ADWEEK Launches the Next Leaders Vanguard Awards

New in 2027, ADWEEK is launching the inaugural Next Leaders Vanguard Awards.

Every CMO and agency chief was once the person running the brand or the biggest account. They were already the ones making the calls that move the business.

For years we’ve recognized those executives as part of our Marketing Vanguard Awards program. This year, we’re honoring them with their own distinction of ADWEEK’s Next Leaders Vanguard.

Part of the Marketing Vanguard and Agencies Vanguard umbrella, Next Leaders Vanguard is a separate award with its own entry and judging process. Honorees may be early in their careers or decades in. What matters is position and proof: They are the clear next-in-line for a top job, and their results already show it.

Who Is Eligible

Nominees must hold a role one level below the CMO or agency C-suite, with real ownership of strategy, budget, and results.

Brand and in-house marketing: SVPs and VPs of marketing, heads of brand, growth, media or customer experience, deputy CMOs and general managers who report into the CMO or CEO.
Agencies: EVPs, managing directors, group or executive creative directors, heads of strategy, account leadership and practice leads who report into the agency C-suite.

Current CMOs and agency C-suite executives are not eligible and should be entered in Marketing Vanguard Awards or Agencies Vanguard Awards, respectively. Self-nominations and nominations by managers or colleagues are both accepted.

What We’re Looking For

Potential is not enough. Every entry must show how their work delivered real business results.

Bold or innovative brand strategy: Concrete examples of an innovative strategy, campaign, product launch, new model, or transformation the nominee led, including the risk taken and the decisions they owned.

Business performance: Results that tie strategy to business results, such as revenue or sales growth, market share gains, customer acquisition or retention, brand health, new business wins, and efficiency gains.
Leadership scope: The size of the team, budget, or business the nominee leads, and how they have grown the people around them.

Entries without measurable outcomes will not be considered. Confidential figures may be shared as percentages and will be used for judging purposes only.