ADWEEK has revealed the shortlist for its 2026 Experiential Awards, spanning more than 25 categories from auto and retail activations to agency, brand and executive of the year. Final winners will be published in the December issue of ADWEEK on 12/8/26.

The announcement arrives as marketers confront a flood of AI-generated content online. ADWEEK framed the awards as evidence that in-person events and experiences matter more than ever. The shortlisted agencies and brands, the publication said, are "maximizing creativity and in-person interaction while delivering on business goals."

What does the shortlist cover?

The 2026 list recognizes experiential work across sector categories and craft disciplines. Sector categories include activations by auto, retail, technology, media, packaged goods, entertainment, spirits, beverage and travel brands, split by budget tiers below and above $1 million. Craft categories reward the best use of mobile, video, data insights, out-of-home, social media, celebrity, music, partnerships and influencers.

Notable entries include:

• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing for Google Cloud, "Google Cloud Next 2026"
• Amplify for Lego, "World Play Day"
• NVE Experience Agency for Waymo, "Waymo at CES 2026"
• m ss ng p eces for Meta x Mercedes, "Trackside"
• Wpromote x Giant Spoon for Walmart, "Walmart Delivers"

Which names repeat across categories?

A small group of agencies dominates the shortlist. m ss ng p eces appears in at least eight categories, including auto ("Trackside"), social media (Burger King's "The Bite"), sports and celebrity (Taco Bell's "Davante's House"). NVE Experience Agency lands multiple entries spanning technology, spirits, data insights, partnerships, product launches and consumer activations. Wpromote x Giant Spoon earns nominations for retail, data insights, out-of-home and influencer work.

Brands also repeat. Meta appears three times, in auto, technology and partnership categories. Netflix earns four shortlist places through Monks ("Darkminito", "Juan Gabriel—The Ballad of Alberto") and Invisible North ("You Season 5"). Rogers, Liquid I.V., Mattel, Fanatics and Spotify each collect multiple nominations.

Who is up for the top honors?

Four agencies compete for Experiential Agency of the Year: Kamp Grizzly, Momentum, De-Yan and Left Field Labs. Three brands compete for Experiential Brand of the Year: Canva, Nylon and Yahoo.

Five executives are shortlisted for Experiential Executive of the Year:

• David Wisely, SVP of Experiential, Innocean USA
• Dejan Jovanovic, Founder and CEO, De-Yan
• Lylle Breier, EVP of Partnerships, Promotions, Synergy and Events, The Walt Disney Studios
• Nicole Iwaki, AVP of Marketing, AMP Sports
• Yann Caloghiris, Chief Experience Officer, Left Field Labs

What signals does the list send?

Sports and live entertainment anchor much of the work. FIFA World Cup 2026, the NFL Draft, the Super Bowl, Formula 1 and fan conventions such as Comic-Con and BravoCon all feature in shortlisted campaigns. Budget-tier categories show the field ranges from sub-$1 million activations, such as Pubity Group's "Hotboxing Times Square" for Paramount Pictures, to large-scale productions like "Google Cloud Next 2026".

ADWEEK will announce the final winners on 12/8/26, a date that will settle which agencies and brands set the benchmark for experiential marketing in a year when physical presence carries renewed strategic weight.