Please submit your Agency of the Year submission on our new entry platform here

2025 Agencies of the Year entry deadlines:

• UK, Europe, ME and Africa deadline: February 14
  
• North America: March 17
• Asia-Pacific: TBD
• Latin America: TBD

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

We prefer to give agencies wide latitude to tell us about themselves. It’s your story, and you know how to tell it in the most compelling way.

Having said that, agencies should understand that we will be evaluating submissions on four broad criteria:

• Some agencies will be included on our list because of their performance over the past year, in terms of new business success (with specific examples), or growth relative to their peers. Submissions to our Global Agency Rankings, which include revenue numbers, will be taken into account for these agencies.
• Some agencies will be included because of the quality of their creative work. Entries to our annual SABRE Awards competition will be taken into account, as will success in other awards competitions, or examples of successful campaigns submitted as part of the Agency of the Year process.
• Some agencies will be on the list because of a great workplace environment. In most cases, these will be firms participating in our Best Agencies to Work For research, through recognition in other employer-of-choice research will be taken into consideration.
• Some agencies will be on the list because of their demonstrated leadership in their market (whether that market is a practice area, industry sector, or geographic region). For these agencies, evidence of thought leadership, stature in the marketplace, local recognition, and/or client endorsement will be key factors.
• And some agencies will be on the list for some combination of the above factors.

In addition to a story that explains why your agency’s growth, work, culture or market leadership is deserving of recognition, you should provide us with some general information about your agency, including:

• Introduction (detailing your firm’s foundation and/or evolution in recent years);
• Mission and vision
• Specialist capabilities
• Some indication of size/growth/performance (headcount, financial numbers, etc.)
• Clients (existing and new);
• Senior executives and/or important new hires (with brief biographical information);
• Client endorsements/quotes
• Work of which you are particularly proud

We do not necessarily need all of the above in order to include your agency but the more information you can provide, the better your chances of inclusion.

FAQs

Q: Why has PRovoke Media made these changes to the Agency of the Year process?
A: We recognize that the agency business has evolved. Different agencies excel for very different reasons. Not all fit nearly into a single category like consumer or digital. We wanted to be sure that we were recognizing excellence in all of its dimensions, without forcing agencies into a pre-determined template.

Q: What has happened to the old Geographic categories and Specialist Agency of the Year categories?
A: We have abandoned those categories as unnecessarily restrictive (sometimes, more than one agency in a specialist discipline, or more than one agency in a particular market may be worthy of an award) and also ill-suited to recognizing agencies to offer wide range of services spanning different specialties and different geographies.

Q: What about the “Large,” “Midsize,” and “Small” categories?
A: Size will not be a major criterion, and we expect our “Best Agencies” lists to include firms of all sizes, from the giant global agencies to tiny boutiques. Excellence in our profession comes from firms of all sizes: smaller firms that punch above their weight creatively or offer a standout workplace culture, or large agencies with big names clients and a volume of thought leadership.

Q: What about “New” Agency of the Year?
A: We will still name at least one New Agency of the Year in the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. To qualify as “New” a firm should be less than three years old on December 31, 2024.

Q: How do I submit my firm for inclusion on the “Best Agencies” list?
A: There are two ways to submit your firm for inclusion. The simplest is to submit your case for inclusion via this website. You can submit a PDF, Word document, PowerPoint or similar that provides us with the information we need (see above) to evaluate your agency. 
Firms may also request in-person or virtual meetings with members of the PRovoke Media editorial team. We will honor as many of these requests as time allows. These meetings should include documentation (a summary document or presentation deck).

Q: How many “Best Agencies” will there be in each region?
A: We are aiming to include roughly the same number of agencies that we have recognized in previous Agency of the Year competitions:
• In North America, between 60 and 70 agencies
• In the UK, approximately 50 agencies
• In Europe, between 40 and 50 agencies
• In Africa, between 5 and 10 agencies
• In the Middle East, between 5 and 10 agencies 
• In Asia-Pacific, approximately 60 agencies
• In Latin America, between 15 and 20 agencies
However, these numbers might expand or contract based on the volume and quality of entries we receive.

Q: Will “Agency of the Year” write-ups still follow the same format, with separate sections on Backstory, Locations, Performance, People and Culture, and Work and Thought Leadership?
A: No. One of the reasons we are making these changes is that this format seemed too restrictive when it comes to capturing what makes each agency special. The new agency profiles will be a simple narrative, seeking to capture all the things—culture, creativity, financial performance, thought leadership, innovation, specialization—that make each agency special.

Q: What will “Best Agencies” receive?
A: All agencies appearing on our “Best Agencies” lists will be profiled by our editors, the write-ups based on both agency submissions and our knowledge of the business.
In addition, all of our “Best Agencies” will receive certificates, recognizing them as being among the best in their region, and “badges” that can be displayed on websites, social media, email signatures etc.

Q: Will the “Best Agencies” be ranked?
A: No. We will publish a gallery of all our “Best Agency” honorees, alphabetically but also searchable by geography, expertise, and more.

Q: How are the “Agencies of the Year” selected from among the “Best Agencies” in the region?
A: Our editors will evaluate the totality of the submissions, and will select the “best of the best” on all of the criteria (performance, creativity, culture, leadership). There will be an effort to balance geographies and sectors, but there will be no artificial restrictions (ie, there won’t necessarily be only one healthcare firm among our Agencies of the Year, or one German firm).

Q: How many “Agencies of the Year” will there be in each region?
A: In the past, we have typically shortlisted five agencies in each geographic or specialist category, and selected a single winner. The ratio of “Best Agencies” to “Agencies of the Year” will be roughly similar, so that about one in five of the agencies on each list will receive an “Agency of the Year” award.

Q: What will “Agencies of the Year” receive?
A: As always, our “Agencies of the Year” will be announced during our annual awards ceremony. They will receive a trophy, and will also receive collateral that they can display on their website, social media, and email signatures.

Q: Will the “Agencies of the Year” be ranked?
A: The “Agencies of the Year” will not be ranked, but we will be naming one “Agency of the Year” in each region.

Q: How does this impact the “Best Agencies to Work For” for survey and rankings?
A: We will continue to recognize the “Best Agencies to Work For” in each region, separate from this process, and based—as always—on an employee survey. However, results in our “Best Agencies to Work For” survey will be factored into the “Best Agencies” process.

Q: What are the deadlines for inclusion?
A: For EMEA (including the UK, Europe, Africa and the Middle East) we will need to have your submission no later than February 14, 2025. This is also the last date for personal meetings.
For North America, we will need to have your submission no later than March 17, 2025. This is also the last date for personal meetings.

Q: When will the “Best Agencies” be announced?
A: “Best Agencies” for EMEA will be announced on March 3.
“Best Agencies” for North America will be announced on April 7.

Q: When will the “Agencies of the Year” be announced?
A: “Agencies of the Year” for EMEA will be announced at our awards ceremony in London on April 2.
“Agencies of the Year” for North America will be announced at our awards ceremony in New York on May 6.