Good Work Doesn't Happen in a Vacuum: Mark Awards Launches New Partnership Category
Behind every effective campaign is a relationship. The 2026 Mark Awards is making that relationship visible with a new category dedicated entirely to the client-agency partnerships driving measurable business growth.
The Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) has announced its sponsorship of the Partnering for Growth Award, created to recognise the collaborations that build brands over time, not just the work they produce.
The Mark Awards were established by Mark Lives to celebrate what creativity-led award shows often miss: innovation, technology, effectiveness and real commercial impact. After drawing more than 300 entries in their inaugural year, the 2026 edition returns with sharper focus and stronger momentum.
The new Partnering for Growth Award reflects that shift. Rather than rewarding a single campaign or short-term burst of success, it recognises partnerships that have helped build brands over time through shared ambition, strategic alignment and strong execution.
Entries will be open to both large and small agencies, as well as in-house and specialist partners, with judges looking for clear evidence of growth in areas such as market share, sales, brand equity, audience engagement or category leadership.
Johanna McDowell, CEO of IAS, says the category speaks directly to what many businesses need most right now: relationships that create real value. “Great marketing rarely happens in isolation. It happens when clients and agencies challenge each other, trust each other and stay focused on outcomes. Too often, the spotlight falls only on the final piece of work, not on the partnership that made it possible. This award changes that, and we’re proud to support it.”
The award will be judged by senior marketers, bringing a client-side perspective to what effective collaboration looks like in practice. Criteria will include business impact, strategic collaboration, innovation and the ability to create learning that can scale.
For IAS, the sponsorship is a natural fit. For over two decades, the company has helped brands and agencies move beyond transactional relationships — building partnerships grounded in shared goals, rigorous selection and long-term accountability. The Partnering for Growth Award reflects exactly the kind of thinking IAS brings to every engagement.
As accountability intensifies and the industry shifts its gaze from who made the work to how the work works, the Partnering for Growth Award arrives at exactly the right moment.
Key dates for The Mark Awards 2026
Entries Open: 1 April 2026
Early Bird Deadline: 22 April 2026
Final Deadline: 7 May 2026
For more details and to enter visit Mark Awards here.