About the Awards
Over the past decade, marketers have redefined how they communicate with consumers. From the heartwarming to the heart-racing — and everything in between — YouTube has seen how incredible video content can drive equally powerful results.
In partnership with industry leaders Kantar and Contagious, the YouTube Works Awards celebrate and champion the brilliant minds producing the most innovative and effective advertising creative on YouTube in the past year.
Winners join an esteemed shortlist of trophy bearers that help shape the future of creative effectiveness on YouTube. Plus, they have the opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the industry’s best— both at our awarding event in New York this fall and within published thought leadership, wide-reaching case studies, and other advertising industry moments.
U.S. Categories
Creative Visionary
Celebrating the campaign that demonstrated creative ingenuity and brought to life a captivating vision.
This category champions your singular vision of creating something exciting and wholly original. How did your story punch through the page and onto the screen? What key creative decisions were made along the way to delight and excite? How did this make the work more effective, bold, and unforgettable?
Big Screen, Big Results
Celebrating the campaign that masterfully used YouTube on the TV screen to reach viewers and drive results.
We’re on the hunt for YouTube Connected TV-first campaigns that use the big screen to make a big impact on their awareness and consideration objectives. How did you fine-tune your creative for the big screen? Did you set out to captivate audiences watching YouTube from their living rooms?
Multi-Format Storytelling
Celebrating the campaign that best adapted original storytelling for formats of all sorts.
We want to see how you flexed your chameleon colors for different viewing contexts — whether it’s on the go on mobile or relaxed in the living room. When did you use different ad formats — long, short, vertical, audio, or otherwise — to meet your audience on their terms? How did you navigate the changing tides of what viewers expect from their video content?
Brands as Creators
Celebrating the campaign that best demonstrated brands behaving like creators.
We don’t just mean channels with flashy content or brands that partnered with creators — we’re looking for brands that show us that YouTube is in their DNA. This brand regularly crafts content informed by consumer trends and knows how to nurture passionate online communities. In what ways did your content meet audiences where and how they’re watching? How did you deliver entertainment and inspiration — just like a creator would?
The Changemaker
Celebrating the campaign that walked the walk on social or environmental issues.
We’re looking for campaigns that demonstrate a brand’s fierce commitment to diversity, inclusion, sustainability, environmental issues, or other social causes. How did your campaign balance your brand’s purpose with a tangible impact that extends beyond the bottom line? How did you inspire and empower your audience to take action?
The Underdog
Celebrating the campaign that beat the odds and made big waves.
We’re looking for campaigns from small or medium-sized brands that had big-name ambitions and achieved the results to match. How did you transform limited resources into major impact? What brilliant creative idea or novel consumer insight helped your campaign punch above its weight?
Grand Prix
Celebrating the most effective, creative, and innovative campaign that also drove exceptional business results.
The Grand Prix is our top prize; awarded to the campaign that breaks ground in multiple ways. This isn’t a category you can enter, but one you can hope to win if you show that your campaign checks all of the boxes.
How it works
Submit your best work from the past year to be reviewed by our panel of industry leaders.
Our judges will select the winners across a number of awards categories and a Grand Prix will be awarded to the submission that best demonstrates brilliant results, storytelling, and creative effectiveness on YouTube.
Winners will be invited to participate in our awarding event in New York, and may also be featured within published thought leadership, wide-reaching case studies, and other advertising industry moments.
Sign up to find out when details are announced for the 2025 US YouTube Works Awards.
Our 2024 Grand Jury
Ashwini Karandikar
EVP, Media, Technology, Data
4A’s
Ellie Bamford
CSO, North America
VML
Fernando Machado
Operating Partner
Garnett Station Partners
Jess Vultaggio
VP, Creative Culture & Effectiveness
Kraft Heinz
Jonathan Daly
Head of Communications Strategy
Johannes Leonardo
Judy John
Global CCO
Edelman
Kristin Lane
Head of Brand Strategy & Advertising
MassMutual
Liv Lewis
EVP
EGAMI Group
Maria Elisa Vélez
Managing Director
DoorDash
Matt Peterson
YouTube Creator
Pedro Pérez
CCO
FCB Chicago
Ryu Yokoi
CDO, Personal Care NA & US Media
Unilever
Shannon Washington
Global CCO
Gotham Inc
Tyler Bahl
SVP, Head of Marketing
Activision
Contest begins
April 2, 2024
Submissions end
May 14, 2024
Winners announced
October 2024
Best practices
Our judges are looking for campaigns that have creatively, strategically, and effectively leveraged YouTube to achieve a clear business impact. Make sure you set the scene and be clear about your KPIs. The metrics you provide will help our judges understand your work and the challenges of your category and marketplace.
Helpful hints:
- Consider co-writing your submission; media and creative collaborations help to tell the full story
- Tell a story with a beginning (objectives), middle (approach), and end (impact)
- Stick to simple and concise
- Include critical context around your creative
- Remember we need all relevant media referenced in your submission
- Note any factors external to YouTube that could have impacted results
- Share as many metrics as you can and include objectives, KPIs, and benchmarks
How to enter
Identify your most effective U.S. YouTube campaigns from the past year, review the Terms & Conditions, and fill out the submission form during entry window (now closed).
The YouTube Works Awards are easy to enter, and free. So if you’re part of a marketing, media, creative, or agency team, show us your best-in-class digital work for your chance to take center stage!
Sign up to find out when details are announced for the 2025 US YouTube Works Awards.
Questions? Contact us at [email protected]
2024 U.S. Winners
Brands and agencies from across the industry brought forward the most creative, compelling, and effective campaigns that ran on YouTube in the U.S. last year. Our panel of expert judges selected 5 outstanding winners across 7 categories. And the winners are ...
Powerfully Peaceful
Nissan, in collaboration with TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, OMD
Nissan sought a groundbreaking way to introduce its all-electric vehicle, Ariya, and solidify its position as an innovative, culturally relevant brand in the U.S. The solution? A four-hour LoFi campaign that tapped into audience affinities and the cultural zeitgeist, immersing viewers in a world of soothing soundscapes and mesmerizing visuals. This unconventional approach captivated a legion of engaged fans and drove enviable business results.
Booking is Half the Fun
Booking.com, in collaboration with Zulu Alpha Kilo NY, Mindshare US
Booking.com, a leader in the European travel market, needed a bold and memorable strategy to stand out in the fiercely competitive U.S. market. With a show-stopping musical, the brand transformed the often stressful process of booking travel into a joyful, laugh-out-loud experience. Through clever use of storytelling, Booking.com's campaign captivated audiences on YouTube across formats and screens, elevating the brand's presence in a crowded market.
Sailor VS 3
VML & Wavemaker U.S., in collaboration with U.S. Navy
Facing a decline in military sign-ups, the U.S. Navy enlisted Wavemaker U.S. and VML to develop a bold campaign to reignite interest. Moving away from traditional recruitment tactics, the agencies tapped into the power of YouTube creators to deliver an adrenaline-fueled video series offering an authentic glimpse into Navy life. By showcasing the wide range of career opportunities, the campaign seamlessly blended its message with the style of content Gen Z loves, blurring the line between advertising and entertainment, and successfully sparking interest among its target demographic.
Claritin DiversiTree Project
Claritin, in collaboration with Energy BBDO, Bayer Consumer Health Media & Digital Platforms
To stand out in a saturated market and drive brand equity, Claritin knew it needed more than just another ad campaign. With Millennials and Gen Z gaining significant purchasing power, Claritin sought to engage these demographics on their preferred platforms in an unconventional way. Instead of relying on the usual product claims and competitive comparisons, Claritin had its audience unite around a meaningful cause: reducing allergy-inducing pollen by planting more female trees. This unexpected approach not only captivated audiences but also inspired real-world action.
Be An Outsider with L.L.Bean
L.L.Bean in collaboration with Mediahub
L.L.Bean's mission is to inspire people to embrace the great outdoors. As a brand with a over a century of heritage, it's challenged with driving relevancy and amplifying its message where audiences are searching and connecting. To tackle this, L.L.Bean flipped the script on its YouTube strategy and aligned its content with the passions and interests of its target audience. The brand masterfully launched a series of how-to videos and successfully transformed its YouTube channel into an engaging entertainment platform and powerful driver of growth.