The organisers of the Nigerian Marketing Awards (NMA) have announced that the fifth edition of the awards will hold on November 21, 2026, in Lagos, as the platform seeks to recognise excellence and innovation across Nigeria’s marketing and communications industry.
The organisers said entries for the 2026 awards would open on August 15 and close on September 30, giving brands, advertising agencies, corporate organisations and marketing professionals the opportunity to submit outstanding campaigns and initiatives for consideration.
The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place at The Jewel Aeida, Lekki, Lagos, under the theme, “Reimagine Marketing,” which focuses on the evolving role of marketing in driving business growth amid rapid technological and economic changes.
Amstel Malta has been unveiled as the headline sponsor of the 2026 edition, reinforcing what the organisers described as a shared commitment to innovation and excellence.
Speaking on the significance of the fifth anniversary, the Founder of the Nigerian Marketing Awards, Tony Agenmonmen, said the milestone comes at a defining period for both the awards and Nigeria’s marketing profession.
“The fifth edition is more than an anniversary; it is a defining moment in our journey. It celebrates how far Nigerian marketing has come while challenging us to imagine how much further it can go,” he said.
According to Agenmonmen, the future of the profession would belong to brands and practitioners willing to challenge conventional thinking, embrace creativity and technology, gain deeper consumer insights and demonstrate measurable business impact.
He said the theme, “Reimagine Marketing,” was intended to encourage the industry to rethink traditional approaches and redefine marketing’s contribution to businesses, consumers and national development.
“We are calling on the industry to move beyond familiar approaches and reconsider what marketing can achieve—for businesses, consumers, communities and the nation. We want this edition to inspire courageous thinking and recognise work that does not merely follow change but helps to create it,” he added.
The organisers noted that this year’s awards come as artificial intelligence, data analytics, changing consumer behaviour, digital platforms and economic headwinds continue to reshape the marketing landscape.
They said the awards would recognise excellence across multiple categories, including brand management, advertising campaigns, digital marketing, innovation, experiential marketing, sustainability, reputation management, agencies and individual professional achievements.
Since its establishment in 2022, the Nigerian Marketing Awards has evolved into one of the industry’s major recognition platforms, promoting professional standards through what the organisers described as an independent and transparent adjudication process supervised by an Awards Decision Council comprising experienced marketing and communications professionals.
The organisers said this year’s ceremony is expected to attract leading marketing executives, chief executives, agency leaders, policymakers, academics, media practitioners and other stakeholders from across the business community.
They added that the awards remain committed to promoting marketing as a key driver of enterprise growth, consumer value creation and national economic development.
The Nigerian Marketing Awards is endorsed by several industry bodies, including the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). It also holds the Independent Awards Standards Council Trust Mark.
