How to Find the Right Category in The Anthem Awards
Tips to best honor your social impact work in the 6th Annual Anthem Awards.
As the Webby Awards’ social impact benchmark, the Anthem Awards is that seal, honoring the brands, nonprofits, and individuals setting the standard for good worldwide. We honor work across seven causes and eight types of work — which means finding the right fit for your entry can feel overwhelming. These tips are designed to help you narrow the field fast, so you can focus your energy where your work is most competitive.
It’s time to set the new standard for good! Don’t forget to enter before the Early Entry Deadline on Friday, May 22nd.
Tip 1: Start with Your Cause Area
There are seven cause areas that make up The Anthem Awards, including Belonging & Inclusion; Education, Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Technology and Sustainability, Environment & Climate.
Start by identifying the cause your work most directly serves. If your work spans multiple causes, for example, a mental health campaign with a strong equity lens, you can enter across more than one. Just make sure your results and impact clearly connect to each cause you select.
Tip 2. Know Your Organization Type
Before you start browsing categories, confirm whether you’re entering as a nonprofit or a for-profit organization. This shapes which categories are available to you and where your work is most competitive.
To enter as a nonprofit, your organization must have documentation confirming your charity or not-for-profit status. If you’re a for-profit company — even if you’re submitting work done on behalf of a nonprofit client — you must enter as for-profit.
For-profit organizations should pay particular attention to our Corporate Social Responsibility category type, which is built specifically to recognize purpose-driven work from companies and brands.
Tip 3: Match Your Work to a Category Type
We accept entries across eight category types. Think about what your work is fundamentally doing, and match it to the type that fits:
Campaign — This is for you if your work was designed to drive awareness, shift attitudes, or mobilize people around a cause. Think: public health campaigns, advocacy initiatives, brand purpose campaigns.
Content & Media — This is for you if your work tells a story. Think: documentaries, podcasts, editorial series, social content, journalism.
Community Engagement — This is for you if your work was built with or for a specific community. Think: events, programs, local partnerships, grassroots organizing.
Corporate Social Responsibility — This is for you if you’re a company or brand with a social impact program that goes beyond your product or service. Think: sustainability initiatives, employee giving programs, corporate partnerships with nonprofits.
Fundraising & Resource Development — This is for you if the goal of your work was to raise money or mobilize resources. Think: fundraising campaigns, donor engagement strategies, grant programs.
Individual Recognition — This is for you if you’re nominating a single person whose leadership has made a measurable difference. Think: nonprofit executives, advocates, social entrepreneurs, community leaders.
Product Innovation or Service — This is for you if your work is a tool, platform, or service solving a real problem. Think: apps, research, technologies, programs designed to directly address a community need.
And Industry Specific Program Categories
Tip 4: Consider Entering an Industry Specific Program Category
New this season, Industry Specific Programs is a category type unlike any other in the competition. Rather than honoring a type of work, it recognizes the specialized expertise and innovation happening within specific fields and industries across each cause area.
If your organization operates within a specific sector, there may be a category designed specifically for the work you do. Categories include:
- Biodiversity & Ecosystem Restoration
- Climate Tech & Emerging Solutions
- Cultural Celebration & Heritage Preservation
- Ethical AI & Algorithm Design
- Food Banks & Hunger Relief
- Health Education & Patient Empowerment
- K-12 Education Innovation
- Poverty Alleviation & Economic Empowerment
- Voting Rights & Civic Engagement
- Workplace Inclusion Programs & Initiatives
Browse the Industry Specific categories within your cause area to see if your work qualifies.
Tip 5: Find Your Strongest Angle
Once you’ve narrowed to a category type, look at the specific categories within it and ask: where does my work shine most? An entry that clearly demonstrates a specific strength will always outperform one that tries to cover everything.
A few examples of how this plays out:
- A podcast series with a strong creative perspective is a good fit for Podcast Show in Content & Media, but if it was produced as part of a broader advocacy effort, it may also be competitive in Campaign.
- A workplace inclusion program could fit in Community Engagement — but if your organization is a for-profit company, Corporate Social Responsibility may be the stronger home.
- Work with a strong creative or technical execution should consider our craft categories, including Best Campaign Strategy, Creator Collaboration, Short-Form Video, AI Excellence, and Excellence in Technology.
You can enter the same work in multiple categories. When in doubt, lead with the category that best reflects your intent — what were you trying to accomplish?
Tip 6: When in Doubt, Ask
Still wondering where to enter? Our Entrant Success Manager, Evey Long is here to help answer all of your questions about the new season, categories, and our judging process! Feel free to tell her about your project, as she can help recommend categories best suited to your work. You can reach her at customerservice@anthemawards.com
Ready to enter? Submit before the Early Entry Deadline on Friday, May 22nd for preferred pricing!
