New York Festivals Advertising Awards (NYFA) has announced its 2025 shortlist, chosen for creativity and innovation.

This year’s shortlist represents work from 40 countries and includes entries from agencies, PR firms, production companies, and major brands, highlighting ideas that connect with audiences and reflect current trends in the industry.

Germany topped this year’s competition with 236 finalists, followed closely by the US, Canada, and South Korea. Japan, Spain, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, China, Australia, the Philippines, and the Slovak Republic also made a strong showing on the 2025 shortlist.

Australia has 21 shortlisted entries – Akcelo has 13 finalists for McDonald’s X Squid Game Dare To Play; M+C Saatchi hasw 5 for CommBank’s Out of Here campaign.Cameron Horn & Associates has 2 for The Honorable Farewell; Saatchi & Saatchi Australia has 1 for Toyota HiLux’ In A Pickle.

Brands earning shortlist status include Dove, The Coca-Cola Company, Nike, Ford Motor Company, Samsung, IKEA, Carlsberg Sweden, Mastercard, Gatorade, OREO, Toyota, Seagram’s Gin, Volvo, Harbin Beer, Kia Europe, HSBC, Penny, HORNBACH Baumarkt AG, NBCUniversal, Hyundai, PETA, Lufthansa, Yamaha, Berliner Philharmonie, Kraft Heinz, PlayStation, Google Chrome, NFL, Suzuki, Mountain Dew, KitKat, McDonald’s, Telekom, Burger King Whopper, Major League Baseball, Arla Foods, Wendy’s, Little Caesars, Amazon, KFC Thailand, Maybelline New York, Progressive Insurance, Xbox, AT&T Business, Uber Eats, PNC Bank, and Dell Technologies.

Entries that achieve shortlist status advance to the Executive Jury sessions, led by 2025 Jury President, Javier Campopiano, worldwide chief creative officer at McCann Worldgroup. This panel will assess work in face-to-face sessions to determine the winning campaigns. View the 2025 Executive Jury.

The New York Festivals Advertising Awards will announce the 2025 award winners on Thursday, June 12.

View the 2025 NYF Advertising Awards Shortlist here.