The American Advertising Awards

For 44 consecutive years, Louisville’s advertising and marketing professionals have gathered to recognize the best in the business at The American Advertising Awards. Formerly named the Louie Awards, The American Advertising Awards is the American Advertising Federation – Louisville’s premier creative competition. 2018 was the first year the event was held under the new name, The American Advertising Awards, a change the organization made to ensure the local award name was consistent with the district and national level awards.

The American Advertising Awards are awarded in two categories – Gold and Silver. There are also special categories including The People’s Choice Award which is determined on the night of the gala.

Winning an ADDY is the first step in the three tiered American Advertising Awards process. The second step is the District 5 competition, with winners competing against other advertising clubs in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. District winners are eligible to move to the third tier of the competition for a chance to be recognized on a national level.

Selection of the most creative entries in each category is affected by a scoring process in which a panel of judges evaluates all creative dimensions of every entry. A Gold ADDY is recognition of the highest level of creative excellence and is judged to be superior to all other entries in the category. Entries that are also considered outstanding and worthy of recognition receive a Silver ADDY. The number of awards given in each category is determined by the judges, based on the relative quality of work in that category.

Judging for The American Advertising Awards is a two-step process. The digital portion of the competition is judged remotely, and the remaining entries are judged in-person each year.