The 2026 Capital Region MARCOM Awards
The awards program recognizes excellence in marketing and communications through outstanding work in a number of categories.
This year’s MARCOM Awards will take place on November 18, 2026
2026 Call for Submissions
Has your Marketing and Communications team created powerful, intriguing, thought-provoking campaigns to propel your organization’s message? Show us your best work. This awards program is open to nonprofits, all-level of government, and marketing agencies We are now accepting entries for the 2026 MARCOM Awards.
Entries will be judged from a campaign perspective and tactics used to achieve the campaign goals.
Eligibility
Who’s Eligible
The MARCOM Awards are designed to honor the region’s best marketing and communications campaigns and tactics in the region. The competition is open to individual marketing and communications professionals, marketing and communications units within an organization, or outside agencies and firms who have created a campaign or project work on behalf of a client or their own company or organization.
What’s Eligible
In order to be eligible for submission, campaigns must have been created between September 1, 2025 and August 31, 2026. Winning campaigns will be selected in categories that combine type of campaign and the client’s overall marketing communications budget for the campaign. Winning Tactics will be selected based on quality, creativity and resourcefulness determined by the judges.
Categories
Campaigns
Marketing Campaign
Campaign Budget: $0 – $50,000 and $50,000+
A campaign consisting of a number of specific elements and activities developed to achieve a set of objectives, such as promoting a project, service, business or event. These elements and activities may include research, advertising, sales promotions, direct mail, pricing, distribution strategy, social media, etc.
Public Relations Campaign
Campaign Budget: $0 – $25,000 and $25,000+
A campaign consisting of a series of activities planned in advance and executed in a strategic manner in order to achieve a specific goal or goals, such as drawing attention to or promoting a nonprofit or for-profit organization’s products or services.
Public/Government Affairs Campaign
Campaign Budget: $0 – $20,000 and $20,000+
A campaign specifically designed to influence public policy and/or affect legislation, regulations, political activities or candidates.
Integrated Campaign
Campaign Budget: $0 – $50,000 and $50,000+
A campaign that employs the creative and effective integration and leadership of public relations strategies and tactics with other promotional marketing communications. Entries should demonstrate the integration of strategies, plus the budget and measurement of return on investment of the communications to any stakeholder group, including employees, consumers, the media or shareholders.
Digital Media Campaign
Campaign Budget: $0 – $25,000 and $25,000+
A campaign that is used to market and promote a product, service, business or event strictly online, using digital advertising, social media, video or other forms of digital communications.
Tactics
Media Relations (Regional, for-profit)
Media Relations (Regional, nonprofit)
Media Relations (Statewide and beyond)
Print Publications used for marketing and/or communications. Could include newsletters, annual reports, brochures, etc.
Websites used for marketing or public relations activities to promote a product, service, business or event.
Video produced for marketing or public relations activities to promote a product, service, business or event.
Submit Entry
Entries and supporting materials must be received by 5 p.m. September 18, 2026. You may submit as many entries as you like. Please follow these instructions when entering your campaign(s):
Fill out the form on this page, and upload your entry form, brief of effectiveness and supporting materials. The brief and any supporting materials should be saved as PDFs, maximum size of 10MB. (For larger file sizes, please contact CRMarComAwards@gmail.com for instructions.) Please format entries so that they can be printed on pages no larger than 8.5 inches by 11 inches. If you are including images with your submission, please provide them as JPGs or high resolution PDFs. If you are including a video or audio file with your submission, please include a link to the multimedia file(s) in your brief.
Submit your entry and make payment online here:
AMA and PRSA Members: $125.00
Non-members: $150.00
If using a check, please make check payable to American Marketing Association New York Capital Region
Mail to:
Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs
Attn: Ali Anechiarico
7 Washington Square
Albany, NY 12205
Re: MARCOM
All checks must be received within a week of entry submission.
If you are making one payment for multiple submissions, please indicate what campaigns your payment covers.
Finalists—2026
Digital Media Campaigns
Skidmore College
Celebrating Every Thoroughbred
Corning Place Communications
dairy4good
on behalf of dairy4good
Brawn Media
From Verification to Lead Generation
on behalf of Upstate Well Solutions
Overit
Fullscope Pest Control: Night Shift + Pull Permit
on behalf of Fullscope Pest Control
Capital District YMCA
No Place Like the Capital District YMCA
The Martin Group
Regional Food Bank 2025: Capital Region and Hudson Valley Expansion Campaign
on behalf of the Regional Food Bank
Brawn Media
The Springs: From Engagement to Leases
on behalf of The Springs
Overit
This Really Happened: When Fraud Wins, Everyone Pays
on behalf of New York Insurance Association
Integrated Marketing Campaigns
Corning Place Communications
2026 Albany Chefs’ Food & Wine Festival
on behalf of the Albany Chefs’ Food & Wine Festival
The Martin Group
Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance Branding & Announcement
on behalf of the Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance
Center for Internet Security
Collective Cyber Defense
Brawn Media
Rooted in Trust: Capital Bank in the Community
on behalf of Capital Bank
Center for Internet Security
Secure by Design: Building Security In from the Start
The Martin Group
Seriously Unstoppable Donor Campaign
on behalf of the Double H Ranch
St. Peter’s Health Partners and Ayni Brigade Advertising Agency
Signature Moves
on behalf of St. Peter’s Health Partners Medical Associates
TILT36T°
Visit Haywood Campaign
on behalf of Visit Haywood, NC
Marketing Campaigns
New York State Media Services Center (MSC) Creative Services Department
Stand Up, Speak Out
on behalf of the New York State Division of Human Rights (DHR)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The Bar Raisers
New York State Media Services Center (MSC) Creative Services Department
They Trust You
on behalf of the New York State Thruway Authority and New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC)
Public Relations Campaigns
The Martin Group
Honoring Our Nation’s Bravest: NFFF Memorial Weekend 2026
on behalf of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Corning Place Communications
More Than a Cookie Sale: Turning Cookie Season Into a Story About What Girls Can Do
on behalf of the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York
Public/Government Affairs Campaigns
Corning Place Communications
Bringing ALICE and 211 Into New York’s Affordability Conversation
on behalf of the United Way of New York State
Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc.
Keeping Capital Region Seniors Moving
The Martin Group
Stop the Crisis. Stop the Closures. Fully Fund Long-Term Care in New York.
on behalf of LeadingAge New York
Media Relations (Regional, for-profit)
No Finalists
Media Relations (Regional, non-profit)
No Finalists
Media Relations (Statewide and beyond)
The Martin Group
Seizing a Super Bowl–Sized Opportunity
on behalf of USA Football
Corning Place Communications
Upstate United Responds to Data Center Moratorium in New York State
on behalf of Upstate United
Printed Publications
Albany Med Health System
Albany Med Health System’s 2025 Annual Report: First Choice
Albany Med Health System
Dancing in the Woods 2025 Collateral
New York State Media Services Center (MSC) Creative Services Department
New York State Museum Scavenger Hunts
on behalf of the New York State Museum (NYSM)
New York State Association of Counties
NYSAC Centennial Booklet
Elida Creative
Saratoga PLAN Annual Report 2025 + Postcard
on behalf of Saratoga PLAN
Skidmore College
Sk’more Skidmore
The Martin Group
Sodexo Live! Nashville Music City Center RFP Proposal Sales Piece
on behalf of Sodexo Live!
Overit
The Arts Center: Gala Invitation & Poster (“Art Belongs Everywhere” Map Poster)
on behalf of The Arts Center of the Capital Region
Big Noyes Media, LLC
Weehawken Township Business Guide 2026
on behalf of Weehawken Township
Video
Corning Place Communications
A Purrfect Cause: Mohawk Hudson Humane Society “Gala for the Animals” Videos
on behalf of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society
Jerry Gretzinger
Addiction: The Next Step: ‘Opioid Settlements @ Work’ TV Special
on behalf of the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
Corning Place Communications
Bringing the Farm to the You: Milk for Health Video Series
on behalf of Milk for Health
Brawn Media
Capital Bank: A More Personal Approach to Banking
on behalf of Capital Bank
Overit
CDTA “It’s Your Story”
on behalf of CDTA
Corning Place Communications
Innovation Takes Flight: National Grid Power Line Work by Helicopter
on behalf of National Grid
Corning Place Communications
KIPP Forward: Preparing Students for What’s Next
on behalf of KIPP Capital Region Schools
Vibrant Brands
#MoreThanWork: Rebuilding New York’s Direct Support Professional Workforce
on behalf of the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)
TILT36T°
Surgical Technology Video
on behalf of Maria College
TILT36T°
Visit Haywood, NC Brand Video
on behalf of Visit Haywood, NC
Websites
Brawn Media
A Digital Experience Built for Learning
on behalf of the Ticonderoga Institute
Skidmore College
Creative Thought Matters: Transforming Skidmore.edu
The Martin Group
Double H Ranch Healthcare Landing Page
on behalf of the Double H Ranch
Savvy Marketing Works, LLC
From Ambiguity to Clarity: CloudSmart Website Redesign
on behalf of CloudSmart Inc.
Corning Place Communications
Northeast Dairy Producers Association Website
on behalf of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association
The Martin Group
The Martin Group Website Redesign
History
The idea to merge the AMA New York Capital Region’s Mark of Excellence and the PRSA’s Empire awards programs sprang from a friendly conversation about memories of past awards. Each program had sunset for various reasons, including the sheer amount of work that events like these require. However, the lack of an awards event for local marketing communications professionals left a noticeable void. That conversation created a spark; we realized that by working together we could rekindle the tradition of recognizing the excellent work and outstanding achievements of our members and other Capital Region marketing communications professionals, as well.
While PRSA Capital Region’s Empire Awards honored outstanding PR and Public Affairs and AMA New York Capital Region’s Mark of Excellence Awards recognized exceptional marketing, the two organizations’ events were similar. Both held their awards ceremonies in the fall and historically had experienced robust participation in terms of entries submitted and attendance. Most importantly, each awards program recognized work that brought results. Given these similarities, and the growing crossover between marketing and public relations, it seemed only natural to work together instead of separately.
Hence, the Capital Region MARCOM Awards was born, honoring the best in Capital Region marketing communications.
News
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Contact
Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs
Attn: Ali Anechiarico
7 Washington Square
Albany, NY 12205
CRMarComAwards@gmail.com
