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Returning Entrants: click here to access your past submissions or select a category from above to make an additional entry.

Judging for the American Advertising Awards will be conducted online.

In some categories, entrants are allowed and/or required to upload additional digital examples of an entry. This is intended to provide more appropriate content for the judges.

Please carefully follow all online submission guidelines provided within the entry system, to ensure that your work is properly represented during all three tiers of the American Advertising Awards competition.

Welcome to the 2025–26 American Advertising Awards – SF Bay Area

The American Advertising Awards celebrate the power of creativity—and the brilliant people behind it. This is your opportunity to compete with the best in the Bay area and the chance to gain local, regional, and national recognition for your work. Whether you're an independent creator, agency, in-house team, or student, the AAF SF Bay Area competition is your launchpad to the next level.

We’ve made a few important updates to the 2025–26 AAF SF Bay Area competition that reflect our region’s creative strengths and support more inclusive recognition:

What’s New or Updated:

  • "Influencer of the Year" is a new category introduced at the SF Bay Area competition level only. This means it will be judged and awarded here, but winners do not advance to district or national competition.
  • In the Podcast category, we've added an SF Bay–specific subcategory for work targeting local audiences. While the Podcast category itself exists at the national level, this local-targeting subcategory is unique to our competition. Eligible winners from this category may still advance to regional or national.
  • We've also introduced production budget-based subcategories in two existing categories:
    • Television Advertising
    • Integrated Consumer Campaigns
      These are designed to better reflect the scope of work at different budget levels. Eligible winners in these budget-based subcategories will roll up into the national-level category definitions if advanced.
  • Recognition for outstanding work includes:
    • Best of Show 
    • Best of [Category Name] – awarded at the discretion of the judging panel
    • The Mosaic Award – honoring work that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion
    • Additional recognition to be announced

Judging & Finalists:

Entries that receive top scores from our judges will be designated shortlisted finalists. Finalists awarded Gold and Silver will be revealed at the AAF SF Bay Area Gala & Awards Ceremony in March. Please review the official rules and category list for full eligibility and details at AafSFBay.com. Questions? Contact: mark@greatersf.org

Key Dates

  • Entries Open: November 1, 2025
  • Q&A Info Session: January 7, 2026 at 12:00 PM 
  • Regular Deadline: January 23, 2026
  • Late Deadline: January 30, 2026 (late fee may apply)
  • Judging Window: February 6–12, 2026
  • Winners Announced: February 16, 2026
  • Awards Gala: March 2026 (Date/Location TBA)
  • Forward Silver Winners: March 31, 2026
  • Last Day for Duplicate Orders: April 4, 2026

Entry Fees

Professional – AAF SF Bay Area Members

Professional – Non-Members

  • Individual Entry: $240
  • Campaign Entry: $275

First-Time Entrants
If this is your first time entering (or you haven’t entered in 5+ years), you can receive a $50 discount per entry.
Request your discount code by emailing marklandon@greatersf.org
Note: Discounts may not be combined.

Student Entry

  • Individual: $55
  • Campaign: $65

For full eligibility and submission rules, refer to the Professional Rules and Student Rules documents.

Questions? Email marklandon@greatersf.org