Any organization that engages, or aids in engaging, fans or consumer through sports-related content, campaigns, partnerships, or experiences is encouraged to enter work for the Hashtag Sports Awards. This includes brands, agencies, teams, leagues, properties, athletes, publishers, media networks, etc.

Key Dates, Costs, & Deadlines

There is a 15% discount applied to every successive entry after your first.

Entries Open: October 31, 2023 - March 4, 2024

Kickoff Rate Deadline ($425 USD): November 17, 2023
Early Entry Deadline ($475 USD): January 4, 2024
Regular Entry Deadline ($545 USD): January 31, 2024
Late Entry Deadline ($625 USD): March 4, 2024

Finalists Announced: April 2024

*There is a $350 USD fee for edits to credits on the website after judging has been completed.

Awards Show ($595 USD): June 5, 2024

Entries

To be eligible, work entered into the 6th Hashtag Sports Awards must have been live between January 1, 2023 - February 18, 2024. Incomplete or spec work is not eligible.

Entrants must submit all required information and complete payment in order for entries to become eligible for judging.

All entries require basic information about the entrant organization, engagement objectives and results, samples of the work (for categories related to content or campaigns), and proper individual credits. Judging is designed to be agency-blind. If you are submitting on behalf of a client, please avoid using the name of the agency, vendor or service provider in the entry name. We also require all entrants to submit an image (minimum 2400 x 1200 pixels) representing the entry to be used in our gallery, website, and/or across promotional materials, in the case of finalists.

Individual credits are not optional. Entries that fail to submit two or more individual credits will be penalized in final scoring for failure to meet minimum entry requirements. Credits will be displayed in our gallery for all winners and finalists. There is a $350 fee for edits to credits on the website after judging has been completed.

The same project may be entered into multiple categories, but each entry requires a separate entry fee. There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit or the number of categories you may enter. Multiple entries are discounted and entry fees are non-refundable. Withdrawn entries will not be refunded (even if withdrawn by Hashtag Sports due to failure to meet entry criteria). In rare circumstances, we may allow entrants to forward entries to the next year's award season.

Payment can be made securely by credit card using our online entry portal. Entries must be paid in full in order to be advanced to judging. Invoicing and offline payment is available only for bulk entries and on a case-by-case basis. Entries that are unpaid following the final entry deadline, including invoiced entries, will not be advanced to judging and the related fees may not be forwarded to future years.

Judging

Recipients of Hashtag Sports Awards are recognized for excellence in fan and consumer engagement through sports content, campaigns, technology, and experiences. Winners are selected by the Engagement Academy of Sports Entertainment, a diverse judging panel of industry leaders and engagement experts across the global sports media, marketing, and entertainment ecosystem

Each judge is peer nominated and selected by the Engagement Academy for their demonstrated expertise in engagement, understanding of the innovation and creativity required to entertain fans, and specific subject matter expertise related to award categories. Previous credited Hashtag Sports Award winners are eligible for nomination

For the purpose of judging, entries must exhibit distinction in the following areas:

Engagement (40%): The entry demonstrates a deepening of the organization’s direct-to-fan relationship, as well as a clear understanding of the fan/consumers’ affinity and behaviors as shown through personalization and/or interactions. The entry also demonstrates an ability to entertain, inspire, and connect with the fan/consumer on both an individual level and at scale by evoking emotions, attention, and action.

Creativity & Innovation (30%): The entry is both innovative and original in: strategy and execution; quality and type of content, visual impression, production, and design; distribution or delivery mechanism; use of data; convergence with popular culture; and/or overall approach taken to reaching the connected fan/consumer.

Results & Impact (30%): The entry has achieved objective success by demonstrating effective and measurable progress toward a desired business goal or outcome. Examples include sponsorship revenue; views, followers, shares, or impressions; subscriptions, merchandise, or ticket sales; societal or community impact; buzz, press coverage, and more.

Public voting will not have any influence on which organizations entries are selected as winners and finalists, unless designated for select Athletes & Creators categories as described below.

People's Voice Awards - Fan Voting Rules

Finalists within designated categories may also be open to the public for voting.

Once the voting period is open, finalists are welcome to campaign by encouraging fans and followers to vote for them.

Fans can vote for once per category for a single nominee by clicking “Vote” on the Hashtag Sports Awards website.

The Hashtag Sports Awards use algorithms to automatically disqualify voting activity that appears to be suspicious or intended to game the system. Suspicious accounts include ones that use bots, scripts, issue repetitive automatic votes, appear to have been created specifically for Hashtag Sports Awards voting, or exhibit other characteristics and behavior that violate the spirit of the awards. A final vote audit will occur after the voting period ends.

Determining Winners & Finalists

The average score submitted by the judges will determine winners and finalists for each category. Winners will only be chosen for categories with entries of merit, and only one entry may be deemed the winner for each category. Some categories may not have winners or may not be announced at the live awards show in the sole discretion of Hashtag Sports dependent on the breadth and quality of entries.

If an entry wins an award, the manner and details of announcing that finalist/winner and award is strictly within the discretion of the Hashtag Sports Awards. The entrant understands that all awards may not be given or publicized in the same manner and some may be presented in a live show and others may not.

The judges’ decision is final, and neither Hashtag Sports nor the judges will enter into any correspondence about them.

Finalists will be notified and announced in spring and winners will be revealed during an in-person celebration in June.

Outstanding Achievement
The organizations in their peer group that are determined to have the highest cumulative rating across all categories through a combination of category wins, shortlist nominations, and weighted scores as determined by the judges will be honored with our most prestigious award, Outstanding Achievement in Overall Engagement. All entrants who submit to two (2) or more categories will be eligible. No additional entry fee is required for this honor.

Contact

Email us at hello@hashtagsports.com with any questions or comments.

Privacy

All information submitted through the Hashtag Sports Awards is subject to our Privacy Policy.

Administrator

The Hashtag Sports Awards are administered by Activ8Social, LLC (“Hashtag Sports”), which will be entitled to make all final decisions regarding the awards at its sole discretion.

Release

Hashtag Sports reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend, cancel or modify the Hashtag Sports Awards at any time. By participating in the Hashtag Sports Awards, whether as an entrant, nominator, or otherwise, each participant agrees to release and hold Hashtag Sports and its employees, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representatives, affiliates, agencies, and consultants, harmless from any and all losses, damages, rights, claims and actions of any kind in connection with the awards, including, without limitation, personal injury, death, and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy.

Limitation of Liability

PARTICIPANTS AGREE THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE HASHTAG SPORTS AWARDS SHALL BE AT THEIR SOLE RISK. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL HASHTAG SPORTS BE LIABLE (I) FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER FOR ANY OF THEIR ACTS OR OMISSIONS, WHETHER OR NOT APPRAISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH LOST PROFITS OR DAMAGES OR (II) FOR ANY DIRECT DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF (IN THE AGGREGATE) $100. EXCEPT WITH RESPECT TO A PARTY’S THIRD PARTY INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS, IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER PARTY’S MAXIMUM LIABILITY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE EXCEED THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID BY PARTICIPANT TO HASHTAG SPORTS AWARDS PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT.

Entry Terms and Conditions; Usage Release

Each entrant shall be solely responsible for his or her own entry and the consequences of submitting them. By submitting an entry, entrant represents and warrants that he or she owns or has the necessary rights, licenses, consents, and permissions to his or her entry (and all content included therein), including the right to authorize Hashtag Sports Awards to use the entry in the manner contemplated herein. By submitting the entry to the Hashtag Sports Awards for public display, the entrant hereby grants us an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the entry in any media formats now or hereafter created and through any media channels now or hereafter created. Hashtag Sports Awards reserves the right to publish all entries wholly or in part, as case studies, promotion, exhibition, or for publicity in any medium. Finally, by submitting the entry, entrant represents and warrants that the submission is not done in violation of any state, federal, or international law or regulation, including, but not limited to, laws regulating personal data protection. Entrant will fully defend, indemnify and hold Hashtag Sports entities harmless from any costs, expenses, and claims incurred by or made against Hashtag Sports, its parents, affiliated entities, subsidiaries, licensees, and assigns resulting from the use of the entries as set forth herein. This entry form constitutes the entire agreement of the parties and the entrant warrants and represents.

Appearance Release

Any person who attends the awards show or any other event associated with the Hashtag Sports Awards hereby grants us the irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable right to use, distribute, reproduce, prepare derivative works of, display and perform any audio recordings, photographs, video or other images in which such person may be included that are taken at such event.