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 18 September. This year’s judging panel of more than 100 media and marketing leaders featured more than 50% 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.

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UM Australia Chief Strategy & Growth Officer and MFA Awards Steering Committee member, Raj Gupta, said: “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. 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.

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Dianne Taylor, General Manager Marketing at PVH Brands – Calvin Klein & Tommy Hilfiger, who was a Judge this year, said: “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. 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 exceptionalpanel 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 prestigious MFA Awards Grand Prix (presented by Seven), along with the Hall of Fame recipient and NGEN Award winners.

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The 2025 MFA Awards will be held at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Thursday 18 September, 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-PalmoliveEXECUTION

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 InitiativeCHANNEL 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, ParamountPEOPLE & 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

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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