New York Festivals AME Awards has announced the 2025 winners, leading with Ogilvy UK and Dove’s 2025 AME Grand Award (Best of Show), Regional Campaign of the Year – Europe and Inaugural AME WE Champion Campaign of the Year for Real Beauty: How a Soap Brand Created a Global Self-Esteem Movement.
This year’s winners were selected by the AME Grand Jury of global C-suite leaders and strategic innovators from entires spanning six continents, awarding campaigns that paired groundbreaking creativity with tangible impact. The AME Grand Award (Best of Show), three Regional Campaign of the Year Awards, and the inaugural AME WE Champion Campaign of the Year were presented as well as 11 Gold Towers, 11Silver, 12 Bronze, and 12 Finalist Awards.
View the AME 2025 award winners.
Winning agencies featured bold strategies that advanced disability rights, challenged gender bias, promoted organ donor registration, and championed immigrant rights. Global brands harnessed AI, audio branding, gamification, apps, social media, and the Japanese art of Kintsugi to deepen consumer connections, expand market share, and build brand loyalty.
2025 AME Grand Award (Best of Show), Ogilvy UK, Real Beauty: How a Soap Brand Created a Global Self-Esteem Movement (Creativity for Positive Impact – Purpose Driven)
Ogilvy UK’s work for Dove redefined the meaning of beauty. Confronting a culture where beauty often causes anxiety rather than confidence, Dove’s long-running Real Beauty platform positioned the brand as an inclusive, purpose-driven leader. What began as a campaign rooted in cultural tension has become a holistic brand platform, proving how consistency drives long-term effectiveness.
The initiative earned the Grand Award (Best of Show), Campaign of the Year – Europe, and the inaugural AME WE Champion Campaign of the Year, a new honour celebrating campaigns that exemplify gender equality, women’s empowerment, or authentic representation, along with multiple AME Gold Towers.
Regional Campaign of the Year – Latin America: VML Argentina, Absurd Promises (Creativity for Positive Impact: Social Equality – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion)
VML Argentina’s campaign for ASDRA spotlighted a flawed law requiring individuals with Down syndrome to renew Disability Certificates annually, despite the condition being permanent. During the 2023 presidential race, ASDRA launched the Complexity Index, an AI tool analysing candidates’ promises in real time revealing that legal reform was easier than most pledges. By publishing live results on X, the campaign hijacked the national debate and, within six months, helped reform the law, benefiting more than 2 million people. Absurd Promises also earned a Gold AME Tower.
Regional Campaign of the Year – North America: VML USA, Napkin of Rights (Best Use of Discipline – Multicultural Marketing)
VML USA’s Napkins of Rights for the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) transformed an everyday item into a lifeline. To counter fear sparked by Florida’s strict anti-immigrant law SB 1718, napkins in local eateries and food trucks were printed with essential legal rights information. This grassroots solution drove a 58% increase in calls to FLIC versus 2023, proving that creative, low-budget ideas can achieve powerful impact. The impactful campaign also earned 3 Gold AME Towers.
“From restaurant tables to political stages, these two campaigns remind us that creativity is effective when it moves people to act. Napkin of Rights and Absurd Promises turn human first strategy and bold ideas into real-world change. For this, VML is thrilled to be recognised alongside our wonderful client partners, the Florida Immigrant Coalition and ASDRA,” stated Amelia Gandar, global executive director, strategic operations, VML.
VML’s global agencies earned a remarkable collection of AME Gold Trophies. In addition to Argentina and USA wins, VML Belgium was awarded for Finding Juliette for Child Focus; VML Spain for Ridiculously Good for Kraft Heinz UK; and VML UK for Waiting to Live for NHS Blood & Transplant). VML USA further boosted its award totals with 8 Silver and 5 Bronze Towers, while VML agencies in Canada, Casablanca. Indonesia added Silvers and VML Canada an additional Bronze.
Other top performers were VCCP with Gold for Daisy vs Scammers for Virgin Media 02; DDB Group Hong Kong and Zulu Alpha Kilo.
Watch the 2025 AME Gold-winning campaigns here.
The results from the AME Grand Jury sessions are compiled into an annual rankings brief, The AME Report. This creative ranking system, based on points awarded for winning entries, highlights the most effective agencies and brands from this year’s competition. The 2025 AME Report will be released in September. AME’s award-winning campaigns are featured in the AME showcase on WARC.
View the 2025 AME Awards winners’ showcase here. Find more information about the AME Awards here.
The previously announced 2025 AME Greater China Awards winners are also displayed within the winners’ showcase.
