The Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada, working in partnership with the Association of Canadian Advertisers, created the Sponsorship Marketing Awards to recognize outstanding achievement in strategic thinking and activation. The annual awards SMAs program was first presented in 2005.

SMA judges may select Gold winners in each of the following categories: Sports, Arts & Entertainment, Cause, Special Interest, Small Budget (less than $100,000), Sustained Success, Media Sponsorship and - new in 2012 - Business-to-Business. At the discretion of the judges, Awards of Distinction may also be presented in each category. The winners will be a reflection of sponsorship effectiveness rather than size, and evaluated based on their success at meeting objectives. Click here for entry details.

To emphasize the strategic value of sponsorship, the judges will focus on identifying those individuals who were able to apply discipline and creativity to achieve business results. Scoring is weighted, and reflects best practices in sponsorship marketing, beginning with selecting the right property to activating your investment and delivering results.

The winning cases will be held up as models of sponsorship marketing success. They will serve to elevate learning for the industry as we progress toward higher standards for sponsorship marketing as an accountable discipline that can drive brand and business results.

Click here to view highlights of past winning case submissions.