Corporate Event Awards

Awards

Corporate Event
Awards

Enter Now

Printable Instructions

Past Winners

How To Enter

Step 1: Submission Instructions
Download the detailed, printable Submission Instructions, which explain the following requirements and submission process.

Step 2: Form/Fee
Fill out the online entry form and remit payment via credit card. (See the Submission Instructions for details on the 50% discount.)

Step 3: Summary
Provide project information via a written summary as detailed in the Submission Instructions and submit materials via Dropbox.com.

Step 4: Art/Visuals
Submit overall and detail images of the project in two different formats via Dropbox and share with [email protected].

Why Enter?

The Corporate Event Awards offer winners more than just trophies; they also provide a high-profile platform to showcase your strategic and creative brilliance.

Global Recognition: Winners are featured in the August/September issue of EXHIBITOR magazine, reaching an international audience both in print and online.
Double Opportunities: Beyond the awards, all entries are considered for magazine features, columns, and portfolios unrelated to the competition.
Client Confidence: Entering on behalf of a client demonstrates a deep commitment to their success and proves you believe their project is world-class.
Tangible Prestige: Celebrate your victory with stunning custom trophies and official winner "bugs" (digital badges) to supercharge your own marketing and promotional efforts.
Maximized Investment: With 22 categories across two specialized tracks, you can enter multiple categories to increase your chances of winning and potentially take advantage of our 50% discount.
Impactful Advertising: If you're an agency or experiential marketing firm, your clients are our audience. Winning an award drives their eyes to your work - and your contact info.

Stay Informed

You don’t need to flood your inbox with unnecessary info. Choose exactly which awards updates you’d like to receive.

Questions?

Contact Linda Armstrong,
[email protected]

Enter Today

Program Overview

Secure your place in the spotlight and earn international prestige with a feature in the globally recognized EXHIBITOR magazine.

Whether you’re highlighting your own efforts or a client's success, winning puts your work in front of a massive, worldwide audience of marketing and design professionals. Earn accolades and validation from industry leaders and join the ranks of the world's most iconic brands.

Eligibility

Corporate events launched between Dec. 1, 2025, and Dec. 1, 2027, are eligible. A corporate event is defined as a marketing event where the target audience comprises external customers (businesses, partners, or consumers) or members of the media. The following events are ineligible: trade show exhibits, public trade shows, and internal events (e.g., sales-incentive programs, company parties, and employee recognition programs).

Categories

The following 22 categories are divided into the following two purpose- and criteria-driven groups:

Strategic Impact (recognizing outstanding event results and strategic marketing)
Design and Innovation (honoring creative, forward-thinking event designs and activations)

Projects may be entered in multiple categories, but each submission requires an additional fee.

Strategic Impact (Results-Driven)

Organized around event types, these categories recognize outstanding event results and strategic marketing initiatives. Entries are judged primarily on their overall strategy and measurable results, with creativity and innovation assessed as secondary criteria.

C-level/VIP Event. An event that targets executive customers or partners.
Customer-Appreciation Event. An event intended to build or foster relationships with customers or partners.
Customer Conference/Event. Any eligible marketing event held for traditional purposes, such as to generate awareness, affinity, sales, loyalty, etc. among customers and/or prospects.
Dealer/Distributor Event. An educational, recognition, or training event for external dealers, distributors, or franchisees.
Media Event. An event at which members of the media are the primary guests and the objective is to generate media coverage for a company and/or its products.
Nontraditional Event. An event for customers, partners, consumers, or the media that doesn't fit other categories (e.g., virtual or hybrid events).
NEW Pop-Up Experience/Marketing Stunt. A temporary (perhaps unexpected) installation designed to engage customers, create awareness, and/or promote a brand via a memorable experience. (Compared to a corporate event, it’s usually shorter, more experiential, and less sales driven.)
Private Trade Show. An eligible event that includes a trade show floor.
Road Show/Multivenue Event. An event presented in multiple locations. The event may or may not be based on a vehicle platform, such as a tractor-trailer.
NEW Sponsored Experiences and Event Activations. A marketing-focused activity or sponsorship taking place within an unrelated event, such as professional sporting or entertainment events, SXSW experiences, fan zone activations, etc.).
User Conference. An educational event hosted by a corporation.

Design and Innovation (Creativity-Driven)

These categories honor creative, forward-thinking event designs and concepts. Entries are judged primarily on their design quality, creativity, innovation, and visual impact. Entries must be executed within events that meet the aforementioned eligibility criteria. If your event is entered in a Strategic Impact category (above), all entries in this category group are discounted 50%.

A-to-Z Design. Innovative and forward-thinking design across the entire event.
Immersive Environment. Use of lighting, sound, and décor within the entire event or a portion of the event to transport attendees into the brand’s world.
Interactive Attendee Experience. Innovative interactive tactic(s) or event activation(s) meant to actively engage attendees.
Mobile Vehicle. Inventive interior and exterior designs for mobile marketing vehicles (e.g., buses, tractor-trailers, trucks, etc.).
Nontraditional Element. An event element that doesn’t fit well within other design categories.
Scenic, Stage, or Set Design. Impactful and innovative design for stages, sets, scenic backdrops, etc.
Sustainable Design. Creative design approaches to sustainability, including eco-friendly materials/logistics, waste reduction, etc.
Theme. A unique and creative event theme that enhances the attendee experience and deeply impacts the event design.
Venue Transformation. Exceptional creativity in transforming a space to align with the event's goals or theme.
Use of Technology. Effective and innovative integration of technologies (e.g., AR/VR, projection mapping, mobile apps, custom-built hardware/software) to enrich the event.
User Experience (UX). Innovative and effective consideration for the way attendees navigate an event. Everything from the registration area and wayfinding design to networking hubs and end-of-event activities reduce friction and maximize human connection.

NOTE: Pending judges' scores, winners may not be selected in all categories. EXHIBITOR reserves the right to disband the awards program if the quantity of entries affects the viability and integrity of the program. In this case, applicable entry fees will be refunded.

The Judges

The competition will be judged by the following panel of marketing and design experts.

Click on a photo to view each judge's bio.

Criteria

Each group of categories is judged using different criteria.

Strategic Impact — Entries are judged primarily on their overall strategy and measurable results, with creativity and innovation assessed as secondary criteria. Entries must provide measurable, numeric objectives and corresponding measurable, numeric results such as leads gathered, sales made as a direct result of the event, media coverage, or return on investment.
Design and Innovation — Entries are judged primarily on their design quality, creativity, innovation, and visual impact. Judges consider whether designs or concepts are new and inspiring, audience-appropriate, memorable, aesthetically pleasing, etc.

Recognition

Multiple awards and honorable mentions are offered across both category groups, along with one Impact and Innovation Award, the competition's top honor. Pending judges' scores, winners may not be selected in all categories, and multiple winners may be selected within the same category.

Winners will be notified by March 1, 2027. Winners that provide print-quality visuals as described in the Submission Instructions will be featured in the August/September issue of EXHIBITOR magazine. Entries also are considered for magazine features and columns unrelated to the competition.

Previous Winners