Adwanted Media Research Awards
Is there a winning formula? Is there a discernible pattern that can help future entries hone their submission? As the team behind the Adwanted Media Research Awards and champions of media research, it was only fitting that we did some research of our own. So, we took a journey back over the last five years of 80 AMRAs winners to uncover any winning elements.
Across all those entries, three themes stood out.
Collaboration is a major success factor
The projects landing those awards are increasingly ones where different parts of an industry come together to tackle a challenge, or where previously disconnected datasets and expertise are brought together. Great examples of cross-industry collaboration that were rewarded at AMRAs include:
- PwC – ISBA / AOP / PwC programmatic supply chain transparency study
(2022 winners of The Grand Prix and The Adrian Edwards Award for Best Use of Datasets awards)
- Thinkbox, Acacia Avenue, PwC, EssenceMediacom, Gain Theory, Wavemaker, Mindshare, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky – BVOD Almighty
(2024 winners of Best Custom Media Research Project – Trade Body)
- Havas Media Network, Lumen & Brand Metrics – The World’s Largest Attention and Outcome Study.
(2025 winners of Best Custom Media Research Project – Agency)
Industry-changing work wins
Many of our past winners address major industry challenges including:
- Media and attention measurement
- Programmatic transparency
- Diversity and representation
- Cross-platform attribution
The projects that stood out against the competition often created new standards, industry tools and frameworks. It seems our AMRAs alumni don’t just solve problems; they raise the wider industry’s capability.
Impact matters more than technical sophistication
Research methodology is, of course, important, but demonstrating clear business outcomes is more vital than methodology alone; this was true across all categories.
Winning entries repeatedly showed:
- Revenue growth or cost reduction
- Audience growth
- Increased effectiveness
- Industry adoption
- Operational or strategic change
The strongest AMRA winners proved their research directly drove an important outcome and quantified its impact.
Last but not least, your research often works best when wrapped in a compelling story. Many of our past winners receive comments from judges praising their entry for being well written, clearly structured and supported by great visuals.
We hope this helps those currently crafting submissions for the Adwanted Media Research Awards 2027. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is this: you have to be in it to win it, so here’s a reminder of the deadlines.
Early bird entry deadline: Wednesday 1 October 2025 (£265 fee)
Late entry deadline: Friday 10 October 2025 (£320 fee)
