After months of deliberation and live judging, the wait is over. It’s time to reveal the shortlist for the 2026 Strategy Awards.
The annual event celebrates the highest level of advertising strategy in Canada, rewarding the marketing insights, planning and thinking that drove brands to success. This year’s jury was co-chaired by Graham Candy, partner and chief strategy officer at Angry Butterfly, and Ken Gamage, head of marketing applied science and intelligence at General Motors.
The winners will be announced at a gala event on Sept. 29 at Arcadian Court in downtown Toronto, following strategy’s annual CMO Forum. For more information, visit the Strategy Awards website.
Read on for this year’s shortlisters:
| Campaign | Agency | Client |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Attraction | The Local Collective |
Gilead Sciences
|
| Battlefield 6: Destruction Receipts | Sid Lee |
Electronic Arts &
Battlefield Studios |
| Becoming Visible | The Local Collective |
Safehaven Toronto
|
| Boost Boards | Courage | Nestlé (Boost) |
| Bullet Holes | LG2 |
Quebec City Police
|
| Buzzcodes | VML | Volkswagen |
| Defining Help | McCann |
Kids Help Phone
|
| Extra Bag | Courage | CIBC |
| Falling Coupons | Publicis | Dairy Queen |
| Feelings to Text | McCann |
Kids Help Phone
|
| Fu** the CBC | Wunder |
Friends of Canadian Media
|
| Game On Ball | Dentsu Creative | True Hockey |
| Made By It | Anomaly |
PepsiCo (Gatorade)
|
| Ghost Jackets | LG2 |
Lifesaving Society
(Quebec Division) |
| Hello Humpback | Target |
Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
|
| Here’s To The Squares | Diamond |
Post Foods (Shreddies)
|
| Hockey Smile | Courage | KFC |
| Holiday Hints | Courage | Sephora |
| Jeanne | LG2 |
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec
|
| KFChicanes | Courage | KFC |
| KitKat Dash | Courage | Nestlé (KitKat) |
| KitKat Security Detail | Courage | Nestlé (KitKat) |
| Kyle F*cking Connor | Courage | KFC |
| Love Your Lunch Day | Zeno | Newell Brands |
| Man’s True Best Friend | Sid Lee |
Humane Canada & Toronto Humane Society
|
| Mike Chez Rona | Sid Lee | Rona |
| Not Without Doctors | Courage |
Federation of Quebec Family Physicians
|
| Packaging Perfected | Candybox | Amhil |
| Pickle Quest | McKinney | Popeyes |
| Pillow Fight Championship | Angry Butterfly | Hush |
| Reclaim The Skies | Weber Shandwick | Pets Plus Us |
| Refer Her | LG2 |
Women’s Shelter Canada
|
| Rocked | TBWA | Kruger |
| Rosé FM | Cossette | SAQ |
| Scarlette’s Palette | Mint |
Shine Foundation
|
| Scotties Barnes | TBWA |
Kruger Products (Scotties)
|
| Sleep Daddy | Publicis | Sleep Country |
| Sorry | Cossette |
The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation
|
| Special Delivery | McCann | Petro-Canada |
| Suck It | McCann | Good Start |
| The CDB Diet | Leo Toronto |
Daily Bread Food Bank
|
| The Count | TBWA |
SickKids Foundation
|
| The International Menu Heist | Cossette | McDonald’s |
| The Jersey Swap | Diamond |
Canada Soccer
|
| The Sweat Sheet | TBWA |
Canadian Premature Babies Foundation
|
| The Time Store | FKA |
Alberta Cancer Foundation
|
| The Trend-Killing Promo | LG2 | Maxi |
| Trade Day | Leo Toronto | Bell |
| True Size of Toronto | LG2 | SOFIAC |
| Welcome Card | Publicis |
Rogers Communications
|
| Where Hope Lives | The Local Collective |
Safehaven Toronto
|
| Who’s Saving Who | Diamond |
Canadian Blood Services
|
| Winter Delivery Fleet | Courage | Skip |
| Winterapy | Cossette |
Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec
|
| Your First Crush. All Grown Up. | LG2 | Keurig Dr. Pepper (Crush) |
