World AdTech Day Awards: moving beyond a single-day celebration

In 2024, World AdTech Day began as a modest idea to simply give the industry a day it could call its own. What we didn’t anticipate was how quickly the initiative would grow and how enthusiastically the community would embrace it.

Since then, companies have started organizing their own events, partners have stepped in to support the initiative, publications have begun sharing insights around the day, and professionals across the ecosystem have joined the conversation about the future of adtech.

This year World AdTech Day turns three, and the celebration is evolving once again. We at Adsterra decided to take it beyond a single-day festivity and introduce a new addition – World AdTech Day Awards.

The idea felt like a natural next step. If the industry already gathers to celebrate adtech, why not also take a moment to recognize the people who help build and shape it?

VOTE HERE

Where the idea came from

The growth of World AdTech Day has been largely organic since its very first edition. With each year, more companies have joined the initiative, more media outlets have begun covering it, and more professionals have shared their stories about working in the adtech space.

As the community expanded, something became clear: while the industry is warmly celebrated, there hasn’t really been a dedicated moment to acknowledge the people actively driving it forward.

• The educators who break down complex topics and make them accessible.
• The builders developing new tools and technologies.
• The voices that create buzz and call out discussions.
• The teams that bring professionals together and strengthen the community.

World AdTech Day Awards are here to praise these invaluable merits of adtech visionaries and thought-leaders.

Community makes a choice

From the beginning, we wanted the awards to follow the same open and collaborative spirit that defines World AdTech Day. That’s why the selection process doesn’t rely on a small internal jury; instead, the voting is open to the whole wide community.

After all, the people who work in adtech every day are often the ones who best understand whose work truly makes a difference.

Nominations that stand out

Our nominations emphasize the four areas that give a spotlight to different ways professionals can build on in adtech. These categories intentionally step away from the traditional award formats. You won’t see titles like “Best Ad Network” or “CMO of the Year.”

Instead, the focus is on the people and initiatives that nurture the culture of the adtech ecosystem – the voices, knowledge, and communities that keep the industry evolving:

1. Passion to Educate: recognizing all things done to educate about adtech in and out the industry.
2. Community Builder: for those creating a sense of belonging to the global adtech community.
3. Industry Voice: for individuals and organizations that shape the conversation through insights, commentary, and thought leadership
4. Bold Innovator: highlighting everything we so love adtech for – technologies, ideas, and approaches that may seem crazy but prove breakthrough.

The nominations are full of familiar names who joined us to celebrate adtech this year: RichAds, Kadam, AdCombo, Adcash, BeMob, Binom, CPARoll, CPV Lab, Voluum, RedTrack, Alphaleads, Golden Goose, Trafee, Mobidea, Affmaven, CrakReveue, TrafficStars, Affpaying, affLift, OfferVault, Partnerkin, AffiliateBooster, Push.House, 3SNET, RollerAds, Royal Partners, Galaksiion, and LGaming.

VOTE HERE

Important dates

The awards timeline concludes with the main World AdTech Day celebration:

• March 10, 2026 – Shortlist revealed and voting began
• March 10-22, 2026 – Public voting period
• March 23-26, 2026 – Vote review and final selection
• March 27, 2026 – Winners announced during the World AdTech Day celebration

In the coming weeks, the community will have plenty to look forward to: from voting and discussion to the final announcement of the winners.

Giving adtech the spotlight it deserves

Much of the digital economy quietly relies on adtech. Platforms, advertising systems, and digital products all benefit from the work happening behind the scenes. Yet the individuals and teams responsible for building these systems rarely receive public recognition.

World AdTech Day was created to bring more visibility to the industry. World AdTech Day Awards simply carry on that mission, celebrating the people behind the progress.

Whatever it is that you do in this ecosystem, this celebration is for you too: cast your vote, support teams, celebrate the people helping shape the future of adtech.

The winners will be revealed on March 27, right at the eve of the World AdTech Day celebrations.

See you on World AdTech Day.