The wait is over!
Today NZ Marketing magazine and the NZ Marketing Association are delighted to announce the long-awaited finalists for the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards 2025.
This year’s record number of entrants can now find out if they’ll progress to the next stage of judging in the prestigious Awards programme.
Now in their 34th year, the Awards spotlight marketing excellence, recognising exceptional strategies, campaigns and individuals in New Zealand. It’s the only awards programme in Aotearoa that focuses on the essential business disciplines and benefits of great marketing.
Organisers put out the call in March, asking marketers to showcase their best work across 32 categories. Hundreds of entries came in.
Round one of judging is complete, and 77 brands are represented as finalists across the Marketing Excellence, Campaign and Individual Awards. Several finalists received five or more nods from the judges – including, 2degrees, Spark New Zealand, The New Zealand Herpes Foundation, ZURU Group, ANZ Bank New Zealand, Goodman Fielder, Restaurant Brands and DB Breweries.
The Awards offer recognition across three key areas:
• Marketing Excellence Awards
• Marketing Campaign Awards and
• Individual Awards.
Find the complete list of finalists for each area here.
“Huge congratulations to all the finalists. The bar gets higher every year and making it as a finalist is a feat in itself. After last year’s amazing event, I can’t wait for Awards Night in September when we’ll celebrate the brilliant work being done across the industry,” says Penny Murray, Editor of NZ Marketing magazine.
“The entries are a great example of New Zealand marketers at their brilliant best. The standard this year is seriously impressive – smart strategy, strong execution, and marketing that makes a commercial difference,” says John Miles, CEO of the Marketing Association.
Michael Friedberg, CEO of FluxB2B and experienced Convenor of Judges, is leading the rigorous judging process for the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards. “The record number of entries this year is more than just a signal of industry pride, it’s a sign that marketing is being recognised as a real driver of business growth in New Zealand. NZ marketers are naturally competitive, but what impressed me most was how our judging panels, comprising senior marketers and business leaders, came together to tease out the details, challenge assumptions, and align on what truly makes a finalist. No egos. Just smart, rigorous mahi. As CEO and Co-Founder of Flux B2B, I see every day how great marketing moves business forward and these finalists are living proof” he says.
The complete list of first round judges is available here. After a second round of judging in the coming weeks, the Awards Night will be held on Wednesday, September 3, at Spark Arena in Auckland.
Awards Night tickets are now on sale. This sparkling event always sells out, so don’t miss out. You can book tickets here.
All information about the awards, including ticket sales, a list of categories, details on the judging process and FAQs are on the NZ Marketing website, here.
The 2025 YouTube NZ Marketing Awards are proudly brought to you by naming sponsor YouTube, along with sponsors MediaWorks, NZME, Mortal, Vistar Media, TRA, Salesforce and Warner Bros Discovery.
Producing the awards alongside NZ Marketing is long-time partner and industry body the Marketing Association.
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Notes for editors: