Finalists 2026


Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination for the 2026 North East Marketing Awards. We received a huge number of entries and it is great to see so many talented individuals, teams and organisations who have excelled over the last year.

See the categories below to discover the successful nominees who made it through to the final stage of the nomination process:

Rising Star of the Year

Finalists:
Anna Emmerson Robinson, Bradley Hall
Mollie Spreadbury, CAV Systems
Chloe Park, Cleveland Group
Claudia Charlwood, Mediaworks
Melissa Davenport, Northumberland County Council
Phoebe Cape, O Agency
Megan Brearey, Stockton Bearings & Transmissions LTD
Eloise Armstrong, The Very Social Media Girl

Judging Panel:
TBC

Marketing Leader of the Year

Finalists:
Anne Reynolds, RE:GEN Group
Cassie Moyse, Cassie Moyse
Lewis Pennicott, Cleveland Group
David Pritchard, Sintons LLP
Lindsay Hutchinson, William Smith Group

Judging Panel:
TBC

Marketer of the Year

Finalists:
Lisa Stidwell, Circle Cloud
Mellieha Blair, Cleveland Group
Lauren Butler, Freight Island
Beth Williams, High Life North Magazine
Samuel Marriott-Dowding, Marriott Communications
Chris Macdonald, Printed.com
Peter Jennings, Sintons LLP
Tom Bulmer, The Great Run Company

Judging Panel:
TBC

Campaign of the Year (In-House) - Budget Under 50k

Finalists:
Northumberland County Council, “Love it Like it’s Yours”
Bradley Hall, “Bradley Hall Auctions: 56 Days”
Education Partnership North East, “A Different Route. The Same Future. EPNE Higher Education Clearing Campaign 2026”
High Life North Magazine, “Kynren – The Storied Lands”
Leighton, “The Campaign That Built a Community”
NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), “#BlueToNew”
The Great Run Company, “45 Years At The Heart of the North East’: 45th AJ Bell Great North Run”
Vertu Motors, “Vertu Summer Check”

Judging Panel: 

TBC

Campaign of the Year (In-House) - Budget Over 50k

Finalists:
DFDS, “Fuel Crisis, Ferry Confidence”
Bellway, “What If”
Newcastle Airport, “90 Years of Going Further Together”
Nexus, “The Mayor’s Fares on Metro”
Northumbrian Water, “Turning Awareness into Action: The Lead Replacement Programme”
Primula, “Primula Real Cheese Campaign”
Tommee Tippee, “Matrescence Campaign”
Visualsoft Limited, “Unifying Bricks & Clicks”
Vertu Motors plc, “Vertu Car Giveaway”

Judging Panel:
TBC

 

Agency of the Year (Up to 15 employees)

Finalists:
Different Narrative
Kenfolk Ltd
McBryde & Co
The Traveller and the Bear

Judging Panel:
TBC

Agency of the Year (Over 15 employees)

Finalists:
Bonded
Colewood Digital
O Agency

Judging Panel:
TBC

 

Best Use of Social Media

Finalists:
High Life North Magazine
The North East Dog Festival
Northumbria University
The Great Run Company
Vertu Motors plc

Judging Panel:
TBC

 

In-House Marketing Team of the Year (Up to 10 Members)

Finalists:
Bradley Hall
Cairn Group
Cleveland Group
Darlington College
Northumberland County Council
Printed.com
Visualsoft

 

Judging Panel:
TBC

In-House Marketing Team of the Year (Over 10 members))

Finalists:
DFDS
Bellway
Nexus
OddBalls Apparel
The Great Run Company
Tommee Tippee

Judging Panel:
TBC

 

Campaign of the Year (Agency) - Budget under £50K

Finalists:
Bonded Agency, “Darts Corner ‘Performing at Peak’”
McBryde & Co, Different Narrative, and NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, “The Elephant in the Room”
SD Advertising, “Foster with Northumberland”​

Judging Panel: 

TBC

Campaign of the Year (Agency) - Budget over £50K

Finalists:

Bonded, “Bonded x Bravissimo: From Shutdown to Record Results”
Bonded, “Bonded & Primal Strength – Strength in the Data”
Bonded, “Bonded x Flooring Superstore: The Search-to-Store Growth Engine”
Cravens x Route Media, “Zinsser: The Mark of a Pro”
Different Narrative, “Go Big, Then Go Home”
Route Agency, “Merry Hill. Good Times.”
The Traveller and the Bear, “Metrocentre 40th Birthday – 40 Years With You”
The Unknown Creative Ltd, “BioLife Solutions Campaign: CellSeal® CryoCase™: Rethinking a Decades-Old Standard”

Judging Panel:
TBC

Not for Profit Campaign of the Year

Finalists:
Bonded Agency Limited, “Bonded x World Jewish Relief Archives: Returning Families Their Stories”
Dash Media, “MediCinema: Brand Development”
Karol Marketing, “The Great North Children’s Hospital. With You At Every Step”
MCPR, “North East International Film Festival 2025”
Northumberland County Council, “Could You Change a Child’s Life?”
O Agency, “Chuf – 20 Years of the Clown Doctors”
Visit County Durham, “Next Stop, Durham”

Judging Panel: 

TBC

Product Launch of the Year

Finalists:
Bradley Hall, “Auctions 56 Days”
Nexus, “The Mayor’s Fares on Metro”
Northumbria University, “The North Edit”
On The Kusp, “Vidonary”
The Inn Collection Group, “The Inn Crowd Loyalty App”

Judging Panel:
TBC

Brand Creation of the Year

Finalists:
Altogether Creative & Mam’s the Word, Olive & Bean
Altogether Creative, Our Freedom: Then and Now
Cornerstone Marketing Solutions, Gripps Farm
Different Narrative, Cumbria Tourism
Karol Marketing, NEPRO
Bellway, Bellway
O Agency, PervasID
The Unknown Creative Ltd, BioLife Solutions
Transforming Brands, Talentheads 

Judging Panel:
TBC