 shortlisted agencies will be invited back to present their creds in-person, just as they would in a real pitch scenario, to our brand marketing experts to decide the winning agency.

*Please note: This category is open to Oystercatcher Club Member agencies only.

This award recognises the exceptional collaboration and achievements in a client:agency partnership, where the agency can clearly demonstrate how they have already helped to transform their client’s business within the first year. Successful entrants will be able to articulate what won them the business, what they understood better than anyone else, how they have worked collaboratively with their client, and what initial results or promises they’ve already delivered on in the first year.

This award is to acknowledge the years of dedication and collaboration that underpins a successful partnership, and celebrates strong relationships which have remained resilient during periods of rapid change and uncertainty. Judges will want to see how the most effective partnerships have consistently demonstrated brilliant and creative outputs with tangible results, whilst fostering harmonious working processes throughout the years. They will also want to see how the client and agency have worked together over this time to adapt to change, refine their processes and motivate themselves to continuously strive towards common goals.

This award celebrates the impressive work that goes into creating an outstanding agency culture which supports employee happiness, growth and learning. These could be a single initiative or a whole set of practices, both formal and informal, and may include: flexible working, wellbeing, training and development, charity schemes and CSR, diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives, environmental initiatives, or any other innovative approach designed to create a positive agency culture that has achieved business success.

*Please note, this category is split into two: Agencies of 150 staff or less, and agencies with 150+ staff

This winner of Agency of the Year will be a true role model agency. They will be continuously producing great work for existing clients while driving new business initiatives, have a clear strategic vision that is reflected in the day-to-day, and be focussed on their people and values to deliver a working culture from which we can all learn. They will be able to clearly demonstrate their agency’s influence not only as a forward-thinker in the industry, but also with their impact on the wider world.

*Please note, this category is split into two: Agencies of 150 staff or less, and agencies with 150+ staff

*NEW FOR 2024*

A new addition this for this year, this award is dedicated to recognising agencies that are demonstrating progression in best practices in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). Exceptional agencies in this category will be recognised for their efforts in championing DE&I, ensuring representation, and authentically engaging with diverse groups. 

Named in memory of the late Suki Thompson, the co-founder of Oystercatchers, this award celebrates the agency individual who has gone above and beyond to champion new initiatives in the marketing industry and move it forward. Examples of these could include:

• Making a difference to working practices, whether it’s enabling their people to be happier or more productive
• Supporting initiatives with fresh thinking and approaches to genuinely challenge the status quo of how we as an industry do business
• Driving thought leadership or research, a tool or product or collaboration initiative designed to share knowledge, insight, solutions and/or shared resources to benefit the wider industry

We want to learn from Suki and champion someone who is, over and above, driving change for good – both for their agency, the whole industry and wider reaching into society.

This category is free to enter for both Oystercatchers Club Members, and non-members.

For those in the first five years of their agency career.

This award recognises the exceptional talent within an agency’s new business and marketing team, and the notable contributions they are already making to impact their agency’s growth efforts. This award focusses on the individual’s growth within their role and accomplishments at their agency and the wider industry, showcasing their potential to shape the future of marketing and new business.

This category is free to enter for both Oystercatchers Club Members, and non-members.

*NEW FOR 2024*

The best marketing is achieved when clients and agencies work together as partners; client services professionals are the glue that binds the two together. New for this year, this Award recognises the contribution client service individuals make to the creation of successful agency and client relationships, demonstrated by measurable client satisfaction, account profitability and growth.

*NEW FOR 2024*

New for this year, the Grand Pearl is the judge’s choice award that celebrates a standout agency among all submissions.  This category will be judged and awarded based on all entries submitted. To be eligible for this award, an agency must have entered at least two categories.