[main image: Last year, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne won the Innovation Award and Most Effective Use of Content for Remote Control Tourist for Tourism Victoria, plus the Digital, Website and Microsites award for Footify FM for NAB]

AC&E stands for Australian Creativity and Effectiveness. You can probably already see the merit in winning an AC&E Award.

ADMA’s AC&E awards applaud creativity that works. You don’t win one just for left of centre thinking. You don’t win one just for boosting awareness or sales. You win one for a campaign with creativity and effectiveness in equal measure.

Whybin\TBWA Group Melbourne’s ANZ GAYTMs won 5 AC&E Awards last year: The Lester Wunderman Grand Prix Award, Best Integrated Campaign, Art Direction and PR Campaign and the new David Ogilvy Courageous Client Award for ANZ.

Understandibly, the awards boosted entries into ADMA’s annual awards programme in their inaugural year (last year). “We were delighted to receive a record number of entries last year and many that nailed the creativity and effectiveness brief. This told us our new awards program was becoming more relevant to more agencies and clients. This was also born out in the attendance at the Awards Night — 700 people — which was a record number as well,” Jodie Sangster, ADMA chief executive officer, noted.

GPY&R Melbourne won five trophies last year: Media, Customer Acquisition and Out-of-Home for Force Recruiting, and Ambient or Experiential and Not-for-Profit for the Human Walking Program for the Lost Dogs Home.

The 2015 AC&E Awards are open for entries now until July 31. Here’s what you need to know…

A NEW AWARD:

This year, ADMA has added the Creative of the Year Award.

“We have had a Marketer of the Year, Young Marketer, and Young Creative Awards of Excellence for several years now. It’s only fitting for senior agency creatives to be honoured as well for their hard work, creativity and energy,” Sangster stated.

SO MANY WAYS TO WIN:

There are 30 categories of awards in 2015:

• Ambient or Experiential
• Apps
• Art Direction
• Best Use of Search
• Branded Content
• Broadcast
• Copywriting
• Customer Acquisition Campaign
• Customer Retention/Loyalty Campaign
• Data Analytics & Planning
• Data Strategy
• Data Visualisation
• Data-Driven Mail
• Digital & Social Advertising
• Digital Website & Microsites
• E-Commerce Website and Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Integrated Campaign
• Integrated Campaign-Small Budget
• Media Campaign
• Mobile Marketing
• Most Effective use of Content
• Not-for-Profit
• Out-of-Home
• PR Campaign
• Print
• Social Commerce
• Social Media Campaign
• Use of New Technologies
• UX, Interface & Navigation Design

A FEW RULES:

1. Campaigns must have originated and been executed between January 2014 and July 31, 2015.

2. All entries must be submitted online here by 5.00pm Friday, July 31 2015.

3. Entries will open for ADMA Young Marketer of the Year and ADMA Young Creative of the Year on Monday, June 29 2015.

3. Finalists for the AC&E Awards will be announced Thursday, September 3 2015.

5. The 2015 AC&E Awards will take place on Thursday, October 29 2015 at Sydney’s The Star, Pyrmont. Tickets here.