This award recognises excellence in how an agency presents its proposition, capabilities and point of difference in its credentials presentation using a clear narrative and high-quality storytelling. The focus is on the quality and effectiveness of the credentials themselves rather than campaign effectiveness. Judges will be looking to answer the ultimate question: would I want this agency working on my business?

This category offers a rare opportunity to showcase your unique capabilities and proposition to a jury of over 30 top brand CMOs.

After an initial round of online judging, three shortlisted agencies will be invited to present their creds in-person to decide the winning agency.

Please note: To enter Best Agency Credentials, agencies must have also entered at least ONE other category. All submissions are confidential and for judges’ eyes only.

• A compelling, clear and distinctive agency proposition, that demonstrates that the agency knows what it stands for and how it creates value for clients.
• Clear evidence of how they nurture, build and maintain partnerships, including a combination of strong strategic thinking and creative excellence.
• Culture which demonstrates a commitment to their people.
• Examples of team fit and chemistry when working together.
• Evidence of commercial understanding and how the agency supports its clients in achieving defined business objectives.
• Agencies with an ability to inspire confidence as a long-term partner.
  

This award recognises agencies that have built a strong and authentic culture that positively impacts their people, clients and wider business performance. These could include a single initiative or a complete set of practices, both formal and informal, that underpin a high-performance culture, and may include: flexible working, wellbeing, training and development, charity schemes and CSR, environmental initiatives, or any other innovative approach designed to create a positive agency culture.

Judges will want to see:

• Summary of your agency, and its culture.
• How your agency’s initiatives to support staff embody its core values and evidence of how this has improved business performance.
• Both quantitative and qualitative evidence on how you’ve developed and improved your agency culture e.g. staff survey and NPS score results, quotes from employees. 
• How your agency is ensuring fair and continuous employee feedback and how your leadership team responds to this.

This award recognises agencies that have built a strong and authentic culture that positively impacts their people, clients and wider business performance. These could be a single initiative or a complete set of practices, both formal and informal, that underpin a high-performance culture, and may include: flexible working, wellbeing, training and development, charity schemes and CSR, environmental initiatives, or any other innovative approach designed to create a positive agency culture.

Judges will want to see:

• Summary of your agency, and its culture.
• How your agency’s initiatives to support staff embody its core values. 
• Both quantitative and qualitative evidence on how you’ve developed and improved your agency culture e.g. staff survey and NPS score results, quotes from employees. 
• How your agency is ensuring fair and continuous employee feedback and how your leadership team responds to this.

The Agency of the Year (50 Staff or Less) award recognises independent and smaller agencies that are delivering exceptional results for their clients while demonstrating the agility, ambition and entrepreneurial spirit that defines the best businesses in the industry.

The winner will combine outstanding client delivery with commercial success, a strong culture and a clear strategic vision that shapes every aspect of the agency. They will demonstrate how a smaller business can challenge convention, innovate quickly and create impact that extends well beyond its size.

Judges will be looking for agencies that consistently punch above their weight through creativity, innovation, responsiveness and a willingness to challenge established ways of working. They should demonstrate how agility and entrepreneurial thinking have enabled them to deliver exceptional outcomes for clients, employees and the wider industry.

Judges will want to see:

• Evidence of entrepreneurial thinking and an ability to adapt quickly to changing market conditions.
• Innovative approaches to client service, commercial models or agency operations.
• Up to three examples of outstanding work or initiatives that demonstrate exceptional client impact or industry leadership.
• At least one example of how the agency has challenged convention or influenced the wider industry.
• Employee and client testimonials that bring the agency's culture and client relationships to life.
• How effectively the agency has maximised its agility, entrepreneurial culture and specialist expertise to outperform larger competitors.

The Agency of the Year (50+ Staff) award recognises larger agencies that combine scale with excellence, delivering sustained commercial success, exceptional client outcomes and industry-leading standards across every aspect of their business.

The winner will demonstrate outstanding leadership, operational excellence and a clear long-term strategic vision, supported by a culture that enables people, clients and the business to thrive. They will show how they successfully balance the complexity of a larger organisation while continuing to innovate and create meaningful impact.

Judges will be looking for agencies that set the benchmark for the industry through consistent delivery, investment in people, strong governance and the ability to deliver transformational work for clients at scale. They should demonstrate leadership not only through the work they produce but through the standards they set for the wider industry.

Judges will want to see:

• Evidence of strategic leadership and long-term business growth.
• Examples of innovation that have improved client delivery, commercial models or agency operations at scale.
• Up to three examples of outstanding work or initiatives that demonstrate significant business or marketing impact.
• Evidence that the agency is influencing the future direction of the industry through thought leadership, innovation or investment in talent.
• Employee and client testimonials that demonstrate a strong culture and enduring client partnerships.
• How effectively the agency has leveraged its scale, breadth of capability and organisational strength to deliver consistent excellence for clients, people and the wider industry.

This category is for agencies with an HQ based outside the UK and is free to enter.

This winner of International Agency of the Year will be a true role model agency, working on multi-market/cross border campaigns outside of and or including the UK. They will continuously be delivering great work for clients while driving new business initiatives, have a clear strategic vision that is reflected in the day-to-day, and be focused on their people and the values that enable them to deliver a working culture from which we can all learn. They will be able to clearly demonstrate their agency’s influence not only as a forward-thinker in the industry, but also with their impact on the wider marketing world.

Judges will want to see:

• Evidence of exceptional work delivered across multiple markets or international regions with a consistent strategic approach.
• Examples of successfully navigating cultural, operational and market complexity while delivering measurable results.
• Strong collaboration across international teams, partners or client organisations.
• Demonstration of agency growth, influence and reputation beyond its home market.
• Innovation, leadership and commercial success that position the agency as a role model for international marketing excellence.
  

This award recognises agencies that are making diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) a visible and meaningful part of how they operate, lead and deliver for clients. It celebrates agencies that are creating positive and measurable impact for their people, their clients and the wider marketing and communications industry through inclusive thinking, behaviours and business practices. This is an agency-wide award that recognises action and outcomes, not simply policies or commitments.

Outstanding agencies in this category will demonstrate how DE&I is embedded throughout their organisation, shaping culture, leadership, talent development and the work they produce. They will champion authentic representation, create opportunities for underrepresented groups and challenge conventional ways of working through innovative and inclusive approaches.

Judges will be looking for agencies that go beyond intention to deliver meaningful and measurable change. The strongest entries will show how inclusive practices have influenced decision-making, improved organisational performance, strengthened client outcomes and contributed positively to the wider industry. Evidence of long-term commitment, innovation and measurable impact are essential.

Judges will want to see:

• Evidence that diversity, equity and inclusion are embedded throughout the agency’s culture, leadership, talent development and decision-making.
• Measurable progress in creating a more inclusive agency, supported by data and examples across areas such as recruitment, representation, retention, progression and employee experience.
• Innovative initiatives that have challenged convention and delivered meaningful change for employees, clients or the wider marketing industry.
• Examples of inclusive thinking being applied to client work, resulting in stronger marketing outcomes.
• A long-term commitment to driving inclusion, supported by tangible evidence of measurable impact, employee and/or client testimonials, and a clear vision for continued progress.
  

The Growth Team of the Year category is to recognise the collective efforts of an agency's growth team. It is for teams who can demonstrate excellence in agency marketing and business development. They will be able to show how the growth team has supported the agency leadership team in delivering new business opportunities and wins across the year utilising a clear value proposition, well defined audience targeting and outstanding communications. The winner will also be able to evidence how it has impacted organic growth through collaborating with client service teams to identify new revenue opportunities. The winning team will also evidence how it is investing in business development talent at all levels of the agency.

Judges will want to see: 

• Evidence of clearly defined growth KPIs and performance delivery including but not limited to pipeline creation, win rate improvement and marketing effectiveness.
• Evidence of partnerships with client services teams to drive existing growth and measurement of the contribution of organic growth to overall performance.
• Employee and senior leadership testimonials that support the narrative and evidence of collaboration with leadership e.g. in the refinement of positioning or proposition.
• Examples of investments in learning and development at all levels in the growth team.

Free to enter

Inspired by Suki Thompson, co-founder of Oystercatchers, whose vision, courage and unwavering commitment to challenging convention have helped shape the marketing industry, this award recognises an agency, team or individual that is driving transformational change for the benefit of the wider industry.

This award celebrates those who look beyond commercial success to create a lasting positive legacy. The winner will have demonstrated exceptional leadership, challenged established thinking and inspired meaningful change that extends beyond their own organisation, influencing how agencies, brands and the wider marketing community think, work and collaborate.

Judges will be looking for bold initiatives that have delivered measurable and enduring impact, whether through innovation, new ways of working, industry collaboration, thought leadership or societal contribution. The strongest entries will demonstrate not only an ability to respond to change, but to shape the future of the industry through vision, action and influence.

Examples may include:

• Transforming agency or industry working practices to create more effective, sustainable or forward-thinking ways of working.
• Pioneering new business models, technologies, platforms or programmes that challenge convention and accelerate industry progress.
• Leading research, thought leadership or collaborative initiatives that raise standards and share knowledge across the marketing community.
• Championing social or environmental initiatives that create meaningful, measurable and lasting impact beyond the organisation itself.

Judges will want to see:

• For an individual: a clear sense of who they are as a leader, the values that drive them and how they have inspired positive change across the industry.
• For a team: a shared purpose and vision that has united people around a common ambition to drive meaningful change.
• Tangible evidence of original, industry-leading initiatives that have delivered measurable and lasting impact beyond their own organisation.
• Demonstrable influence that has inspired others to adopt new thinking, behaviours or ways of working.
• Evidence of collaboration that has created value for clients, employees, partners, the wider industry or society.
• Innovation that has challenged convention and introduced scalable approaches capable of shaping the future of marketing.

Please note: Entries must demonstrate impact beyond the successful delivery of client work and provide clear evidence of transformational change that has benefited the wider industry or society. Judges will reward initiatives that leave a lasting legacy and inspire others to think differently, act boldly and drive meaningful progress.

This award celebrates outstanding client services professionals who play a pivotal role in building strong, enduring and high-performing agency and client relationships. It recognises the contribution client service leaders make to the creation of successful agency and client relationships, ensuring that great ideas are translated into impactful work, demonstrated by measurable client satisfaction, account profitability and growth. The best marketing is achieved when clients and agencies work together as partners and client services professionals are the glue that binds the two together. 

Nominations can be made by those in client service roles, but must be supported by one client reference.

Judges will want to see:

• Evidence of client satisfaction over a prolonged period (more than 12 months) and how the individual has become a trusted advisor, leading to the foundation of a long -term client partnership.
• A consistent approach to measuring client satisfaction levels e.g. NPS and account contribution to overall agency performance.
• 1x client reference about the individual nominee and outlining their contribution to building a successful partnership.

The Leadership Excellence Award recognises the agency leaders or leadership teams who set the standard for modern agency leadership. It celebrates those who have successfully balanced commercial performance with people, culture and long-term vision, creating businesses that are not only growing but thriving.

Outstanding leaders shape more than strategy. They create environments where talent flourishes, innovation is encouraged, clients become long-term partners and values are translated into everyday behaviours. They navigate uncertainty with confidence, inspire those around them and leave a lasting impact on their organisation and the wider industry.

Judges will be looking for leaders or leadership teams that have demonstrated clarity of vision, courageous decision-making and a commitment to building resilient, high-performing agencies. Whether through transformation, growth, culture, innovation or exceptional client leadership, this award recognises those who are redefining what outstanding agency leadership looks like.

This award recognises leadership not as a title, but as a shared responsibility that drives meaningful results for people, clients and the agency as a whole. The strongest entries will show how collective leadership has shaped the agency's success, created opportunities for others to thrive and positioned the business for sustainable future growth.

Judges will want to see:

• A clear leadership vision that has shaped agency strategy, culture and commercial performance.
• Evidence that leadership behaviours are consistently demonstrated throughout the organisation rather than existing as stated values alone.
• Examples of how the leadership team has successfully navigated challenge, change or uncertainty while maintaining business performance.
• Investment in developing people, future leaders and a high-performing culture.
• Measurable evidence that leadership has positively impacted clients, employees and wider agency success.

This award recognises a new client-agency partnership that has quickly established strong alignment, trust and momentum. Judges will be looking for evidence of rapid integration, shared ambition, collaboration, clear strategic contribution and meaningful early impact within the first year that has moved beyond simply good chemistry.

Please note: The eligibility period for this category runs from July 2025 – July 2026. An agency may have been appointed prior to July 2025, but all work detailed in the entry must fall within the eligibility period. Agencies must co-enter with their client by providing a client testimonial to support their entry.

Judges will want to see:

• Alignment of shared strategic vision and goals, and what initiatives you’ve implemented to ensure a positive start to the partnership
• Evidence of rapid integration of client and agency teams, processes and ways of working.
• Examples of innovative and impactful campaigns that have been created together within the first year, showing joint planning and early commercial impact.
• An ongoing commitment to long-term collaboration and relationship building, allowing for substantial growth, development and even greater results in the future.

This award recognises a client-agency partnership that has delivered sustained value in achieving shared goals, and that has continued to evolve over time. Judges will be looking for evidence of resilience, strategic progression, continuous improvement, harmonious ways of working, measurable business impact and high levels of client satisfaction. The partnership should show how it has evolved rather than simply endured.

Please note: Partnerships must be ongoing as of July 2021. The work entered or referenced must show substantial and measurable progress over the last 5+ years. Agencies must co-enter with their client by providing a client testimonial to support their entry.

Judges will want to see:

• Evidence of a truly collaborative partnership which has evolved over time, with exceptional creative and strategic outputs that have driven results for both client and agency.
• Details of the processes and initiatives in place to nurture a healthy and productive working relationship.
• Examples of a unified approach, where collaboration and teamwork has delivered ongoing and growing success, including in response to changing needs. 
• How the mettle of this partnership has been tested, and proven in times of rapid change.

The Marketing Transformation Partner Award recognises agencies that have worked in true partnership with their clients to modernise marketing capabilities, enabling sustainable improvements in performance through technology, innovation and new ways of working. Judges will be looking for evidence of a collaborative relationship that has delivered measurable business outcomes and is supported by a client testimonial.

The winning agency will demonstrate how it has gone beyond delivering marketing activity to become a trusted strategic partner, helping clients build the capabilities, systems, processes and operating models required for long-term success.

Transformation may take many forms, including the adoption of AI and marketing technology, the development of data and insight capabilities, organisational design, customer experience, content production, measurement frameworks, skills development or new ways of working. Whatever the approach, the strongest entries will show how the agency has enabled meaningful and lasting change that extends beyond individual projects or campaigns.

The winner will be an agency that has become an indispensable transformation partner, helping clients not only adapt to change but build stronger, more agile and future-ready marketing organisations. Judges will be looking for clear evidence of strategic thinking, collaboration, innovation and measurable impact, alongside a legacy of change that continues to deliver value long after implementation.

Judges will want to see:

• Evidence of a collaborative partnership that has transformed marketing capability rather than simply delivering projects.
• Clear examples of modernising technology, data, operating models or ways of working.
• Demonstrable improvements in marketing effectiveness, efficiency, speed or commercial performance.
• Strong client endorsement evidencing the agency's strategic contribution and long-term value.
• Innovation that could serve as an example of best practice for the wider marketing industry.
  

The Grand Pearl is the judges' choice award and the highest honour available in the Oystercatchers Awards. It is reserved for an agency whose collective performance across multiple categories sets a new standard for excellence in the industry. It is not about size or specialism, instead it recognises consistency, ambition and influence and showcases excellence in strategy, culture, client service and impact. It celebrates the totality of an agency's contribution to the industry and a recognition of sustained excellence.

This category is not open for direct entry. Instead, it is awarded based on the strength and breadth of an agency's submissions across at least two or more categories, excluding those focused on individual performance.

Judges will be looking for:

• A clear and compelling agency identity, reflected consistently across multiple entries
• Evidence of leadership and innovation, with influence that extends beyond client work into the wider industry
• A strong internal culture, including people development, inclusive practices and values-led leadership
• Strategic clarity and commercial impact, showing how the agency is driving growth and shaping the future
• Creative and operational excellence, with examples that demonstrate originality, effectiveness and ambition

This is the award for agencies that are defining what great looks like and setting a benchmark for the industry to follow.