The New York Festivals Advertising Awards is now open for entries, kicking off a new season with a sharp, self-aware campaign from Grey New York.
In the new campaign created by Grey New York, “Bobby Lobby,” skewers awards-chasing culture with a wink and a well-aimed jab. The work introduces a self-proclaimed “jury whisperer” who claims to offer insider influence, secret shortcuts, and guaranteed gold, lampooning the persistent myth that awards can be gamed rather than earned. Through exaggerated promises and satirical storytelling, the campaign reminds the industry that it’s the work, not the gimmicks, that truly wins recognition.
“Every silver is just a gold that didn’t call my number,” Bobby Lobby proclaims, while offering hopeful entrants a direct line to success at 570-GET-GOLD. The joke lands by leaning fully into the absurdity of influence peddling, exposing how hollow those promises really are. And for added measure, 570-GET-GOLD (570-438-4653) is a live phone number that entrants can call to get in touch with Bobby directly.
The new campaign consists of video, digital/social, a phone number and print campaign and is an irreverent, over-the-top take on modern awards culture. It culminates in the pointed tagline, “Open for entries … Closed for BullSh*t,” underscoring NYF’s commitment to honoring work that is brave, innovative, and impactful, while shutting the door on anything that distracts from real creativity.
“As an industry, we sometimes spend more time chasing the perception of winning than doing the kind of work that actually deserves it,” said Gabriel Schmitt, Global Chief Creative Officer of Grey. “Bobby Lobby is our way of highlighting that with humor, by exaggerating the
nonsense and, in doing so, refocusing the conversation on craft, originality, and ideas that genuinely move the industry forward.”
“We’re thrilled with this year’s provocative work from Grey New York,” said Scott Rose, President of New York Festivals. “Teaming up with Grey continues to push boundaries, and their distinctive voice reinforces the New York Festivals Advertising Awards’ commitment to celebrating work that demonstrates genuine creativity, innovation, and impact.”
The 2026 season marks a significant evolution for the New York Festivals Advertising Awards, with a substantially expanded in-person judging program developed in partnership with the 4A’s. This year’s competition includes seven Executive Juries, culminating in a single, curated Executive Jury experience in early June at The Crosby Hotel in New York City.
“This year’s expanded Executive Juries and collaboration with the 4A’s provide even greater value for agencies and entrants, offering enhanced opportunities for meaningful feedback, industry dialogue, and recognition on a global stage,” said Scott Rose.
Presiding over the 2026 Executive Jury is Andrea Diquez, Global CEO of GUT, serving as Executive Jury President. Renowned for building iconic brands and driving transformative creative strategies, Diquez will curate and guide the jury, an international roster of creative visionaries selecting the year’s most innovative and inspiring work across all categories.
For 2026, the competition introduces several fresh, up-to-the-minute, and expanded category groups, including Creative Effectiveness, Sports, and Real Ass Ads, a much-needed category celebrating the work that truly sells the product and keeps the industry moving, even if it doesn’t make the headlines. Also unveiled for 2026, a new Baked in New York category group recognizes creative excellence led from New York–based agencies, and The Future Now category expands to spotlight meaningful, bespoke uses of technology that deliver innovation and elevate the consumer experience.
The 2026 New York Festivals Advertising Awards are officially open for entries. Creatives, agencies, and brands worldwide are invited to submit work that demonstrates bold ideas, measurable impact, and creative effectiveness and to join the movement to redefine what it means to create truly award-worthy advertising.
The New York Festivals Advertising Awards competition receives entries from more than 60 countries and is judged by more than 400 members of NYF’s Executive Jury panels and Shortlist Jury, who collectively cast their votes to select the year’s most impressive trophy-winning work.
The official deadline to enter the 2026 New York Festivals Advertising Awards is April 23, 2026. For more information on categories, rules, and regulations, visit HERE. View the 2025 Advertising Awards winners’ showcase.
About New York Festivals
New York Festivals® Celebrating the World’s Best Work since 1957
- Advertising Awards
- AME Awards ®
- NYF Health ®
- Radio Awards ®
- TV & Film Awards®
Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com.
About Grey
Grey’s mission is to create Famously Effective ideas that move people, business, and the world forward—harnessing the power of creativity to solve business problems and deliver growth for the world’s most influential brands and companies including P&G, Volvo, Haleon, Circle K, and The Coca-Cola Company, among others. This year alone, Grey was recognized as a 2025 Fast Company World Changing Ideas winner, earned 7 Grand Prix from prestigious global award shows, and secured 22 Lions at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, including a Gold Lion in every region. Newsweek also named Grey a Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplace (2024) and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women and Professional Services (2025). Grey is part of The Ogilvy Group, a WPP company (NYSE:WPP).
