Groundbreaking campaigns for Uber Eats, Telstra, ALDI, IAG, McDonald’s and Samsung are among the standout contenders named as finalists for the 2025 MFA Awards, ahead of the winners’ reveal at the gala dinner on September 18.
This year’s judging panel of more than 100 media and marketing leaders featured more than 50 per cent client-side CMOs, bringing a strong advertiser perspective to the selection process. Judges sought work that not only delivered effectiveness and long-term business growth, but also embodied media agencies’ industry purpose of We Are The Changers.
“To be named a finalist for the MFA Awards is a significant achievement. The 2025 MFA Award finalists not only reflect the importance of media in delivering client outcomes but also the dynamic development of the craft of media,” said Raj Gupta, UM Australia chief strategy and growth officer and MFA Awards steering committee member.
“The combination of the experience of the judges, rigour and scrutiny in assessing entries and the focus on client outcomes means these finalists have met a high bar in their submissions, which in itself is a significant accomplishment all for those finalists.”
All winners were determined by silent vote, with the results remaining a closely guarded secret until awards night. The finalist list spans small independents to global agency networks and reflects a growing number of collaborative partnerships. Judges praised the calibre of entries, highlighting their strategic innovation, bold execution and measurable client impact.
“Judging the MFA Awards is an exciting and inspiring experience. The standard of entries this year was exceptionally high, and the scrutiny each submission underwent was intense,” said Dianne Taylor, general manager marketing at PVH brands—Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
“Every finalist has earned their place through bold thinking, strategic excellence, and measurable impact. To stand out in a field this competitive is a major achievement – congratulations to all who made it through.”
MFA CEO Sophie Madden added: “Huge congratulations to this year’s MFA Awards finalists. Your work showcases the extraordinary talent and ambition that define our industry forward. These campaigns are not just smart and strategic – they’re creating real, positive change and truly reflect our industry purpose of We Are The Changers. A heartfelt thank you also goes to our exceptional panel of judges, who generously gave their time and expertise to help spotlight the very best work in the country.”
In addition to the category winners, the MFA Awards gala will also unveil the MFA Awards Grand Prix (presented by Seven), along with the Hall of Fame recipient and NGEN Award winners. The 2025 MFA Awards will be held at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Thursday September 18, following the MFA EX conference. MFA EX will also take place in Melbourne on 4 September 2025.
The 2025 MFA Awards finalists are:
OUTCOMES
Brand Impact – Sponsored by Meta
EssenceMediacom and Special Group, Get Almost, Almost Anything, even Andy, Uber Eats Initiative and News Corp Australia, Help Our Highway, IAG Involved Media, Making Accounting EPIC Again, Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand OMD and Akcelo, Macca’s Squid Game Meal – Dare to Play?, McDonald’s.
Business Impact
Match & Wood, Start with why: Reframing the case for University, Curtin University, Wavemaker, Answer The Call, yourtown.
Behaviour Change
Clemenger BBDO, Lifeblood Blood Supply, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Initiative, Not BEEPING Worth The Risk, Road Safety Commission of Western Australia.
Data-Led Activation
iProspect, Seven Agile Engine, Seven West Media, Publicis Groupe, Cold & Flu Forecast, Codral, Starcom, When The Going Gets Tough, The Data Gets Going, Metricon Homes, WPP Media, OmniFizz Connecting Stores, Streams and Sales, SodaStream.
Long Term Results
Spark Foundry, How Little Moments Make Big Bikkies, The Arnott’s Group, UM, XXXX Gold: A Legacy Rebuilt: A Long-Term Media Impact Story, Lion, Wavemaker, The Official Smile of AFL, Colgate-Palmolive.
EXECUTION
Best Integrated Campaign
Clemenger BBDO, Clash of Commuters, Samsung, OMD and Akcelo, Macca’s Squid Game Meal – Dare to Play?, McDonald’s, UM, Make STI testing your Beforeplay, Australian Government—Department of Health and Aged Care, Zenith, ALDIcore, ALDI Australia.
Best Use of Small Budget <500K
Carat, Dream Jobs on a Backpacker Budget, Tourism WA, Wavemaker, Making sex therapy more than just a one-night stand, Audible Wavemaker, Building unshakeable hair confidence through ‘detangling hair’ moments, Lady Jayne.
Partnership Award
Clemenger BBDO, Lifeblood Blood Supply, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Clemenger BBDO, Clash of Commuters, Samsung, EssenceMediacom and Amazon, Unlocking Amazon to reward that thing you did, Mars Initiative and News Corp Australia, Help Our Highway, IAG.
Innovation
Clemenger BBDO, Lifeblood Blood Supply, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, OMD and Akcelo, Macca’s Squid Game Meal – Dare to Play?, McDonald’s, Wavemaker, Ink Your Grin, Paramount.
Best Content Amplification Strategy
EssenceMediacom and Val Morgan, Serving bold flavour to a new generation, MasterFoods OMD, Six & Out Second Innings: On Tour with Macca’s, McDonald’s This is Flow, Real-Time Runway, MESHKI, Wavemaker, Making sex therapy more than just a one-night stand, Audible.
ESG Campaign – Sponsored by SBS
Them Advertising, Perfectly Adoptable Campaign, RSPA South Australia, WPP Media, People’s Choice.
Industry change Program – Supported by Ad Net Zero
Publicis Group, Roar to Zero, WPP Media, Digital Sustainability Initiative.
CHANNEL EXCELLENCE
Best Use of Screens
Clemenger BBDO, Lifeblood Blood Supply, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, EssenceMediacom and Special Group, Get Almost, Almost Anything, even Andy, Uber Eats.
Best Use of Search
Intender, Control + Alt + Lead: Doubling Leads with Symptoms-Marketing, Control Hire iProspect, Taking a Bite Out of Search, Shark Ninja iProspect, Booked for the Main Event: How Search Helped Vibe Docklands Take Centre Stage, TFE Match & Wood, From Search to Study, Curtin University Starcom, Messy Middle, Air New Zealand Wavemaker, Overseas Visitor Health Cover, Allianz Partners.
Best Use of Social
EssenceMediacom and WPP Media, Mable – My Kind of Independence, Attain Healthtec Paramount ANZ and Hello, A Mountain of Movies, Paramount+ Publicis Groupe, Hydration Anthem, Neutrogena.
Best Use of Audio
UM, One Talk at a Time, National Office for Child Safety, Attorney-General’s Department, Australian Government.
Best Use of Outdoor – Sponsored by OMA Move
Clemenger BBDO, Samsung presents Sweet Ben, Samsung OMD, Australia’s most ambitious outdoor campaign!, Telstra oOh!media and PHD, Falcon, ANZ.
Best Use of Retailer Owned Media
EssenceMediacom and Amazon, Unlocking Amazon to reward that thing you did, Mars Publicis Groupe, Storytime, Zyrtec.
Best Use of Events and Experiential
Clemenger BBDO, Clash of Commuters, Samsung Wavemaker, Bref – City2Surf Podium, Henkel Wavemaker, Bork With It, L’Oréal, Wavemaker, Ink Your Grin, Paramount.
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Pro Bono/Cause Marketing Incentive (In recognition of Pam Lane)
EssenceMediacom, Go Blue for Dolly, Dolly’s Dream Match & Wood, Broadcasting Joy, Radio Lollipop This is Flow, Turning up the Volume, Australian Children’s Music Fund(ACMF).
Agency Talent & Culture (<100)
Avenue C, Where Experience Takes You, Intender, Removing The Culture of ‘Busyness’ or Better Impact, This Is Flow, Culture Redefined.
Agency Talent & Culture (>100)
Havas Media, The Ultimate Agency U-Turn, WPP Media, Salary Transparency.
The 2025 MFA Awards sponsors are:
Grand Prix: Seven Platinum: Meta, Outdoor Media Association, SBS.
Gold: Ad Standards, News Corp Australia, OzTAM, Pinterest, YouTube.
Silver: Commercial Radio & Audio, Foxtel Media, Nielsen.
