"The Mark Awards has created an important space that recognises the full depth of advertising and marketing," says Johanna McDowell, Founder and CEO at IAS. "That focus aligns with how IAS approaches agency marketer partnerships — strategically, with an emphasis on compatibility and long-term value. We're selective about the awards we support, and the MarkPrix's emphasis on leadership, innovation and strategic thinking makes it a perfect fit."

The awards says that to ensure a rigorous selection process, the MarkPrix jury brings together the best minds in advertising and marketing, representing a diverse spectrum of expertise and insight across the fields of strategy, innovation, experience, design and leadership. This jury panel comprises all The Mark Awards category jury presidents and will be led by Koo Govender (CEO, Publicis Groupe Africa) and Tony Effik (MD of Global Display, Video and Creative at Google, US).

The MarkPrix jury also includes:

  • Sibu Mabena (Chief Creative Officer, Duma Collective)
  • Katrina Howell (Creative Director for Digitas Health London, UK)
  • Enzo Scarcella (Chief Consumer Officer, MTN Group)
  • Anna Noakes Schulze, (Head of CX at @TheNTWK, Germany)
  • Kagiso Musi (Group MD, Meta Media)
  • Genevieve van Vuuren (Innovation Partner, RAPT Creative)
  • Valarie Vacante (VP of Solutions Innovation at Dentsu, USA), and
  • Tumi Rabanye (Head of Strategy, Leagas Delaney South Africa).

"We see The Mark Awards as a bold and original addition to the awards landscape," adds McDowell. "At IAS, innovation is core to how we operate, and we believe our sponsorship of the MarkPrix category aligns with our commitment to shaping the future of the industry."

“The Mark Awards celebrates strategic excellence and the true business impact that comes from courageous thinking, purpose-led leadership and results-driven creative execution," says Prakash Patel, Co-Founder of The Mark Awards. "This is an award for those who don't just follow trends, but lead teams, shift cultures and steer brands through uncharted territory. As such, IAS is the perfect partner for our premier accolade."

The awards concludes that entries are open until Wednesday, 30 April, with winners revealed at the awards ceremony in Franschhoek on Saturday, 30 August. For submission guidelines and criteria, click here.

For more information, visit www.themarkawards.com. You can also follow MarkLives on Facebook, LinkedIn, or on X. 

*Image courtesy of contributor