DC’s biggest celebration of creativity is officially underway.
The call for DC’s most imaginative, impactful, and well-crafted work starts now. The American Advertising Awards celebrate the thinkers, makers, storytellers, and boundary-pushers shaping the creative landscape across the region — now with a retro-futuristic twist.
From design and copywriting to integrated campaigns, motion, media, strategy, student work, and everything in between — this is where DC’s creative community comes together to champion the year’s standout ideas and recognize excellence across every corner of the industry.
More than an awards program, it’s a showcase of the talent, creativity, and relentless craft that make DC a powerhouse of innovation.
Whether you’re submitting work you’re proud of or standing behind the community that brings our city’s ideas to life, now’s the time.
The portal is open. Bring your best work. We’ll bring the funk.
Categories, Costs & Deadlines
Each year AAF DC recognizes outstanding work by creative professionals in our area. The American Advertising Awards reward the creative spirit alive and well.
Click to see the full PROFESSIONAL Rules & Categories
Click to see the full STUDENT Rules & Categories
In addition to our usual award categories, we are continuing with our three local-only awards:
The Extreme Makeover Award: Your best rebranding work. Be sure to include the old work so we can see your massive improvements!
The Zombie Award: Your best work the client left behind or spec work that never made it. Bring your work back to life for this award!
The Influencer Award: Your best work that used a creator/influencer to spread a brand message through public sharing, commenting and expressions of opinions and content.
Entry Costs
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: (After January 9th, add $15)
Members: $120 single / $150 campaign
Non-Members: $150 single / $190 campaign (Become a member and save)
STUDENT AWARDS:
Members & Non-Members: $20 per entry anytime
Deadlines
Final Deadline: Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
All entries will be virtual again this year. NO PHYSICAL ENTRIES ACCEPTED.
FAQs
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The American Advertising Awards (ADDYs) are the industry’s largest and most comprehensive creative competition, recognizing excellence in advertising across all media—local, regional, and national—with more than 25,000 entries every year. The mission of the American Advertising Awards is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.
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The competition is open to:
Agencies and in-house teams
Freelancers and independent creatives
Brands, nonprofits, and government organizations
Students currently enrolled in accredited programs
If the work was created in or for the DC region, you’re eligible.
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Because your work deserves the spotlight — and the American Advertising Awards are where it shines the brightest.
Entering the American Advertising Awards gives you the chance to:
Showcase your strongest ideas to the largest creative competition in the industry.
Get recognized among your peers, your clients, and the entire DC creative community.
Celebrate the wins — big and small — that made your year worth the late nights and bold leaps.
Inspire others by sharing work that pushes boundaries and elevates the craft.
Fuel your momentum with recognition that can open doors, spark collaborations, and energize your team.
This isn’t just an awards program — it’s a creative movement powered by the people who make DC one of the most exciting places to build ideas.
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AAF DC accepts nearly every form of advertising and marketing work—including print, digital, social, video, experiential, out-of-home, branded content, websites, campaigns, and more. With over 100 categories, there’s a place for almost every idea.
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Yes. One piece can be entered into one category—or multiple categories—to give your work the strongest chance to win. Maybe you want to enter an ad in Best Print but you also really love the logo you created so you can enter that in the Logo category and so on.
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No limit. Enter one piece or your entire body of work.
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No. You do not need to be an AAF member to enter. However, AAF members receive discounted entry fees. You can become a member here.
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AAF DC conducts local judging first. Gold ADDY winners are automatically forwarded to the District level , and District Gold winners advance to the National competition. Silver winners can advance as well, but at their own expense.
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Entries are judged by accomplished creative professionals from outside the DC market with various specialties to ensure fairness, objectivity, and high standards.
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Judges evaluate work based on:
Creative excellence
Originality
Craft and execution
Effectiveness within the chosen category
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The regular Deadline is Friday, January 9th. Late entries are accepted until Friday, January 16th, 2026.
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Winners receive a Gold or Silver ADDY Award and recognition at the AAF DC awards celebration. Gold ADDY winners advance to the next level of competition.
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Yes. Student work is judged in dedicated student categories and competitions.
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Work must have first appeared or been published between Jan war 1 and December 31 of 2025.
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The quick answer is you can enter in any of the markets but not more than one ADDY competition. Typically, people enter in the market where the work or agency is but, with so many people working remotely, there's no hard rule for that.
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If your work spans multiple disciplines, you may choose the category that best represents its primary objective—or enter it into multiple categories. When in doubt, AAF DC staff can help guide category selection.
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Entrants will be notified prior to the AAF DC awards event, and winners will be officially announced and celebrated at the AAF DC ADDYs ceremony.
Questions?
New to the American Advertising Awards? Not new but submitting in a different category or format than you have in the past? We're here to fuel your success. To set up 1:1 help for your entries with an American Advertising Awards expert, reach out to the AAF-DC ADDY committee at addys@aafdc.org.