A great designer really understands their audience and brings to life the essence and personality of their publication. This award is open to the very best Creative Directors, Art Directors or Designers whose vision and craft creates a product that readers want to engage with.

This award seeks to recognise media brands or publications that are elevating the important conversations around D&I within their business, or to their audiences. This may be via a product, campaign, brand extension, magazine, event, or anything which tackles inequalities and dismantles barriers across the business and beyond.

The winner of this award might have created an inclusive workplace in which all employees not just feel valued but thrive, or a product or campaign which serves, promotes, and upholds underrepresented communities.

Strong editorial vision is at the core of a successful brand. This award recognises the editor of a media brand or title whose dedication, drive and vision has ensured that their content is a ‘must read’. They know their audience and deliver a high standard of content that is both trusted and welcomed, putting their brand or publication at the forefront of the market.

This award is to recognise an individual who has made a significant impact within their business, the team, and the sector within which they work. This award celebrates the bold and visionary individuals who have challenged conventions, transformed the publishing landscape, and inspired others with their remarkable achievements.

Entrants from any job function or specialism are encouraged to enter (please note though that there are specific categories for creative directors and editors).

Let’s hear it for the small but mighty independent publisher, a business that punches above its weight delivering an impressive performance and making significant contributions to the publishing landscape. This celebrates the resilience, creativity, and impact of independent publishing companies with a publishing turnover of less than £3million per annum.

This award celebrates the best of the best – an independent publishing company that has delivered a market-beating performance and is a true example of a business delivering at every level. Entries are open to businesses with an annual publishing turnover of between £3-10 million.

Do you go the extra mile for your clients or do you work with a business that does this for you? This award recognises the suppliers to the specialist media industry with an exemplary record of customer service, who regularly over-deliver, ensure challenges are overcome with minimal fuss and proactively suggest initiatives that deliver.

Entries are open to any organisation that supplies a product, platform or service to the industry can enter – from distribution and fulfilment to digital publishing, training, subscription management, printing, marketing, paper, event services and beyond.

Successful teams are goal-focused, communicate well and support each other to deliver on business objectives. Truly great teams have that bit of extra stardust and magic that sees them make a significant impact in their sector, working together to overcome obstacles and collaborating for the benefit of their organisation. This award recognises such a team or department that has truly excelled in making a positive and measurable contribution.

Eligible teams include, but are not limited to: Content, Creative, Commercial, Marketing, Production, HR, Operations, Subscriptions, Business Development, Events, Community, Membership, and Finance.

The best writers have a distinct voice, a unique style and an engaging way with words. For those who craft compelling copy that connects with an audience, this award is for you.

Successful commercial partnerships thrive on commitment to a common goal and mutual success. This award recognises a successful collaboration between a publishing business and commercial partner(s) that has effectively promoted a product, marketing service initiative, or brand through any (or multiple) platform(s) be it print, online, face-to-face, events, video, audio, or other offerings.

Hint: Structure your entry around: The Challenge / The Big Idea / Making It Happen / Results. Please include client testimonial(s) where appropriate.

New products can be game-changing or simply make the life of the user better for existing. This award recognises the brilliant digital products created by media brands and publications that are content or data services led. Entries can include apps, research-based data products, digital magazine editions, archives etc.

Note: there are separate categories for podcasts and newsletters

audiences. This award will recognise an outstanding event, either in-person, hybrid or virtual, that demonstrated strong results and commercial metrics.

Entries can include but are not limited to an exhibition, awards, conference, experiential event, festival, celebration or anniversary, community event, or any bespoke event, at which the media brand or publisher brings together its target audience.

The event can either stem from an existing parent brand or be a wholly standalone experience.

Specialist media businesses recognise a particular community or audience need for content and information. This award recognises the media brand or publication who has successfully created a product or brand to satisfy a gap in the market, delivering a strong commercial performance along the way.

Submissions can be for a launch or relaunch during the eligibility period.

A great media brand stands head and shoulders above its peers. They produce content their audience wants, tackle important topics in their sector, inform their communities and have an authoritative voice in their market. This award is for a consumer or business media brand that has demonstrated exceptional performance in the market.

This category honours the brilliantly crafted newsletters that showcase a unique voice of a business or publication, providing an invaluable touchpoint with customers. From regular news digests, sharing ideas and insight, to delivering invaluable information and opinion, this award will recognise the creativity and engagement that comes from truly knowing your audience.

Entries can be for newsletters created to complement existing brands or publications, to help launch new ones, or as a standalone product.

Please ensure you provide audience metrics, open rates, etc.

Truly great podcasts connect specialist media brands with their audiences and engage communities around topics they are passionate about.

This award is for the podcasts which are created to complement existing brands or publications, or to help launch new ones. The podcasts can be produced in-house or using external production support.

Video can be a powerful tool for a brand or publication which enhances an existing product, or creates an entirely new product that attracts and engages audiences. This award celebrates those creating compelling and impactful video content which is used to increase and broaden their value proposition to their audiences.

This can be a standalone video piece, or series that drove engagement and revenues, or a longer term video strategy.

The best business publications are highly respected and trusted by professionals in their sector, who turn to them for insight and opinion that matters. This award recognises the title that has excelled in representing its sector and truly delivering value for its audience.

Entries can be either print or digital titles which are published regularly.

Smart thinking, audience insight and clear goals are key ingredients to highly effective campaigns. This award looks to recognise a business campaign with internal or external objectives that overcame challenges and embraced new approaches to deliver significant results.

This award recognises a consumer publication that consistently gets it right for its readers. Featuring strong design and engaging editorial, this title really knows and understands its audience and what they are passionate about. It will demonstrate excellent performance in its field and use a combination of platforms and smart audience insight to deliver a market-beating performance.

Entries can be either print or digital titles which are published regularly.

Great content can be thought provoking, inspiring or simply useful. It is credible, interesting and engaging, and provides a great user experience. This award is for a standalone piece of content that truly captures the attention of its intended audience. Submissions can include anything from a feature piece, report, film, podcast episode, or any other piece of content produced for an audience or community.

Standout covers display exceptional creativity and design which can be headline grabbing, a piece of art, or simply capturing a moment or theme that makes the reader want to find out more.

This award is for the standout and visually striking front covers that capture the attention of the audience, are simply unmissable, and effectively convey the essence of the magazine content.

For the purpose of this award, an innovation is anything which expands the reach and influence of a brand or publication among an existing/new target audience. Innovations can include (but not restricted to) launches, new products, innovative use of data or audience insights, new methods of working, enhanced communication methods or cultural change.

Member publications are at the very core of their communities. The winner of this award will be delivering exceptional industry insight and quality content to inform and update its readers.

For the purpose of this award, a membership publication is a publication produced at least twice a year by or on behalf of an organisation to communicate with its members, be that in print or on a digital platform.

Successful subscription business models are at the core of many PPA Member businesses. This award recognises the teams utilising audience knowledge, smart thinking and clever use of data to deliver new customers and retain loyal ones.

This award looks to recognise a media brand, publication, campaign or portfolio that has maximised revenue through effective implementation of a new or enhanced subscriptions strategy. This can be focused on acquisition, retention, or both.