The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) and Effie Awards South Africa have extended the deadline for entries into the 2026 Effie Awards South Africa programme and encourage agencies, brands, media owners, specialist agencies and clients to make use of the additional time to submit their most effective work.
The new extended deadline for entries is scheduled for Friday, 12 June 2026.
The extension provides entrants with additional time to finalise and refine submissions ahead of judging for the 2026 programme, which continues to recognise and celebrate marketing communication that delivers measurable business results.
“Effie remains the benchmark for marketing effectiveness globally, and the standard of work being submitted into the South African programme continues to reflect the importance agencies and clients place on proving the impact of their campaigns. We encourage entrants to use the additional time to ensure their cases clearly demonstrate the strategic thinking, creativity and results that underpin effective marketing,” said Gillian Rightford, Executive Director of the ACA.
Entries must be submitted exclusively via the Effie Awards South Africa entry portal before the final extended deadline. Full details on categories, eligibility and entry requirements are available on the Effie South Africa website.
The first round of judging for the 2026 programme is scheduled to take place on 16 July 2026, with the final round of judging taking place on 13 August 2026. The prestigious Grand Effie judging session, where a select jury determines the most effective campaign of the year, is scheduled for 10 September 2026.
The winners of the 2026 programme will be announced at the Effie Awards South Africa Gala event on 22 October 2026.
Effie Awards South Africa is hosted by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) and sponsored by Nedbank, South African Breweries (AB InBev), Heineken Beverages, Emeris, IAS, Eat Big Fish, Investec and Motion Ads.
For more information, visit https://effie.org/partners/south-africa/ or www.acasa.co.za
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About Effie®
Effie is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit whose purpose is to lead and evolve the forum for marketing effectiveness. Effie leads, inspires and champions the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness through education, awards, ever-evolving thought leadership initiatives and first-class insights into marketing strategies that produce results. The organization recognizes the most effective brands, marketers and agencies, globally, regionally and locally through its 50+ award programs across the world and through its coveted effectiveness rankings, the Effie Index. Since 1968, Effie is known as global symbol of achievement, while serving as a resource to steer the future of marketing success. For more detail, visit effie.org.
About the ACA
The ACA is the official representative body for the Communications and Advertising profession in South Africa, representing agencies in the profession to government, media and the public. The ACA is a voluntary body formed by and for the industry, focused on and committed to self-regulation and to defending the highest standards of ethical practice.
For more about the ACA visit www.acasa.co.za or call the ACA on (010) 880 3399
