Top 40: Classic 2026
Category Finalists
Campaigns that cleared our jury's scoring threshold across 10 categories of independent agency work.
The Final 40 reveal live during Top 40 Week, June 1–5.
Top 40 Week — June 1–5, 2026
Rankings revealed live across five days.
Monday
June 1
#40–31
Tuesday
June 2
#30–21
Wednesday
June 3
#20–11
Thursday
June 4
#10–4
Friday
June 5
Top 3
From these Category Finalists, the Final 40 advance.
Every Category Finalist earned recognition by clearing our jury's scoring threshold for the category. From this group, 40 campaigns advance to compete for the Top 40 ranking during Top 40 Week — but which 40 stays under wraps until reveal week. Some campaigns earned Category Finalist recognition in more than one category. Each placement was earned independently.
Tune in June 1–5 to see who advances, and where they land.
Category Finalists are listed alphabetically by agency within each category. No rankings revealed here — those come during Top 40 Week.
Idea
27 Category FinalistsAgency Noir
The Catalyst Series
Agency Noir
Big Com
Specialists Need Specialists
Big Com
Born and Raised
NJM Insuranoia: "Laser Beam" and "Bubble Wrap"
NJM Insurance
Born and Raised
No Jingles or Mascots
NJM Insurance
Bridge Insights & Media
Mobility Authority: The Roads We Share
Mobility Authority
BUNTIN
"It's Gotta Be A CFP®"
CFP Board
Cactus
Arapahoe Basin — No B.S. Just Skiing.
Arapahoe Basin
Creativ Company
Conway's Arcade
Conway's Arcade
Curiosity
Stop & Shop: Good Things Are in Store
Stop & Shop
Drake Cooper
ICCU | Life's Greener Here
Idaho Central Credit Union
FUSE Create
The Right Fit
Soles4Souls Canada
Good Conduct
Feed Them the Best. Whether They Deserve It or Not.
The Honest Kitchen
Mower
Carhartt
Carhartt
OBERLAND
E.L.F. Beauty — So Many Dicks
e.l.f. Beauty
Partners + Napier
MD Live — Stuck Spaces
MD Live
Party Land
JanSport & Party Land
JanSport (VF Corp)
Party Land
Men's Wearhouse & Party Land
Men's Wearhouse
Party Land
Peelz & Party Land — Nothing Peelz Better
Peelz
Party Land
Zevia & Party Land — Real Soda for Real Humans
Zevia
Quirk Creative
Blue Apron: Keep the flavor, ditch the subscription.
Blue Apron
Quirk Creative
PHYND: Gaming Without the BS
PHYND
Schafer Condon Carter
Crunch So Loud
Crunch
Sukle
Generation Wild / Wilderflowers Are Back
Great Outdoors Colorado
territorial
Bot-Friendly Branding for Suzy
Suzy
The Canal Collective
Baby Jergens — A Familiar Kind of Feel-Good
Baby Jergens
Transport New York
Dear America
Transport New York
WorkInProgress
Domino's Global Brand Refresh
Domino's
Craft
19 Category FinalistsA&G (Allen & Gerritsen)
Museum of Science: Perception Playground
Museum of Science
Agency Noir
The Catalyst Series
Agency Noir
Cactus
North Carolina Education Lottery — Triple Play Takedown
NC Education Lottery
Circonflex
Jeanne
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec
Circonflex
Mike chez RONA
RONA
Familiar Creatures
You BUBBA Believe It
Bubba Foods
FUSE Create
Portfolio Night
FUSE Create
Grown
Principia College Rebrand
Principia College
Laughlin Constable
True Value Your Project Your Way
True Value
Lewis
Birmingham Zoo Activation
Birmingham Zoo
Mower
Carhartt
Carhartt
Poke The Bear
See's Candies: Break Out the Good Stuff
See's Candies
Stirling Brandworks
Assembly Required
Stirling Brandworks
Sukle
Generation Wild / Wilderflowers Are Back
Great Outdoors Colorado
Sukle
Wild Oats Returns With A Vengeance
Wild Oats
The Canal Collective
Baby Jergens — A Familiar Kind of Feel-Good
Baby Jergens
The Canal Collective
Rodan + Fields — Love What You See
Rodan + Fields
Transport New York
Cigna Health Journeys
Cigna
Transport New York
Weekend Academy by Walmart
Walmart
Strategy
17 Category FinalistsBorn and Raised
AfterMath
NJM Insurance
Born and Raised
NJM Insuranoia: "Laser Beam" and "Bubble Wrap"
NJM Insurance
Born and Raised
No Jingles or Mascots
NJM Insurance
Drake Cooper
Challenge Butter | The One With The Elk On It
Challenge Butter
Laughlin Constable
Master It
Master Lock
Laughlin Constable
Northwestern Medicine Physician Awareness
Northwestern Medicine
Laughlin Constable
The Difference
Fortune Brands Innovations
Laughlin Constable
True Value Your Project Your Way
True Value
Party Land
JanSport & Party Land
JanSport (VF Corp)
Poke The Bear
Go BOWLING
Go Bowling
Quirk Creative
Blue Apron: Keep the flavor, ditch the subscription.
Blue Apron
Quirk Creative
PHYND: Gaming Without the BS
PHYND
Quirk Creative
Serenity Kids: Don't Baby Me
Serenity Kids
Stirling Brandworks
World-Class. Bite-Sized.
Stirling Brandworks
territorial
How Dare We by Centivo
Centivo
The Canal Collective
Baby Jergens — A Familiar Kind of Feel-Good
Baby Jergens
Transport New York
Wellness by Ulta Beauty
Ulta Beauty
Media
5 Category FinalistsFUSE Create
Look for the Leaf
Maple Leaf Foods
hunterblu media
Taylor Farms Social Commerce Launch with TikTok & Instacart
Taylor Farms
Optimism BH
Winning is a Habit
Habit Burger & Grill
Sukle
The Denver Climate Project
City of Denver — Office of Climate Action
TiNY
Paying Attention Matters
Avantis Investors
Social + Creator
4 Category FinalistsCreative Company
Head of Cerave
1stAveMachine
Lewis
Rush Lux
reVive Light Therapy™
Lupine Creative
Krypto Saves the Day: Dogfluencer Unboxing
DC Entertainment
Party Land
Truly Hard Seltzer & Party Land — No Shade, Just Tea
Truly Hard Seltzer (Boston Beer Company)
Partnerships / Branded Content
8 Category FinalistsAgency Noir
The Catalyst Series
Agency Noir
AMC Global Media
AMC's Best Christmas Ever x The Home Depot
AMC / The Home Depot
Doe-Anderson
Maker's Mark — Greats of the Gate
Maker's Mark
Elite Media
Dream Fearlessly Series
American Family Insurance
Mower
Carhartt & Sunrun — A Partnership to Power the Future
Carhartt / Sunrun
Murder Hornet
Enduring Hearts
Enduring Hearts
Partners + Napier
Parkview Health — Screen for Your Team
Parkview Health
Sukle
Do More, Do Less, Go Thrifting
City of Denver — Office of Climate Action
Experience Design + Activation
6 Category FinalistsA&G (Allen & Gerritsen)
Now Entering: Dunkin' MA
Dunkin' (Eastern MA / Southern NH Market)
Big Com
Seek Alabama
Alabama Tourism
FUSE Create
Not-So-New Arrivals
Soles4Souls Canada
Lewis
Always.bank Lemonade Stand
Always.Bank
McGarrah Jessee
Whataburger Museum of Art
Whataburger
Mower
Mower Mania
Mower
Force for Good
15 Category FinalistsAgency Noir
Basecamp Research: Decoding the Tree of Life
Basecamp Research
BrandSavor
Plantations to Pollution — Elevating Environmental Justice
BrandSavor
Bray & Co
DarkSky International: Turning a Nonprofit into a Car Company
DarkSky International
Clean Creatives
F-List 2026
Clean Creatives
Doe-Anderson
Launching Good Brothers Pharmacy
Good Brothers Pharmacy
FUSE Create
Not-So-New Arrivals
Soles4Souls Canada
FUSE Create
The Right Fit
Soles4Souls Canada
Laughlin Constable
The Difference
Fortune Brands Innovations
Mower
Carhartt
Carhartt
Murder Hornet
Enduring Hearts
Enduring Hearts
OBERLAND
E.L.F. Beauty — So Many Dicks
e.l.f. Beauty
Orci
The Bigger Picture
Orci
Public Inc.
Public Inc. x Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels America
Sukle
Generation Wild / Wilderflowers Are Back
Great Outdoors Colorado
Sukle
The Denver Climate Project
City of Denver — Office of Climate Action
Little Budget + Big Impact
8 Category FinalistsA&G (Allen & Gerritsen)
Dying For Winter
Meet Boston
Bray & Co
DarkSky International: Turning a Nonprofit into a Car Company
DarkSky International
Corner Table Creative
Corner Table Creative x Stripes Beauty
Stripes Beauty
Curiosity
PEEPS: Instant PEEPSPlay
PEEPS
Laughlin Constable
The Difference
Fortune Brands Innovations
Lewis
World Bourbon Toast™
Kentucky Distillers' Association
Mower
Carhartt — The Next Responders
Carhartt
Quirk Creative
Blue Apron: Keep the flavor, ditch the subscription.
Blue Apron
Wild Card
7 Category FinalistsBray & Co
DarkSky International: Turning a Nonprofit into a Car Company
DarkSky International
Doe-Anderson
Norton Healthcare Documentary
Norton Healthcare
Familiar Creatures
Duke's Country Song
Duke's Mayo
Lewis
Protect The MoonPie
City of Mobile
Mower
Mower Mania
Mower
PB&
Joy Fortunes
PB&
Sukle
Wild Oats Returns With A Vengeance
Wild Oats
A Note on Multiple Categories & the Final 40
Some campaigns appear as Category Finalists in more than one category. That's not a duplicate — it's a campaign that cleared our jury's scoring threshold independently in each category it was entered in.
When the Final 40 is revealed, each campaign will compete for the Top 40 ranking in the single category where it placed strongest with our judges. Its other Category Finalist placements stand on their own — but only one slot per campaign in the Final 40.
One campaign, one shot, best fit.
See You June 1–5
Top 40 Week happens live. Make sure your team is there when your number gets called.
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