All year long, we talk about ideas, craft, and execution—but on February 20, 2026, in Omaha, Nebraska, we celebrated something bigger.
The Climate of Creative Excellence.
Great creative doesn’t just happen.
It takes pressure.
It takes energy.
And when the conditions are right… things rise.
At this year’s American Advertising Awards, we honored the work that broke through the noise, climbed above the rest, and reminded us why creativity still matters.
The American Advertising Awards is a three-tiered competition—and the largest, most representative creative competition in our industry. It begins at the local level, where work from across the community is judged and recognized. From there, local winners advance to the AAF District competitions, competing against the strongest work in the region. District winners then move on to the national stage—where the very best creative work from across the country is honored.
Three levels. One journey. And along the way, the bar just keeps rising.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists whose work helped shape the creative climate in our region.
2026 Best of Show Professional Winner
CompanyCam Do Good Work Campaign
Done by CompanyCam
2026 Best of Show Student Winner
Frost Byte Publication Design
Done by Faith Rasmussen University of Nebraska at Kearney
View the complete list of winners:
• Professional Winners – 2026 Professional Winners List for Website
• Student Winners – 2026 Student Winners List for Website
Thank you to our Creative Nebraska Cloud 9 sponsors!
