Awards Categories
The 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards call for entries opens October 31, 2023.
Nine types of entries are accepted in addition to Special Achievement Awards and Top Honors. Below is a list of categories and definitions.
-
Impact
-
Podcast
-
Social Media
-
Video
- Best Advertisement (30 Sec and Under)
- Best Advertisement (31 Sec to 60 Sec)
- Best Advertisement (61 Sec to 5 Min)
- Best Advertisement (5 Min and Over)
- Best Documentary: Short-Form
- Best Documentary: Long-Form
- Best Original Film or Series: Short-Form
- Best Original Film or Series: Long-Form
- Best Use of Short-Form Video
- Best Use of Live Video
-
Special Achievement
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
Best Action Sports Partnership NEW!
This award recognizes a partnership that increased the visibility of action sports, enhanced the fan experience, built deeper relationships with fans, or created new fans and audiences. Entries may include brand sponsorships, strategic partnerships, or athlete partnerships.
Best Brand Experience or Activation
This award recognizes an innovative and engaging activation, stunt, experience produced by a brand or agency designed to help turn fans into consumers. Entries may involve live events, immersive experiences, or digital/social media.
Best Brand Sponsorship
This award recognizes a brand whose relationship with a sports or esports property, publisher, or network demonstrates the power of partnership. Judges will look for entries that exceeded marketing objectives, drove business and revenue results, uniquely engaged fans, and built loyalty.
Best College Sports Partnership NEW!
This award recognizes a partnership that champions collegiate athletics or student athletes. Entries may include athletic department or university sponsorships, team sponsorships, or NIL sponsorships and programs including collectives.
Best Esports Partnership NEW!
This award recognizes a partnership that increased the visibility of esports, enhanced the fan experience, built deeper relationships with fans, or created new fans and audiences. Entries may include brand sponsorships, strategic partnerships, or athlete partnerships.
Best Olympic Sports Partnership NEW!
This award recognizes a partnership that increased the visibility of Olympic sports, enhanced the fan experience, built deeper relationships with fans, or created new fans and audiences. Entries may include brand sponsorships, strategic partnerships, or athlete partnerships.
Best Sports Betting Partnership
This award recognizes a partnership designed to improve the fan experience in tandem with sport betting’s rapid adoption. Entries may include sportsbook sponsorships, free to play games or apps, data or broadcast integration, influencer partnerships and more.
Best Women’s Sports Partnership
This award recognizes a partnership that increased the visibility and/or accessibility of women’s sports, enhanced the fan experience, built deeper relationships with fans, and created new audiences. Entries may include brand sponsorships, strategic partnerships, or athlete partnerships.
Most Creative Partnership
This award recognizes fan engagement excellence resulting from collaboration between two or more organizations in or around sports. Partnership need not be a sponsorship but may exist between any combination of brands, technology companies, publishers, sports properties or other organizations.
Most Creative Partnership With an Athlete or Influencer
This award recognizes fan engagement excellence from a brand, property, or publisher for collaboration with or integration of an athlete or social influencer into content, campaigns, or activations. Judges will look at how the talent helped the organization better resonate with fans and deliver mutual & measurable impact.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
Best Communications Strategy
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective public relations or communications strategy used to tell the story of a partnership, brand/product launch, or other announcement. Entries may be part of an integrated campaign but will be judged on engagement derived through earned media.
Best Event or Experiential Campaign NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective marketing campaign that connected fans through innovative live, hybrid, or virtual experiences to create unique and memorable moments. Entries may include celebrity, athlete, and influencer partnerships.
Best Global Campaign NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective global marketing campaign. Entries should describe how the campaign reached an international audience and adapted to various markets while maintaining a consistent message that drove results.
Best Integrated Campaign
This award recognizes campaigns that meld new media and traditional channels (out-of-home, PR, print, etc.) to create a unified and engaging message. The mix of marketing channels, strategy showcasing how content was enhanced across each platform, and engagement that drove measurable results are key factors judges will assess.
Best Launch Campaign NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective launch campaign. Entry should describe how a brand, product, or service was propelled into a marketplace, to the relevant target audience, at the right place and time, and how digital & social media was utilized to reach fans and consumers.
Best Social Media Campaign
This award recognizes a marketing campaign that involved the use of one or more social media platforms. Judges will be looking for viral or coordinated campaigns that generated fan/consumer conversation, connection, and results. Entries may be part of a multi-platform or integrated campaign but will be judged on engagement derived through social media.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
Best Athlete Storytelling
This award recognizes exceptional efforts in telling stories through the lens of an athlete or multiple athletes. Judges will look for entries that resonate with fans by sharing the most personal stories and passions of an athlete or multiple athletes.
Best Branded Content
This award recognizes content that is sponsored by or fused with a marketer’s product, brand, or message. Judges will be looking for any form of content, media, or combination of mediums that offer entertainment or educational value to fans and effectively amplify both the brand sponsor and publisher’s core message.
Best Life or Legacy Tribute
This award recognizes exceptional storytelling surrounding the life or legacy of an individual athlete, sports celebrity, executive or other influential personality. The tribute may be posthumous or spotlight someone still living. For example, a retirement, retrospective, comeback story, etc.
Best Sports Betting Content
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective use of sports betting to build deeper relationships with fans through media, including original content, digital video or audio, studio shows, podcasts, dedicated social media accounts, influencers, and more.
Best Use of Culture, Music or Entertainment
This award recognizes the most creative integration of popular culture into sports content, campaigns, or activations. Entries may utilize music, comedy, celebrities, film, fashion, culinary or other verticals to highlight the increasing convergence of sports with popular culture and entertainment.
Best Use of Fan-Generated Content
This award recognizes best-in-class integration of user-generated content (UGC) or real fans into content or a campaign. Judges will look for entries in which the fan perspective is represented authentically. Entries may also include co-creation with athletes and digital influencers who are fans.
Best Women’s Sports Content
This award recognizes exceptional efforts to fuel momentum and fandom of women’s sports leagues, teams and female athletes. Entries may include all forms of content, marketing campaigns, and/or other story-driven work.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
Best Art Direction NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective art direction. Work that is either standalone or utilized in a campaign is eligible. Creative integrity, strategic integration, vision, cohesiveness, novelty, and effectiveness will be considered.
Best Graphic Art or Design
This award recognizes the most creative us of graphics or design work to effectively engage fans. Work that is either standalone or part of a greater campaign is eligible. Creative integrity, cohesiveness, novelty, shareability, and effectiveness will be considered.
Best Photography
This award recognizes photography that is not only an encapsulation of a moment or a series of moments but also does so in a way that demonstrates an outstanding level of visual perception, situational awareness, and/or creativity. Entries may include a singular photo, photo series, or portfolio of work.
Best Use of Animation or Motion Graphics
This award recognizes the most effective use of animated content including motion graphics to engage and entertain fans. Work that is either standalone or utilized in a campaign is eligible. Creative integrity, novelty, shareability, and effectiveness will be considered.
Best Use of Generative AI NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and responsible use of generative AI and prompt as part of a campaign, original content or project. Use of generative AI can include ideation, copy, images, music, audio or video. Work that is either standalone or utilized in a campaign is eligible.
Best Use of Visual Storytelling NEW!
This award recognizes the most effective use of visual storytelling through photography and visual media to build compelling narratives and brand identities that engage fans and build emotional connection. Work that is either standalone or utilized in a campaign is eligible.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
Best App or Mobile Experience
This award recognizes a mobile experience or application that makes sports content and experiences more accessible and easier for fans to engage.
Best Engagement Through Esports or Gaming
This award recognizes the most effective use of esports or video gaming to connect with sports fans and/or young audiences. Entries may include esports partnerships, events, teams/leagues, content, or other forms of engagement.
Best Immersive Experience NEW!
This award recognizes the engaging and effective use of immersive experiences as a part of a campaign, project, or event. Eligible entries may include physical and digital elements incorporated into hybrid events and online immersive campaigns, projects, or activations.
Best New Fan Experience
This award recognizes a new type of experience for fans that demonstrates a breakthrough innovation, technology, or approach to fan engagement. Entries may be virtual, hybrid, or in-person including social media.
Best OTT, CTV, or Streaming Experience
This award recognizes an OTT platform, CTV, subscription service, or online streaming experience that offers a high-quality user experience in order to adapt to evolving fan consumption habits. Judges will look for entries that deliver a fresh take on live sports, sports coverage, and sports entertainment.
Best Use of Gamification
This award recognizes the most effective use of a game or game-like qualities embedded within a sports experience, broadcast, or other activity to increase interaction and keep fans engaged. Entries may include, but are not limited to, examples of free-to-play games, DFS, sports betting, rewards programs, online/mobile games or competitions and more.
Best Use of Metaverse NEW!
This award recognizes the engaging and effective use of extended reality as a part of a marketing campaign, project, or event. Eligible entries may include augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and artificial intelligence.
Best Use of NFTs or Digital Collectibles
This award recognizes the most effective and creative use of NFTs or digital collectibles to give fans a new way to connect with their favorite sports clubs, athletes, and brands.
Best Use of Technology
This award recognizes an innovative approach to leveraging technology and/or data to build deeper relationships with fans or create personalized experiences.
Best Website
This award recognizes an online destination that puts the fan at the heart of the experience. Judges will look for a website that is uniquely well-designed or plays a critical role in driving results for the organization across sales, marketing, and engagement.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
Best Engagement for Good
This award recognizes work to engage fans that has a positive impact on individuals or society. Judges will examine how resources were deployed across content, campaigns, or experiences to create long-lasting results. Entries may relate to social activism, CSR, community work, charitable efforts and more.
Best Employee Engagement
This award recognizes the work of an organization to build passion, commitment and positive working culture. Judges will look for organizations that demonstrate a people-first approach, prioritize diversity & inclusion, and feature specific examples of ways employees are committed to the cause.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging
This award recognizes content, campaigns, or organizational initiatives that champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in sports and entertainment—whether in the boardroom, on the court/field, on the production set, or in the studio—and promotes equal opportunities for all.
Excellence in Black Storytelling
This award recognizes content, campaigns, or other forms of storytelling that empower Black voices, history, and stories through the lens of sport.
Excellence in Multicultural Storytelling
This award recognizes content, campaigns or other forms of storytelling that share the perspectives of and resonate with ethnicities, cultures, and communities that are underrepresented and marginalized. Judges will look for entries that help to diversify sports and entertainment storytelling.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
Best Athlete Podcast NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging podcast across all formats and lengths that is hosted by an athlete and/or athletes. Judges will look for podcasts that set the industry standard for conversation or storytelling and connection through audio.
Best Podcast
This award recognizes the most engaging podcast devoted to sports news, entertainment, culture, business, or athletes. Judges will look for podcasts that set the industry standard for conversation or storytelling and connection through audio.
Best Sports Betting or Fantasy Sports Podcast NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging podcast across all formats and lengths that is topically focused on sports betting and/or fantasy sports. Judges will look for podcasts that set the industry standard for conversation or storytelling and connection through audio.
Best Women’s Sports Podcast NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging podcast across all formats and lengths that is topically focused on women’s sports leagues, teams, and/or female athletes. Judges will look for podcasts that set the industry standard for conversation or storytelling and connection through audio.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective use of Instagram in a marketing campaign. Judges will evaluate how the entry best used the platform's native tools and features to enhance a message, build community, and meet objectives.
Instagram Presence NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and creative presence on Instagram. Judges will evaluate how the entry effectively used the platform's native tools to establish your unique brand voice, foster community, and drive engagement.
Multi-Platform NEW!
This award recognizes an outstanding campaign that took place on multiple social media platforms. Judges will evaluate how the entry best used each platform's native tools and features to enhance a message, build community, and meet objectives.
Other Platform NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective use of a platform that is not featured in Hashtag Sports categories in a marketing campaign. Examples include (but are not limited to) Reddit, Threads, Twitch, WhatsApp, and Pinterest.
Other Platform Presence NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and creative presence on a platform that is not featured in Hashtag Sports categories in a marketing campaign. Examples include (but are not limited to) Reddit, Threads, Twitch, WhatsApp, and Pinterest.
Snapchat
This award recognizes the most engaging use of Snapchat to engage fans. Entries may include overall presence on the platform, platform-specific campaigns, Originals series or Discover partnerships.
TikTok
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective use of TikTok in a marketing campaign. Describe how you best used the platform's native tools and features to enhance a message, build community, and meet objectives.
TikTok Presence NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and creative presence on TikTok. Describe how you effectively used the platform's native tools to establish your unique brand voice, foster community, and drive engagement.
X
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective use of X (formerly known as Twitter) in a marketing campaign. Describe how you best used the platform's native tools and features to enhance a message, build community, and meet objectives.
X Presence NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and creative presence on X (formerly known as Twitter). Describe how you effectively used the platform's native tools to establish your unique brand voice, foster community, and drive engagement.
YouTube
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective use of YouTube in a marketing campaign. Describe how you best used the platform's native tools and features to enhance a message, build community, and meet objectives.
YouTube Presence NEW!
This award recognizes the most engaging and creative presence on YouTube. Describe how you effectively used the platform's native tools to establish your unique brand voice, foster community, and drive engagement.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
Best Advertisement (30 Sec and Under) NEW!
This award recognizes an ad, which is 30 seconds and under in length, that demonstrates excellence in storytelling, emotionally engages fans, drives business outcomes, and exhibits elements of exceptional film craft.
Best Advertisement (31 Sec to 60 Sec) NEW!
This award recognizes an ad, which is 31 seconds to 60 seconds in length, that demonstrates excellence in storytelling, emotionally engages fans, drives business outcomes, and exhibits elements of exceptional film craft.
Best Advertisement (61 Sec to 5 Min) NEW!
This award recognizes an ad, which is 61 seconds to 5 minutes in length, that demonstrates excellence in storytelling, emotionally engages fans, drives business outcomes, and exhibits elements of exceptional film craft.
Best Advertisement (5 Min and Over) NEW!
This award recognizes an ad, which is 5 minutes and over in length, that demonstrates excellence in storytelling, emotionally engages fans, drives business outcomes, and exhibits elements of exceptional film craft.
Best Documentary: Short-Form NEW!
This award recognizes a documentary (less than 10 mins in length) that demonstrates excellence in storytelling, emotionally engages fans, and exhibits elements of exceptional film craft. Entries may be a single film or docuseries.
Best Documentary: Long-Form NEW!
This award recognizes a documentary (more than 10 mins in length) that demonstrates excellence in storytelling, emotionally engages fans, and exhibits elements of exceptional film craft. Entries may be a single film or docuseries.
Best Original Film or Series: Short-Form
This award recognizes exceptional short-form (less than 10 mins) original shows or films released on digital, social, or linear TV that demonstrate excellence in storytelling, emotionally engages fans, and exhibits elements of exceptional film craft. Entries may be scripted or unscripted but must not include the use or incorporation of a brand sponsor (see Best Branded Content).
Best Original Film or Series: Long-Form
This award recognizes exceptional long-form (more than 10 mins) original shows or films released on digital, social, or linear TV that demonstrate excellence in storytelling, emotionally engages fans, and exhibits elements of exceptional film craft. Entries may be scripted or unscripted but must not include the use or incorporation of a brand sponsor (see Best Branded Content).
Best Short-Form Video
This award recognizes short-form social media content made strategically for the platform on which it lives. Entries may be standalone videos (like game day hype videos) or part of a marketing campaign or series.
Best Use of Live Video
This award recognizes the most engaging and effective use of live streamed video on one or more social or streaming platforms. Entries may feature a single stream or series and may promote concerts, festivals, tours, and other events related to a sports venue or competition.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
*Entry fee waived for organizations submitting work to at least three (3) categories prior to the special achievement nomination. Refunds will not be provided if submitted in reverse order.
Engagement Executive of the Year
This prestigious award honors an executive who is shaping the future of sports media, content, and fan experiences—raising the standard of excellence for engagement not only for their organization but the industry at-large.
Evolution Award NEW!
This prestigious award honors a professional athlete whose career has evolved beyond competition into business, media, and entertainment and contributed to sports entertainment culture.
Lifetime Achievement Award NEW!
This prestigious award honors an individual who has played an integral role over time shaping the fan experience and furthering the creative, technical, or professional progress of sports and entertainment.
Next Up Award
This prestigious award honors an individual under 35 years of age for their contributions to sports entertainment, content, and fan experiences—who is digitally savvy and an agent of change.
Ready to enter the awards? Start an entry
*Entry fee waived for organizations submitting work to at least three (3) categories prior to the special achievement nomination. Refunds will not be provided if submitted in reverse order.
Broadcast Team of the Year NEW!
This prestigious honor recognizes a team of individuals who collectively contributed to delivering broadcast production to the highest technical standard—conveying the broadcast (on-premise and/or cloud) in unique ways, accompanied by stunning on-screen graphics, multiple viewpoints of the action and analysis, rich visuals, music, and immersive sound that all combine to seamlessly transport the viewing audience into the midst of the broadcast storylines.
Creative Team of the Year NEW!
This prestigious honor recognizes a team of individuals who collectively produced an exceptional brand identity through consistent and cohesive art direction, creative integrity, and strategic integration across digital, social media, broadcast, and traditional channels (as applicable) to create a unified and engaging message that sets an industry standard of excellence for sports entertainment and fan engagement.
Digital Media Team of the Year NEW!
This prestigious honor recognizes a team of individuals who have produced exceptional films, documentaries, docuseries, linear shows, web shows, podcasts, and/or social media videos that deeply engage fans, captivate audiences, and set an industry standard of excellence for sports entertainment and fan engagement.
Social Media Team of the Year
This prestigious honor recognizes a team of individuals who contributed to creating an industry-best presence on social media on behalf of their organization through unique voices, varied content formats, types, and lengths, innovation on platforms, and cultural relevance that put the fan first.
Organizations with the most honors within their peer group during the awards season are considered for the "Of The Year" Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Overall Engagement.
Previous winners include Bleacher Report (2019), the NBA (2021 & 2023), Jung von Matt (2020 & 2022), FCB New York (2023), and Michelob ULTRA (2023).
Agency of the Year for Engagement Excellence
This award recognizes the agency or shop that produces the largest body of Hashtag-winning, shortlisted, and nominated work, recognizing their success across all categories.
Brand of the Year for Engagement Excellence
This award recognizes the brand that produces the largest body of Hashtag-winning, shortlisted, and nominated work, recognizing their success across all categories.
Organization of the Year for Engagement Excellence
This award recognizes the organization that produces the largest body of Hashtag-winning, shortlisted, and nominated work, recognizing their success across all categories.
Production Company of the Year for Engagement Excellence NEW!
This award recognizes the production company that produces the largest body of Hashtag-winning, shortlisted, and nominated work, recognizing their success across all categories.
Sports Team of the Year for Engagement Excellence NEW!
This award recognizes the sports that produces the largest body of Hashtag-winning, shortlisted, and nominated work, recognizing their success across all categories.
Join the engagement elite
The open call for entries is open October 31, 2023 - March 4, 2024.
Social Media