Celebrating Creative Capital: enter the 2025 FM AdFocus Awards

The Financial Mail (FM) is delighted to announce that entries for the 2025 edition of the FM AdFocus Awards are now open.

A landmark event in the local marketing and communications landscape, these annual awards are unique in that they not only celebrate agencies and individuals for their creativity and marketing skills, but their all-round business acumen.

This year’s theme, Creative Capital: Building Agency Value in a Complex World, reflects the evolution of agencies from “just” creative shops to businesses that build value through strategic and impactful creativity.

“In today’s complex environment, agencies must leverage their ‘creative capital’ to drive growth for their clients, if they want to drive growth for themselves,” says Vicki Buys, MD of Ogilvy, and this year’s FM AdFocus Awards chairperson. 

“The awards will celebrate agencies that demonstrate how they have successfully built their own agency value (financial performance, talent, culture, innovation) and delivered tangible business results for their clients through strategic and impactful creative solutions. 

“The focus will be on the business of creativity, not just the art of it.”

Jurors

The jury for the FM AdFocus Awards comprises industry leaders from agencies and clients. Jury members serve a two-year term. 

Buys will be joined on the jury by returning jurors: 

• Katherine Madley, executive: Marketing, Brand and Digital at Pick n Pay;
• Sbu Sitole, CCO and founder of The Odd Number;
• Chris Botha, Group MD of Park Advertising;
• Yatish Narsi, CMO of MultiChoice Group; and
• Dustin Chick, CEO of Razor PR (The Up &Up Group).

New jury members include:

• Musa Kalenga, Group CEO of Brave Group;
• Carl Willoughby, COO at TBWA\Hunt Lascaris; 
• Paula Hulley, MD of Digitas Liquorice; 
• Tanya Schreuder, CEO of Juno;
• Mukondi Ralushayi Kgomo, co-founder and CEO of Think Creative Africa; and
• Refilwe Maluleke, executive head of Marketing for Discovery Health.

“I am really looking forward to the debate in the jury room with this diverse panel of judges,” says Buys.

“Everyone on the panel believes in the business of creativity and is well placed to judge who are leading agencies in their categories.”

FM AdFocus Awards categories

Agency Awards 

• Large Agency of the Year
• Medium Agency of the Year
• Small Agency of the Year
• Specialised Agency of the Year
• Public Relations Agency of the Year
• Media Agency of the Year

Category Awards 

• Transformation Award
• Partnership Awards
• Africa Impact Award
• Agency Group of the Year

Individual Awards

• Shapeshifter of the Year
• Industry Leader of the Year
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Student of the Year

The overall award, Agency of the Year, will be selected out of the entries by the jury. 

How to enter the 2025 FM AdFocus Awards

To enter the 2025 FM AdFocus Awards, you’ll need to complete an online questionnaire and submit supporting documents on the FM AdFocus Awards website.

Here’s how to do so, step by step:

1. Register an account on the FM AdFocus Awards website.

2. You’ll be sent a confirmation email.

3. Log in to the FM AdFocus Awards website.

4. Fill in the questionnaire for the award category you’d like to enter: 

• Select “Category Awards” to submit an entry for the Partnership, Africa Impact, Transformation, and Agency Group of the Year Awards.
  
  
• To nominate an individual to win the Lifetime Achievement, Industry Leader of the Year and Shapeshifter of the Year Awards, select “Individual Awards” and submit your motivation.
  
  Students may nominate themselves for the Student of the Year Award. Select “Individual Awards”, fill in the relevant details, and submit a portfolio.
  
  
• For Agency Awards, first select “Agency Details” and ensure that the type of agency reflected in the drop-down menu (i.e. Large, Medium, Specialist, and so on) corresponds with the award category you would like to enter, then click “Save”. Next select “Entry Details” for the questionnaire.
  
  You’ll note that each questionnaire requires supporting documents (such as a case study or BEE certificate). To upload these documents, simply click on the “Upload Files” button at the bottom of the page. Once uploaded, the filename will appear in a list below the button, which will serve as confirmation of your upload.

5. Once you’ve completed the relevant questionnaire, click the “Submit” button. 

NB! Entries close on August 15 2025.

The FM AdFocus Awards will take place on November 26 2025. For more information, email adfocus100@gmail.com or visit Adfocus.co.za