Budding and experienced professionals from the prosperous performance marketing industry need wait no more, as entry categories for the industry’s largest awards night have been unveiled.

The Performance Marketing Awards 2014, hosted by PerformanceIN, takes place on April 29 next year at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane.

Entries open next week and as well as four new categories on the eagerly anticipated list, several others have been updated – such as the verticals.

From Best Use of Data, Network Innovation and Best Mobile Marketing Campaign, to Best Use of Display, Best Agency, Best Managed Affiliate Programme and the sought-after Hotshot Rising Star Award – the competition is always tough, and there is plenty of it.

Nearly 1,000 people attend the annual event and next year guests can also expect an added ‘twist’ on the celebratory night’s theme.

Big brands & varied submissions

The industry-specific event is the biggest of its kind, globally, and previous attendees include a whole host of publishers, agencies, networks, tech providers and advertisers – from Debenhams, The Body Shop, Ticketmaster, Thorntons, O2, John Lewis and BT, to David Lloyd, Laura Ashley, Sony, Warehouse, Pizza Express, boohoo.com, HSBC and Wowcher.

PerformanceIN’s managing director, Sarah Parsonage, stressed that applicants need to include as much detail as possible in their submissions and of course, must examine the strict criteria and questions extremely thoroughly.

“We are excited to unveil the refreshed and revised category list for next year’s Performance Marketing Awards 2014,” Parsonage said.

“As the only global industry awards focused solely on the thriving performance marketing sector, it is vital we ensure the categories are not only highly relevant to the hardworking professionals working in this space, but that the process and evaluation of entries is incredibly stringent.

“This is why, year after year, we receive some excellent and diverse submissions, from an array of top companies from across the industry.”

The deadline for entry submissions is January 24.

The shortlist will be announced on March 12.

Click here for more details and for a full list of categories, and keep an eye on @pm_awards for more updates.