AAF Baltimore 2024/2025 American Advertising Awards Competition

Save on entry fees and tickets! Join AAF Baltimore to enjoy exclusive member discounts on entry fees, additional entries, and award show tickets. Join AAF Baltimore   |   View All Membership Benefits 

Deadlines & Fees

Professional Competition

Discounted Early-Bird Entry
(Only Available to AAF Baltimore Members. JOIN NOW)
Deadline: Friday, December 6, 11:59 pm
$115 (Single Entry) | $140 (Campaign) 

Standard Entry
Deadline: Friday, January 1, 11:59 pm
AAFB Member: $125 (Single Entry) | $150 (Campaign)
Non-Member: $160 (Single Entry) | $190 (Campaign)

Late Entry
Deadline: Friday, January 17, 11:59 pm
AAFB Member: $140 (Single Entry) | $165 (Campaign)
Non-Member: $175 (Single Entry) | $205 (Campaign)

Student Competition

All Student Entries are due by Wednesday, January 22.

Before you enter: Join AAF Baltimore for just $15 and unlock exclusive benefits! As a student member, your first entry (single or campaign) is FREE. Plus, you'll enjoy access to mentorship programs, events, portfolio reviews, and more.

AAFB Student Member Benefits

First Entry (Single or Campaign): FREE

Additional Entries:

Single Entry: $20
Campaign: $30

Students only: Please note, you will not be charged for additional entries at the time of submission. Upon review, an invoice will be sent.

Questions? Contact the AAF Baltimore Awards Committee at winanaddy@baltimoreadvertising.com

Rules

This competition is open to all Greater Baltimore and Central Maryland area advertising, marketing, and communications professionals, including students. Work must have aired between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.

All professional and student entries must be submitted in the local competition where they were created. If an affiliated competition does not exist in your market (CBSA, DMA or MSA), please find and enter the competition closest to your geographic location. 

Professional Rules and Categories   |   Student Rules and Categories 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are physical entries required this year?

No. Judging will be completed virtually at the local, district, and national levels this year. In lieu of physical entires you’ll have the opportunity to submit up to five images and one video for each entry to best showcase your work. Since these images/videos are replacing the physical entry, take care to ensure represent your entry in the best way possible!

What are the American Advertising Awards? 

The American Advertising Awards, home of the prestigious ADDY® award, is the largest industry competition in the U.S., celebrating creativity in advertising. Open to professionals and students, the competition is three-tiered spanning local, district, and national levels and recognizes outstanding work in categories from broadcast to digital. Proceeds from the awards fund AAF initiatives, including public service, internships, and advertising education.

AAF Baltimore is part of AAF District 2, which includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and DC.

Where can I find out more details on the American Advertising Awards?

• Check out americanadvertisingawards.com
• Visit the American Advertising Federation website at aaf.org
• Visit the AAF Baltimore website at baltimoreadvertising.com

How do I win an ADDY?

Selection for awards in each category is conducted by a panel of judges who use a scoring process to evaluate all creative dimensions of each entry. Gold ADDY® awards honor creative excellence, while Silver ADDY® awards recognize distinguished entries. Winning at the local level qualifies entries for the district competition; district winners advance to nationals. AAF Baltimore is part of District 2, which includes some of the most competitive markets in the U.S. 

How will I know if I’ve won?

All winners will be notified via email. 

How do winners move to the next level?

All Gold winners at the local level will automatically move on to the District level. Silver winners are eligible to forward and compete in the District competition at the entrant’s discretion and will be contacted by the AAF Baltimore Awards Chair. 

Gold winners at the district level will automatically move on to the National level. Silver winners are eligible to forward at the entrant’s discretion and will be contacted by the District 2 (D2) Awards Chair.

Who can enter the AAF Baltimore competition?

This competition is open to all greater-baltimore area creative services and industry suppliers including but not limited to advertising, graphic design, photographers, printers, newspaper, radio, television, web, marketing, and communication professionals as well as students studying in these areas. All submitted work must consist of placed media that appeared between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. 

Can students submit entries?

Absolutely! The Student Division of the American Advertising Awards competition, sponsored by the AAF and Ad 2 National, is a unique national awards program designed especially for college students. Work entered at your local level can move up to the regional and national judging, just like the work entered by professionals across the country.

Applicants must be enrolled full- or part-time in an accredited U.S. educational institution. Students may submit work developed specifically for this competition or from previous projects or student contests.

Work must be created while the entrant is a student not employed in the advertising industry. Student interns are eligible to enter.