Ireland
Media Awards 2026 Now Open for Entries; Dublin’s Mansion House to Host Industry Celebration: Entries are now open for the 2026 Media Awards, one of the most prestigious recognition platforms for advertising, marketing, and media professionals across the island of Ireland. The awards ceremony will be held on May 7, 2026, at the historic Mansion House, with the deadline for submissions set for March 26 at 11:59 pm.
Now in its 15th year, the Media Awards has become the leading industry platform celebrating creativity, innovation, and effectiveness in advertising and media campaigns. The evening will be hosted by Collette Fitzpatrick of Virgin Media Television, bringing together agencies, brands, and media leaders from across Ireland.
Celebrating Excellence in Media and Advertising
The awards recognize the most impactful media campaigns, strategic collaborations, and innovative marketing initiatives from the past year. Submissions are evaluated by a distinguished panel of experts from the marketing, advertising, media, and technology industries.
The judging panel for 2026 will be chaired by Dr. Rosie Hand, Head of Advertising and Communications in the School of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Technological University Dublin.
“The Media Awards are designed to highlight the creativity, talent, and cleverness thriving within our industry,” said Dr. Hand. “They demonstrate the industry’s growth and its important contribution to building a sustainable Irish media and marketing sector, while also encouraging higher standards among emerging talent.”
Extensive Panel of Industry Judges
This year’s judging panel includes a wide range of senior leaders and specialists from across the advertising, media, marketing, and technology sectors. Judges include:
Mark James, Áine Ní Chaoindealbháin, Wendy MacLean, Chris Cashen, Deirdre Macklin, Cathal Deavy, Ciarán Norris, Christine Matthews, Richard Bogie, Karen Doyle, Juliet McCutcheon, Neal Davies, Sinead Manly, David Douglas, Sarah Probert, Ben Mulligan, Orla Twomey, Dara Maher, Dearbhla O’Brien, Danny Donovan, Dr. Lollie Mancey, Niall O’Grady, Lina Meshael, Rachel O’Donovan, Graham Taylor, Laura Hendrick, Edelle McMonagle, Eoin Corrigan, Avril Gallagher, Dave Winterlich, Gareth Fitzpatrick, Vivienne Nagle, Garret O’Beirne, Sylvia Cawley, Robert Ward, Gemma Kelleher, Simon Geraghty, Lucy Murray, Aifric Lennon, Ian Campbell, Eimear Keane, Leo Moore, Meabh Quoirin, Paul Hourihane, Rachel Hynes, Eamon Fitzpatrick, Killian Barrins, Pauline Pase, Mark Lynch, Viv Maher, Rory Donegan, Deirdre Wafer, Simon Mann, Elizabeth Sheehan, Emma Daly, Daragh Byrne, Karen Preston, Maurisa McKillop, Maeve O’Meara, William Ryan, Caroline DeCourcy, Jon Slattery, David Quinn, Ozlem Ergor, Rob Atkinson, Siobhán Reynolds, Ciaran Cunningham, Nikki Maguire, Dave Tallon, Una Fitzgibbon, Ian McCabe, Ciara Gibney, Ian McShane, Olive Fogarty, Rebecca Rodgers, Andrew Dunn, Lisa Buckley, Gavin McAuliffe, Sandra Alvarez, Maurice Cullen, Catherine Griffin, Paul Carton, Roz Duff, Stuart Smith, Joanne Kearney, Nicola Davis, Paudie Sugrue, Jill McGrath, Seán Cathal Ó Coileáin, Tracy Vaughan, Fiona McCann, Adam Taylor, Aoibhín Lennon, Geoff Lyons, David Monaghan, Sinead Browne, John Patten, Julie Ann Twomey, Gavin O’Doherty, Alison Hunter, Cian Kennedy, Mollie Fearnon, Ed Henderson, Lís Ní Dhálaigh, Declan Kelly, Emer Lawn, Manuel Yoacham, Tory Anderson, and Ger Hayden.
Sponsors and New AI Category
The 2026 Media Awards are supported by leading media and marketing companies. Platinum sponsors include DMG Media Ireland and Virgin Media Television.
Gold sponsors include Bauer Media Group, Mediahuis Ireland, Dunnhumby, and Converge Digital, which is sponsoring a new category for 2026: Best Adoption of AI, highlighting the growing role of artificial intelligence in advertising and marketing strategies.
Silver sponsors include NewsBrands Ireland, Radio Centre Ireland, TAM Ireland, TG4, Elevate by Musgrave, and recruitment specialists Think Differently.
Recognizing Industry Excellence
The awards feature a wide range of categories including Best Collaboration Agency & Media Owner, Best Sustainability Initiative, Best Use of Audio, Best Use of AV, Best Use of Content or Creative, Best Regional Campaign, and Best International Campaign.
Prestigious honors such as Media Agency of the Year, Media Brand of the Year, Rising Star, Media Trailblazer, and the coveted Grand Prix will also be presented during the ceremony.
As the Irish media and advertising sector continues to evolve rapidly with digital transformation and AI innovation, the Media Awards remain a key platform celebrating the creativity, strategic thinking, and leadership shaping the future of the industry.
More information and entry details are available at the official website: www.mediaawards.ie.
