The Palmer Marketing Awards
Honoring All Types of Marketing Campaigns
2025 submission period has closed
About the Awards
The Palmer Marketing Awards celebrate outstanding marketing campaigns that deliver exceptional creativity, innovation and results. They’re named in honor of James L. Palmer, the first president of the Chicago chapter of the American Marketing Association, starting in 1937. Palmer was also a University of Chicago marketing professor and president and CEO of Marshall Field & Co. during its mid-20th-century expansion.
These awards recognize the work that sets benchmarks in the industry—from groundbreaking strategies to campaigns that captivate and inspire. With nine distinct categories, this is your opportunity to showcase your campaigns that moved the needle and made an impact.
Meet the Judges
The Palmer Marketing Awards judging panel features industry experts from across the United States and from these leading companies:
Anteriad, Burson, Chicago Fire FC, Influential, Mars Wrigley, Oracle, Pepsico Foods, Shinola, State Farm, TRAVERSE32 and United Airlines.
Award Categories
Explore the nine award categories designed to spotlight the diverse range of marketing excellence. Whether it’s a digital-first initiative or a campaign that redefines brand storytelling, there’s a category that fits your work.
PRODUCT OR SERVICE LAUNCH AWARD
Acknowledging excellence in marketing campaigns that successfully launch new products or services for the organization.
MOMENTUM AWARD
Recognizing outstanding marketing efforts that propel existing products or services to new heights for the organization.
DATA AND MARTECH AWARD
Recognizing the best utilization of data and/or marketing & advertising technology in a campaign for the organization.
ENGAGEMENT AWARD
Celebrating campaigns that compel audiences to connect and engage with the organization.
INTEGRATED MARKETING AWARD
Honoring exceptional integration of multi-channel marketing strategies that drive business results for the organization.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT MARKETING AWARD
Celebrating the most impactful marketing campaigns dedicated to supporting and promoting important causes and proactive community service.
INFLUENCER COLLABORATION AWARD
Recognizing the creative and effective utilization of influencer/creator marketing to achieve notable business outcomes for the organization..
B2B AWARD
Recognizing outstanding marketing campaigns to attract and capture leads for key targets for the organization.
BEST USE OF GENERATIVE AI
Celebrating campaigns that demonstrate the ability to harness the evolving field of large language models to drive improved business impact.
A Grand Prize winner is selected from among the nine category winners.
Submissions
While the Palmer Marketing Awards celebrate campaigns that reflect the vibrant spirit of Chicago and the Midwest, we welcome submissions from marketers nationwide whose work embodies the creativity and innovation we champion.
Winning a Palmer Marketing Award is more than an accolade—it’s a testament to your campaign’s impact and ingenuity. Here’s why you should submit:
- Gain Industry Recognition: Position your campaign as a benchmark of excellence in marketing.
- Showcase Your Impact: Share the success of your campaign with peers, clients, and stakeholders.
- Inspire Confidence: Reinforce your team’s creative and strategic expertise by earning industry acclaim.
- Elevate Your Brand’s Reputation: Be recognized as a leader driving marketing innovation and results.
The spotlight is on impactful campaigns!
Entrants should read the entry packet before preparing their submission. The guidelines include more details on the award categories, eligibility, judging guidelines and complete terms and conditions.
February 14, 2025 – Submissions open
Thursday, April 17, 2025 – Submissions closed at midnight
April 18, 2025 – Judging begins
May 7, 2025 – Judging concludes
June 2025 – Evening awards ceremony: details to be announced
Judging Is Underway
The Palmer Marketing Awards are your moment to showcase the campaigns that made a difference and redefined industry standards. The 2025 submissions period has closed and judging has begun.
The next awards cycle will begin in February 2026.
Palmer Marketing Awards Interest
Complete these fields to be notified when submissions open for the 2026 Awards.