The curtain has been lifted on entries for the 10th annual Performance Marketing Awards, signalling a decade of the event rewarding creativity, innovation and achievements within the fast-growing performance marketing industry.

Over the years, the list of categories being contested has evolved in tandem with the industry’s acceptance of new market opportunities, technologies and channels.

True to its previous form, this year sees the introduction of a number of new categories including ‘Most Effective Use of Programmatic’, ‘Best Offline Performance Marketing Campaign’ and ‘Best Use of Video’.

With all three set to become vital parts of the performance marketing mix, competition even in the new areas is likely to be fierce, which stresses the need for well-thought out case studies to come forward.

Calling all leaders

A man who has backed the highly respected PMAs from the start is PerformanceIN founder Matthew Wood, who launched the event in its former guise as the A4U Awards back in 2007.

“Next year we’ll be celebrating a decade of the Performance Marketing Awards and in that time we’ve seen over 3,000 entries and 250 companies pick up a coveted prize.”

“What astounds me the most is the diversity and evolution of performance and our shift from the pure affiliate model to embrace new channels including video and programmatic. We’re also rewarding innovative uses of data and social media within the performance umbrella, as both are becoming all that more important to ROI-driven marketing.”

As Wood highlights, with plenty of advertisers, publishers, agencies and tech providers having a vested interest in the activity being rewarded, 2016 and the anniversary could represent an opportune moment for first-time winners.

“If you’ve not done so already, it’s time to bring the team together and put an action plan in place to see how your brand could be up in lights at the Grosvenor come April.”

Recognising progress

A new category that deserves special mention is that of ‘Industry Ambassador’. While there is always a capacity to reward the actions of present, the 10th annual Awards provides a fitting platform to celebrate the long-standing individuals who have helped to grow and shape the industry as we know it.

Nominations are also now open for companies and individuals to win ‘Industry Choice of Partner’ and ‘Rising Star’ respectively.

For these awards, industry professionals are invited to put forward the partner, colleague or peer that has consistently stood out from the pack within a nomination period of October 21, 2015 to November 20, 2015.

Meanwhile a hand-picked judging panel of performance marketing experts will once again assemble to distinguish the very best from the collection of entries that are not voted for.

While last year’s winners have set the bar, the competition is set to be tougher than ever at the landmark 10th Performance Marketing Awards.

The deadline for entries is January 22, 2016, with late entries accepted for an extra week at an additional cost. The nomination period closes November 20, 2015, after which voting will open on November 25. You can view the full list of categories here.