The very best of the independent agency sector came together for an unforgettable evening at The Independent Agency Awards, celebrating the creativity, innovation and impact of independent agencies from across the UK.
Held live at MAD//Fest on the Hexagon stage, the awards recognised outstanding work across creative, media, digital, PR, brand experience, purpose-driven campaigns and more, showcasing the incredible breadth of talent within the independent agency community.
Hosted brilliantly by Emma Cargill, the evening was packed with energy, inspiration and well-deserved celebrations. Guests also heard from David Atkinson, Chair of The Independent Agency Awards, who reflected on the exceptional quality of this year’s entries and the importance of championing independent agencies. Terry Martin, Managing Director of the Alliance of Independent Agencies, also took to the stage to celebrate the strength, ambition and continued success of the independent agency community. Terry said:
A huge congratulations goes to Pablo London, who was crowned Independent Agency of the Year, sponsored by Samsung Ads, recognising an outstanding year of work, creativity and growth.
Flight Feather also took home Independent Agency of the Year (£1m Revenue or Under) after an exceptional year.
Across the evening, agencies were recognised for remarkable work spanning every discipline, sector and specialism.
Winners
Group 1 – Disciplines
- Best Use of PR – MikeWorldWide – For F**k’s Sake Productions (LADBible)
- Best Use of Brand Experience – Circle Agency – Spudway (Spudway)
- Best Use of Media – Republic of Media – Closing Scotland’s Mental Health Action Gap (Scottish Government)
- Best Use of Social Media – GBM Group – Zero Spend, 32 Million Impressions (Uber Eats)
- Best Shopper Campaign – Brand Culture – Pringles x Xbox: Unlock In-Game Rewards with Every Can (Pringles x Xbox)
- Best Digital Product – Engage Works – Foundation
- Best Use of Google Media (Sponsored by Google) – Crafted – Persimmon Homes – Powering New Home Purchases
- Best Promotional Campaign – Savvy Marketing – Peroni Summer Campaign
Group 2 – Craft
- Best Idea/Concept – Pablo London – Poretti
- Best Art Direction & Design Campaign – Dynamo Creative Consultancy – Brand Refresh of Dublin Airport Travel Services
- Best Use of Copy – VCCP – Made to Share (Cadbury)
Group 3 – Sectors
- Best B2B Campaign – Cygnus – Blend Out. Never Blend In. (Craft House Coffee)
- Best B2C Campaign – Ideas + Outcomes – Humfree
- Best FMCG Campaign – Alchemy Media – Jason’s Sourdough: An Every Day Obsession
- Best Retail Campaign – Sunny Side Up – Store Sommeliers (Majestic Wine)
- Best Specialist Sector Campaign – Pablo London – UV-U-SEE
- Best Entertainment, Leisure & Travel Campaign – Pablo London – VisitBritain
- Best Not-for-Profit Campaign – Pablo London – UV-U-SEE
- Best Purpose Driven Campaign – MikeWorldWide – For F**k’s Sake Productions (LADBible)
- Agency Purpose Award – APS Group – Make More Possible
- Best International Campaign – Pablo London – VisitBritain
The Freedom Awards
Chosen by our judges to recognise agencies that truly embody the spirit of independence:
- Agency Collaboration – Flight Feather, Mr B & Friends & FutureKings
- Agility – Teapot Creative
- Bravery – The Heard and Rachel Allison (Axe & Saw)
- Client Service – Bite IT Marketing
The MAD//Fest Female Leaders Club Award, sponsored by MAD//Fest, was awarded to Hannah Penn and Harriet Knight from Pablo London.
Highly Commended
With entries of an exceptionally high standard this year, our judges also recognised a number of Highly Commended agencies whose work stood out across the categories. Congratulations to everyone recognised.
- Independent Agency of the Year – Anything is Possible
- MAD//Fest Female Leaders Club Award – Axe + Saw
- Best Entertainment, Leisure and Travel Campaign – Catalyst Creative
- Best Idea/Concept – Cygnus
- Best Use of Media – Flight Feather
- Best Promotional Campaign – HeyHuman
- Best Not-for-Profit Campaign – Hijinks
- Independent Agency of the Year – Hijinks
- Best Use of Social Media – iSiteTV
- Best FMCG Campaign – Pablo London
- Agency Purpose Award – Piqniq
- Best International Campaign – Republic of Media
- Best Shopper Campaign – Savvy
- Best Purpose Driven Campaign – The Heard
- Independent Agency of the Year (£1m Revenue or Under) – The Heard
- Best Use of PR – Tigerbond
Congratulations to all of our Highly Commended agencies. The calibre of entries this year made judging incredibly competitive, and this recognition reflects the exceptional work being delivered across the independent agency sector.
David Atkinson, Chair of the Independent Agency Awards, said:
The celebrations didn’t stop when the trophies were handed out. Guests continued the evening at a fantastic afterparty, sponsored by Channel Factory, where finalists, winners, partners and friends of the Alliance came together to celebrate another brilliant year for independent agencies.
A huge thank you to everyone who entered, attended and helped make the evening such a success. We’d also like to thank our fantastic sponsors for making the awards possible: Sabio, Samsung Ads, MAD//Fest, Google, NABS, Avid Collective, Experian, SeenThis, Integral Ad Science, Channel Factory, pubX, MiQ, Captify, RTL Group and Halo Promo Risk.
Congratulations once again to all of our winners and finalists. The standard this year was truly exceptional, and we’re proud to celebrate the creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that makes the independent agency sector so special. Here’s to an even bigger and better Independent Agency Awards in 2027!
Discover all of this year’s winners. Visit the 2026 Winners Hub to explore every winning and highly commended campaign, watch the winning work, hear from the agencies themselves and celebrate the best of independent creativity.
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