The Anthem Awards 101

Anthem Blog

The Anthem Awards is the most comprehensive award recognizing purpose-driven work. Read on for the 101 on our mission and the types of projects we honor.

Why Enter The Anthem Awards?

Presented by the Webby Awards and the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS), the Anthem Awards was launched with a mission to set a new benchmark for impact work by amplifying the people, companies and organizations that are unrelenting in creating an equitable future. It was inspired by a cultural shift that sees people considering the impact of their choices—the food they eat, clothing they wear, media they consume, and the companies or public figures they support.

Don’t just take our word for it. Learn more about why you should enter here.

What Type of Work Do We Honor?

The Anthem Awards accepts work across five areas: Awareness, Fundraising & Resource Development, Community Engagement, Product, Innovation or Service, and Team & Internal Initiatives. These areas extend across seven causes celebrated: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, Education, Art & Culture, Health, Human & Civil Rights, Humanitarian Action & Services, Responsible Technology, and Sustainability Environment & Climate.

It’s important to note that the Anthem Awards accepts social impact work, in all of its forms. From a nonprofit’s fundraising campaign to a Fortune 500 Company launching a sustainability strategy, grassroots efforts and student groups – we elevate impact in all of its forms through The Anthem Awards.

See our full Categories List.

Who Judges The Anthem Awards?

All work entered is reviewed by social impact experts in the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS). Their deep experience and achievements across a range of issue areas exemplify the standard of excellence that The Anthem Awards honors. Anthem Judges include leaders like Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Actor, Author, Producer & Host; Emily Barfoot, Head of Dove North America Hair and Skincare & Global Senior Director Haircare Innovation, Unilever; Aurora James, Creative Director and Founder, Brother Vellies; Asha Curran, CEO, Giving Tuesday; Joy Moh, Head of Communication & Marketing, The Asian American Foundation; Nany Brown, CEO, American Heart Association; and Matti Navellou, Senior Vice President, Head of ICONIQ Impact, ICONIQ Capital.

Here’s how judging works: Work is judged on its own merits, based on a standard of excellence for each category established by the academy. The top scoring entries are determined to be Gold, Silver and Bronze Winners. A category may have multiple Winners, or none at all, depending on relevant scoring. You can learn more about the judging criteria here.

Who Has Won an Anthem Award?

Individuals, brands, nonprofits and companies making best-in-class impact work are selected as Anthem Winners, and are amplified in the Winners Gallery. The Anthem Awards has honored a vast range of winners including; brands like The Ad Council, Bombas, DEPT®, The Elton John AIDS Foundation, Dove, Havas, Amnesty International Italia, Patagonia, Nation Swell, Sesame Workshop, Vote.org, The New York Times, and public figures like Gloria Steinem, Matt Damon, Dr. Jane Goodall, Kevin Bacon, Megan Rapinoe, Jesper Brodin, and Misty Copeland.

What Do You Need to Enter?

To participate in the Anthem Awards, you’ll need to provide a summary of the project and strategy, its goals or objectives, and its results or impact. Additionally, you may include 5-6 digital assets for each project, including websites, case study pages, case study or demo videos, images, PDFs, podcasts or audio, and social media accounts.

For a full guide, check out the Entry Requirements.

Who Partners with The Anthem Awards?

We launched the Anthem Awards in partnership with leading nonprofit organizations and foundations, to ensure that we honor the wide spectrum of projects making an impact on the world. Anthem Awards’ foundational partners include: Ad Council, Born this Way Foundation, GLAAD, Mozilla Foundation, National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), XQ Institute, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Our media partners include: Social Innovation Summit, Sustainable Brands, NationSwell, and TheFutureParty.

Key Dates 2025

Friday, June 6, 2025: Early Entry Deadline- Participate before this date for preferred pricing!
Friday, August 1, 2025: Final Entry Deadline

Champion Your Resilience

At such a pivotal moment for our industry, now is the time to Champion Your Resilience and amplify the ways you are writing a better future. Enter the 5th Annual Anthem Awards to celebrate your work, and join our brilliant community.

Patagonia – Don’t Buy This Jacket

Patagonia has put social impact at the core of their brand mission and values from the start, and their iconic Don’t Buy This Jacket campaign demonstrates how brands can use their platform to make an impact — or better yet, to help reduce our impact. This 2011 ad ran in the New York Times on Black Friday, making a lasting impression for its bold message addressing the issue of consumerism head on and asking readers to take the Common Threads Initiative pledge to reduce, repair, reuse, recycle, and reimagine a world where we take only what nature can replace.

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NEWS & ANNONCEMENTS

Ad Council’s Love Has No Labels Movement

Love Has No Labels is a movement by The Ad Council to promote diversity, equity and inclusion of all people across race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age and ability.

Read our Q&A with Heidi Arthur, the Ad Council’s Chief Campaign Development Officer on the team behind LHNL collaborates with partners to combat implicit bias—from crafting PSAs to driving viewers to take action, to how brands and companies should approach corporate social responsibility with authenticity.

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