Entries for Pitcher Awards can be submitted by any authorized person, representing an advertising agency, design outfit, PR company, media company, client, digital company, production company etc. located anywhere in the world, so long as the work to be entered has been created in Africa or created elsewhere for implementation in Africa. Work created for the benefit of the African Diaspora communities worldwide are also eligible for entry.

Please note that Pitcher Awards is not a competition for students. For student competitions, please check the Pitcher Festival website for the page on Future Pitcher Student Academy.

No. Pitcher Awards is open to all agencies and brands, irrespective of their location. However, the work to be submitted must have been created, implemented or released in Africa.

For the Effectiveness Category, the work should have been created and released for the first time between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2026.

For all other categories, the work should have been created and released for the first time between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2026.

If a campaign has been previously entered into Pitcher Awards, but it remains eligible, the work can no longer be entered into the same category, but it can be entered into another category.

The final closing date for entries is 31 March 2026. However, please note that there are fee increases at the end of February and at the end of March.

Entries that are completed and paid for before 31 December 2024 receive a 5% early bird discount. Please note that the standard rates for entries apply to entries made in January and February. Entries paid in March attract a surcharge of 10% and entries paid after 31 March attract a surcharge of 15%.

The Standard Fees refer to fees made in January and February. Before this time, there's an early bird discount of 5%. After 28 February 2026, the first price increase of 10% is applied and after 31 March 2026, the second price increase of 15% is applied.

We have a very fair and transparent system of judging. Even when the judging is done online, it is still very fair. Judges are appointed based on their experience and reputation and rank as some of the most successful professionals not only in Africa, but around the world. There is no separate shortlist jury, each work is seen and judged by each juror to ensure that the same level of fairness is applied across board. Jurors that have their work or deemed to have an interest in any work submitted in the category they are judging will be asked to abstain from voting for the work.

Yes. You may choose to have your award produced in any of the formats. However, the festival provides complimentary digital certificates for all categories of awards. The festival also provides complimentary trophies for special awards. Winners of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Grand Prix awards may purchase customized trophies, showing the name of the winner and details of the award, for every award they have won. Also, all winners may purchase copies of their awards in any format of their choice for individual team members, participating companies and clients.

Entrants will get complimentary trophies for every special award won.

If you have entered a campaign, the jury will judge and award each execution of your campaign individually and consider how well they work together as a campaign. Based on this, the jury will decide whether to give a campaign award, that is a uniform award for all the entries i.e. Campaign Bronze/Silver/Gold/Grand Prix or to grant different awards to each execution based on its merit. Whatever the case, the point allocated to a campaign is the highest point won by an execution in that campaign and not the sum of all. The benefits of submitting a campaign is that firstly, you get the jury view on the campaign and the executions. Secondly, it presents you with more winning opportunities using a single idea by showing the jury various interpretations of your idea.

No. A campaign at least in the sense that it is used in the Pitcher Awards entry platform refers to a single idea in a single medium that has been executed in more than one way. This specifically applies to the entries in the Heritage and Craft categories only.

However, you can now also submit multiple format creatives with the same central idea in the Integrated Campaigns subcategory of the Heritage category.

Yes, but please note that in Heritage, Craft, Digital and Entertainment categories, the highest award for self-promotion materials is Silver. In Care, Channel, Culture, Effectiveness and Good, there is no cap on the awards they can win.

All Gold, Grand Prix, and Special Awards winners will be announced during the Pitcher Awards Show scheduled to take place in the evening of 16 May 2026 as part of the closing event for the Pitcher Festival of Creativity taking place from 14 – 16 May.

The show will be streamed online and broadcast on various television networks. All other winners will be released on the Pitcher Awards website immediately after the Pitcher Awards Show.

The Care category celebrates creative excellence in health-related communication. It’s open to brands, agencies, nonprofits, startups, and institutions working in public health, pharmaceuticals, wellness, health tech, insurance, and health equity. If your campaign promotes wellbeing, healthcare access, or health innovation, this is your category.

Yes, you can. However, each entry must be tailored to the specific category or subcategory. Avoid submitting a generic case across multiple entries—judges expect category-specific insights and framing.

At minimum, you must submit a Case Board (JPG format) and one sample of the creative material used. For some categories like Effectiveness, a written case document is also required. Case Videos are optional but highly recommended.

No. To ensure impartial judging, agency names and logos must not appear in any materials—unless the entry is for a self-promotion campaign.

Case Boards must be:

• Portrait: 2400 x 3000 pixels

• Landscape: 3000 x 2400 pixels Videos must be MP4 or MOV, max 250MB, HD resolution (1280x720 or higher), and no longer than 2 minutes.

Yes. The Pitcher Awards recognizes the African diaspora as the sixth region of Africa. Work created for or by diaspora communities is eligible.

You must provide English subtitles or a translated transcript. This ensures judges can fully understand and evaluate your work.

Click “Enter Awards,” button above to go to the entries portal. Register or log in, and follow the prompts to submit your entry. You can pay by card or request an invoice for bank transfer.

Yes, but only in the Good category. In other categories, the highest award a nonprofit entry can receive is Gold.

You can withdraw an entry before the closing date by emailing info@pitcherfestival.com. Entry fees are non-refundable, but you may replace the withdrawn entry with another.

Start by identifying the core objective of your campaign—what problem it aimed to solve, who it targeted, and how it delivered impact. Each subcategory in the Pitcher Awards is designed to reflect a specific communication challenge or creative approach. To choose the right one:

• Focus on intent: Was your campaign primarily about public health education, brand storytelling, media strategy, or cultural engagement? The subcategory should align with your campaign’s primary purpose—not just where it appeared.

• Consider execution style: If your strength lies in craft (e.g., film, design, audio), explore the Craft category. If it’s about how media was used or planned, look into the Channel category. If it’s about health, wellness, or advocacy, the new Care category may be ideal.

• Match audience and context: Think about who the campaign was for—consumers, professionals, internal teams, or communities—and what kind of impact it had. This helps narrow down between subcategories like Internal Culture, Public Health, or Business Impact.

• Avoid generic entries: Tailor your submission to the subcategory’s unique criteria. Judges want to see how your work excelled in that specific context—not a one-size-fits-all case.

If your campaign spans multiple areas, you can enter it in more than one subcategory—but each entry must be customized to highlight the relevant angle.

You may credit co-creators in your entry form, but only the submitting company will be listed as the entrant. Co-creators can order certificates or trophies with their names if desired.