"We want to see beautiful, clever, stand out work that has delivered brilliant results. But we also want to see the passion, the heart and the true collaboration that got you there! After all, that's what sets in-house apart from the rest."

- Joanne Hall, Chair Judge and Agency Director, Sainsbury's 

"I want to see exciting creative ideas that had a genuine business impact."

- Patrick Burgoyne, Co-Founder, In-House Agency Leaders Club

"Show us the advantage of being in-house. The strongest entries will demonstrate the unique proximity to the brand whether that's speed to market, deep customer understanding, cross-functional collaboration or the ability to create work that feels truly authentic to the business."

- Dan Taylor, Content and Design Lead, British Airways

"Don't try to make it look like award-winning work. Start with something only you could have made, in your context, for your audience. Work that you then pushed further than feels comfortable. The entries that stand out are usually the ones where someone refused to settle."

- Mat O'Brien, Head Of Creative, ABinbev Draftline

"Be honest about the journey, not just the destination.  Great work rarely happens in a straight line. Help the judges understand the challenges you faced, the choices you made, and how your people, processes, and culture enabled success. The strongest entries don't just showcase impressive results, they reveal the thinking, collaboration, and learning behind them."

- Nicky Russell, Managing partner WDC Co-founder of In-house Agency Leaders club, WDC / IHALC

"Make your entry easy to champion. Lead with one clear idea, then show the line from insight to execution to result, with real numbers where you can. Be specific about what your team actually did, and do not airbrush out the challenge. The constraint you overcame is often the most compelling part of the work."

- Harshil Varsani, Brand & Creative Director, TotallyMoney & CredAbility

"Be brave and honest with your entry and help to change the future of brand activations."

- Rob Edwards, Head of Media & Digital, Arla Foods

"Commercial creativity creates value far beyond ROI. The real opportunity lies in identifying, measuring, and reporting the many ways that value drives business success. When you  broaden the definition of value, we broaden the impact of creativity. ROI is a metric; value is the full story."

- Janet Markwick, CEO/Founder, Markwick Consulting Ltd and J&R Collective Ltd

"Don't just show the work - show the thinking. The best entries will make it clear why the work matters, how the team made it happen, and what it actually delivered. In-house teams often undersell themselves, so this is your chance to properly shout about it."

- Neill Torbit, Head of Brand Design and Creative, Rightmove

"Great story and clear evidence beats a glossy case study every time."

- Robert Anderson, Head of Digital Media, NatWest

"We don't know your brand or category like you do - so take us on the journey!"

- Liz Baines, Head of Strategy, Specsavers

"Do not just show the work. Show why it mattered. Judges need to understand the problem you were solving, the constraints you were working within and what changed because of the work. Be clear on the strategic thinking, honest about the role the in-house agency played and specific about the impact. The best entries will not simply say "we made this." They will show why it was needed, why it was distinctive and why it worked."

- Ben Stead, Fractional CMO/CBO, Wayfarer

"Make my eyes light up and think I couldn't have done that."

- Julia Doyle, Creative Director, Vodafone Three

"Write a compelling narrative, that takes me on the journey, whilst connecting the dots from human truth, insight to ROI. Prioritise absolute data points over vague percentages. I'm also interested in creative and the impact that has on activation results."

- Patrick Zinga, Media Lead, Amazon

"Make me care quickly. Show me the idea clearly, and give me something that makes me feel something."

- Leanne Ainsworth, Head of Creative & Production, Shelter

"Don't just show the work, show why it matters and how it was made. The strongest entries combine standout ideas with clear thinking and a team culture that brings them to life."

- Anthea Angelis, Director of Creative - Entain, Entain plc

"Clear demonstration of the impact the work has had on the business - all the good stats to show the value great creativity/creative thinking can bring!"

Niki Garner, Director of ITV Creative, ITV

"The strongest entries don't just show great work - they show why that work mattered. Be clear about the challenge, the thinking behind the decisions, and the impact the work had on the business. Judges see a lot of campaigns, so what stands out is evidence of real change, real results and a clear connection between creativity and outcomes. And don't underestimate the importance of execution. A good idea is only the starting point. What often separates the best entries is the quality of the craft, the attention to detail and the determination it took to bring the idea to life."

Atif Mahmood, Chief Creative Officer, Howden

"I want to feel the love and not the LLM that has brought it into existence."

Alastair Cotterill, Head of Creative Lab, EMEA, Spotify

"Do not overlook operating models, marketing technology, and ways of working - these are the often underestimated enablers that underpin truly exceptional creative outcomes."

Dan Birks, CGO, ITG

"Be brief, concise. Your entries don't need to be long, but they need to be sharp. And clearly depict the task at hand, and why the work that you developed is special."

Isabel Sierra Gomez de Leon, Executive Creative Director, Adobe Studio, EMEA and LATAM, Adobe

"Never forget the impact on the customer. We live and breath our worlds every day, our customer doesn't."

Lottie Pettinger, Head of Brand and Creative Studio (effective 1st July), OVO

"Let's focus on the ideas. Rooted in real human insight. Solving real business problem. Not driven by data, testing or AI."

Dayoung Yun, Creative Director, YouTube Creative Studio

"Build ideas from a narrative truth, not a media plan. Design for participation before amplification, and use every channel to deepen the story rather than repeat the message. Let paid media accelerate momentum, not create it."

Johann Schwella, Creative Director, Kraft Heinz

"Don't just tell us what you made, tell us why it mattered. Explain the challenge, the strategic thinking, the creative leap and the impact it had. Be proud of your craft. Too often in-house teams undersell themselves by focusing on process or efficiency. Show us the quality of the thinking and the ambition of the work, and don't be afraid to demonstrate that your creativity belongs alongside the very best in the industry."

Miketta Lane, Director of 4Creative, Channel 4