Future Leader Awards
Year-after-year, industry lists honor executives in prominent roles who are already in the headlines. What about the leaders you haven’t heard about yet? The Future Leader Awards, presented by Digiday, Glossy, Modern Retail and WorkLife, recognize the next generation of leaders, with 10 years experience or less, who are making a big impact in their industry.
Planning to submit this year? To access everything you’ll need to join the ranks of our past winners including our entry kit, expert tips for crafting a winning entry and past coverage of this program, click here.
Entries have closed. Sign up below to receive the shortlist announcement.
Key Dates
-
Entries closed: Apr 18, 2025
-
Announcements coming
Subscribe for updates
Sign up to receive reminders about deadlines, tips on entering, recommendations on categories and more.
Categories
Overall
-
AI Strategy Leader
Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of AI within their organization and across the industry.
-
Social Strategy Leader
Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of social media within their organization and across the industry.
-
Data Strategy Leader
Awarding an individual who is driving innovation in data strategy within their organization and across the industry.
-
Omnichannel Strategy Leader
Awarding an individual who is shaping omnichannel strategy within their organization and across the industry.
Digiday Categories
-
Brand
Awarding an individual at a brand who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Agency
Awarding an individual at an agency who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Publisher
Awarding an individual at a publisher who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Technology Provider
Awarding an individual at a technology company who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
Glossy Categories
-
Fashion
Awarding an individual at a fashion company who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Beauty
Awarding an individual at a beauty company who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Wellness
Awarding an individual at a wellness company who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Agency
Awarding an individual at an agency who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
Modern Retail Categories
-
Digitally-Native Brand
Awarding an individual at a digitally-native retailer who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Established Retailer
Awarding an individual at an established retailer who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Legacy Brand
Awarding an individual at a legacy brand who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
-
Agency
Awarding an individual at an agency who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
WorkLife Categories
-
HR
Awarding an individual at a company who is emerging as a leader focused on retaining talent through improving company culture, HR policies, employee wellness and/or spaces in their workplace.
-
Recruiting
Awarding an individual at a company who is emerging as a leader focused on attracting talent through recruitment, hiring and onboarding processes, and other recruiting initiatives in their workplace.
-
DE&I
Awarding an individual at a company who is emerging as a leader focused on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in their workplace.
Judges
-
Sarah SharpGROUP CREATIVE DIRECTORBARBARIAN -
Tristan StevensHEAD OF BRAND LEADERSHIP & OPERATIONSGUT MIAMI -
Nikhil KapoorENGINEERING MANAGERGOOGLE -
Olivia LandauCEOTHE CLEAR CUT -
Wade TonkinDIRECTOR, GLOBAL AFFILIATE MARKETINGFANATICS, INC. -
Edward ArrandaleVP, REVENUE AND OPERATIONSWEATHERBUG -
Qianna Smith BruneteauFOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAMERICAN INFLUENCER COUNCIL – AIC -
Anais RodriguezCHIEF OPERATING OFFICERTHE 3RD EYE -
Meghan HurleyVICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL BRAND MARKETINGCLAIRE'S -
Lauren KaiserSENIOR DIRECTOR, B2B MARKETINGTHE NEW YORK TIMES -
Caroline FennerCOMMERCIAL DIRECTORBUZZFEED -
Benjamin KeyEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HEAD OF PROGRAMMING STRATEGY & OPTIMIZATIONCONDÉ NAST -
Vineet SawantDIRECTOR, MOTION GRAPHICSHEARST MAGAZINES -
Trisha Mauro-BarnettSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PEOPLE & VALUESBOND BRAND LOYALTY -
Sarah DearCEO AND CO-FOUNDERBORN UGLY -
Tania RubisTV HOST | PRODUCER | MEDIA PERSONALITYTHE RUBIS SHOW
Judging Criteria
Judges will be looking for companies or campaigns that can clearly demonstrate success over the past 12 months. Judges are seeking companies or campaigns that have seized challenges and created opportunities and will evaluate entries based on the following criteria: Innovation, Creativity, Consumer Value, Results and Overall.
Judges will require evidence to substantiate all entries. This can include details of financial performance, specific KPIs, creative evidence in the form of a sizzle reel, campaign images, or links to the final project or related sites. The judges will also consider the structure, presentation and clarity of each entry.
Judging Process
Judges will score each entry prompt and consider any supporting materials submitted. After each judge submits their score for the above criteria, the scores of each criteria will then be averaged and then combined to determine an overall score for each entry. The highest scoring entries will appear on the shortlist and winner lists.
Confidentiality
All material will remain confidential to the judges. Only the 'Credits' section of an entry will be made public via the shortlist/winners announcement. If you win a particular category, our team may summarize the entry for shortlist/winner announcements and winners guides.
Partnership opportunities
Interested in partnering with Digiday Media on your next campaign? Learn more about how you can integrate your brand into every aspect of the Future Leader Awards by submitting your information.