Unpacking the Loeries: How the prestigious industry awards actually work

The Loeries state that winning a Loerie is the highest accolade for creativity and innovation in advertising and brand communication across Africa and the Middle East [1]. However, entering and winning a Loerie is not as simple as submitting an entry and crossing your fingers. It involves membership, fees, adherence to stringent rules, and a transparent judging process overseen by industry bodies. While the Loeries meticulously document their ranking system and industry involvement, what they do not quantify is the commercial value agencies extract from a win.

What the Loeries Say They Are According to the Loeries, "as Africa and the Middle East’s premier award that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the advertising and brand communication industry...winning a Loerie is the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region" [1]. The awards span a wide range of categories, from traditional advertising campaigns to business-to-business creativity and social impact initiatives [14].

How Entering Works: Membership, Deadlines and Fees To enter the Loerie Awards, agencies and brands must become members of the Loeries company. A portion of the total entry fees (R500) is a contribution to an annual non-voting membership [2]. It is important to note that the entry fees are intended to cover the costs of administration, processing, and judging, and that under no circumstances will refunds be issued [3].

The 2026 entry deadline is June 1 at 17h00 South Africa Standard Time (GMT+2). Late entries incur a 10% surcharge on the standard fee [4]. The Loeries offer an Early Bird Entry period at a 15% discount, followed by the Standard Fee Entry period, and then the Late Fee Entry period with a 10% penalty [5]. For 2025, the early bird ran from March 5 to April 25, standard from April 26 to June 1, and late from June 2 to July 4.

Categories and Criteria: What Judges Are Supposed to Look For The Loeries judging focuses on five criteria: innovation, quality of execution, relevance to the brand, relevance to the target audience, and relevance to the chosen medium [6]. Judging outcomes are categorized as Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, or Bronze in main categories, and Grand Prix, Craft Gold, or Craft Certificates in craft categories [8].

In recent years, the Loeries have expanded to include categories like Effective Creativity, Social Impact Campaign, and Service Design, demonstrating a broadening scope beyond traditional consumer-facing advertising [14].

The specific criteria used for judging have evolved over time. A 2010 article describing the Loeries judging procedure reported that all work was judged using six criteria at the time, including an innovative concept, excellent execution, relevance to brand, relevance to target audience, relevance to the chosen medium, and the presence of “a client independent from the agency” [11].

Inside the Process: Judging Phases and Oversight The Loeries judging process is typically divided into an online (remote) judging period in September, followed by on-site judging during Loeries Creative Week in October [7]. For example, the 2025 guide showed online judging from September 15 to 26, on-site judging from October 5 to 8 in Cape Town, and Awards Night 1 on October 9.

The judging focuses on the quality of the work and not the agency [12]. A 2010 article on the Loeries judging process stated that "All results are audited by an independent auditing firm and ballot sheets are stored for a year, adding a level of transparency and integrity to the judging process [12].

The Creative Circle, a key industry body, plays a significant role in shaping the Loeries judging process. In a 2021 interview, Creative Circle chair Neo Mashigo stated that "The Creative Circle writes the entry criteria, rules of judging, training and recommendations for judges for the Loerie Awards", highlighting the Creative Circle's influence on judging standards [13].

Rankings: How a Statue Translates into Points Beyond the prestige of the award, the Loeries also maintain an official ranking system that allocates points based on the level of award achieved [9]. For instance, a Grand Prix carries 300 points, a Gold 110, and a Silver 40 [9]. Campaign categories, as defined by the Loeries, are distinguished from single-entry categories in their ranking calculations [10].

The Official Loerie Rankings help quantify the Awards' status as the "highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region" [1] while avoiding speculation about their commercial impact. The Loeries make no claims about how many jobs a win generates, or how many points agencies use in pitches.

Value and Perception: What Can Be Said Without Guessing The Loeries are deeply integrated into the local advertising and creative landscape, shaped and endorsed by industry bodies like the Creative Circle. And although they are the major awards in their field, what they do not quantify is the commercial value of winning a Loerie or building its reputation on a specific amount of points or statues. In a 2013 article, Bizcommunity reported on placing value on the Loeries, describing the judging process as transparent and anonymous, with the focus on the quality of the work and not who produced it .

On its Legal page, the Loeries state that: "A portion of the total entry fees per year (R500) is a contribution towards an annual non-voting membership of the Company" with no qualifying language that this is not a donation or that this membership is a condition of entering the competition [2].

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