Entries are open to brands across all industries that can showcase an exceptional suite of benefits, privileges and experiences created specifically for their highest-tier, highest-value or most engaged loyalty members within the last 12 months. This category recognises loyalty programs where achieving top-tier status delivers a genuinely differentiated level of value and recognition, creating a compelling reason for members to aspire to, achieve and retain elite status.

We are looking for programs where the benefits are highly valued by members and meaningfully distinguish the top tier from the wider loyalty base.

This category is particularly relevant to airlines and frequent-flyer programs, hotel and hospitality groups, financial services and loyalty co-brand programs, premium and luxury retail, travel and leisure brands, automotive programs, subscription and membership businesses, and any organisation operating a tiered loyalty proposition.

Entries may include elite status benefits, premium rewards, upgrades, lounge access, priority services, concierge services, enhanced earning or redemption privileges, exclusive access, premium hospitality, personalised recognition, member-only experiences or other benefits that make top-tier membership genuinely desirable.

Entries are open to all brands that can showcase an innovative experiential initiative, reward, proposition or customer experience designed to strengthen customer loyalty and create a deeper emotional connection with customers within the last 12 months. A traditional points-based loyalty programme is not required to enter this category. This award recognises organisations that have created memorable, unexpected and meaningful experiences that give customers a genuine reason to engage, return, choose the brand again and build a lasting relationship.

Judges are looking for initiatives that go beyond conventional customer experience and demonstrate how a distinctive experience can become a powerful driver of customer loyalty. We want to hear how you identified an opportunity to create something your customers would genuinely value, what made the experience different and how strongly it aligned with your brand. Entries may include exceptional rewards or experiences, surprise-and-delight initiatives, birthday or anniversary experiences, exclusive access, VIP experiences, personalised recognition, once-in-a-lifetime experiences or other creative initiatives that make customers feel valued and connected to the brand.

This award will go to the brand that has embraced loyalty transformation, navigated the changes and adopted their loyalty offering to meet customers’ demands. We are looking for loyalty initiatives that have been masterfully redefined to build and sustain those valuable customer relationships. The judges are looking for initiatives that have taken into consideration customer preferences and leveraged customer data to deliver a distinctive customer experience that sets them apart from competitors. As consumers redefine core tenets of their relationships, we are looking for brands that have pivoted operations accordingly to drive agility and efficiency across the loyalty initiative or program. As part of this submission the judges will expect to see evidence of creativity, innovation and emotional engagement as well as showing overall commercial benefits to the organisation. Nothing is out of bounds, beyond scope or outside of the rules for this category and we invite all entries from those who have been brave and embraced “blue sky” thinking resulting in something new and wonderful that has captured the hearts and wallets of their customers.

This award is open to all brands who have spiced up their loyalty offering with the introduction of gamification and/or competitions plus other gamification building blocks to increase customer engagement, improve brand loyalty and drive commercial benefits. Judges are looking for the best use of gamification that has positively reinforced the progress of the loyalty relationship from onboarding to redemption resulting in the creation of emotional loyalty with deeper roots that just transactional behaviour. We are looking for initiatives that have incorporated gaming mechanics such as points, leader boards, badges, incentives and challenges.

Good customer experience is at the heart of all loyalty programs, but achieving it is a constant challenge. So we want to celebrate those brands that can demonstrate a true customer first strategy. Judges are looking for companies that can show a truly holistic customer experience. We would like examples of what has driven loyalty among customers by the sum of their experiences with the organisation, across all touch points and across all experiential elements: presales, order and delivery process, product / service experience and post-sales support. In addition to interactions and brand perceptions judges are keen to see evidence of building true conversations that are personalized, interactive and consistent across multiple channels that has resulted in a greater level of customer happiness and with it, a higher level of loyalty. Examples of surprise & delight plus strategies that seek to attract and nurture customers by enhancing interactions with them and offering unexpected rewards is also of key interest.

This award will recognise the brands that have implemented a loyalty technology solution that effectively and efficiently supports their program, fits into the brands martech ecosystem and enables agility as the brand and customer needs change. We are looking for entries that have embraced some of the latest trends and innovations in loyalty program technology and how the effective use of this technology has helped to create a more engaging, personalised and rewarding customer experience. Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Metaverse & Web3 and other connected environments such as Blockchain and Machine to Machine (M2M) initiatives, mobile wallet, and retail launches can be entered into this category. Entries should demonstrate how the use of this technology has benefited the organisation by increasing customer satisfaction, loyalty, and lifetime value, as well as reduce churn and acquisition costs. We welcome entries in trial or beta as well as full roll-out due to the fastmoving nature of technology.

This category is open to all brands that are harnessing the power of deep data analytics to effectively leverage data and customer insights to steer this and customer behaviour. Judges are expecting brands to demonstrate how the effective use of the data has enabled brands to pivot the growth of their loyalty program, initiative or campaign. The judges will look for effective targeting, modelling, profitable customer segmentation and proof of a deep analytical grasp of consumer attitudes and behaviours. Blockchain, machine learning, AI, AR and M2M initiatives may be relevant for this category as well as CRM initiatives. Evidence must show how these actional insights were gained from deep data analytics and has driven commercial success for the organisation.

This popular and highly prized category is looking for innovation – technology or otherwise – that is new, successfully executed and which provided a favourable outcome. Judges will be reviewing these innovations across three core elements.

• Novelty: Innovation is born from a new idea
• Execution
• The innovation has been implemented successfully

This category is open to brands that have recently reinvented themselves by tapping into and integrating digital technologies, Big Data Analytics, gamification, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and other innovations to address new consumer preferences and lifestyles to create personalized and engaging experiences that foster customer loyalty.

Entries are open to all brands that can showcase excellence in a loyalty marketing campaign or promotion executed in the last 12 months that bridged the gap between the brand and the consumer and delivered core business success for the organisation. This award will recognise those brands who live and breathe the customer first ethos and have developed and enhanced their relationships with their customers, building trust and loyalty while always ensuring the customer experience is paramount. Judges are looking for evidence of how you understood and connected with your customers and how you executed the campaign effectively in a single or multimedia platforms that created a 360-degree customer experience. We want to hear how you have used new solutions to advance your campaigns, what original approaches were used, how did you blend new channels with traditional, how did you use innovation to attract and connect with new customers. Entries must demonstrate results on how the campaign or initiative increased customer loyalty and contributed to the commercial success of the organisation.

This broad category is open to all customer facing loyalty initiatives within the Leisure, Experiential and Entertainment sector. These sectors include dining (including QSR), music, cinema, tourist attractions, sporting organisations, sporting activities, (including fan-based initiatives) leisure activities & entertainment (including TV & Theatre). Judges are looking for creativity & innovation across this sector which has created the one-to-one emotional engagement with the customer. Submissions must demonstrate evidence of value to the customer and/or commercial benefits for the brand.

This award will go to the best new loyalty launch or initiative first publicised, revealed or which went live in the last 12 months. Judges will be looking for programs which offer best value to the customer. Results should show that the initiative is able to achieve its initial objectives in terms of reach, value and volume. The judges will also be looking for creativity, innovation, emotional engagement, clarity of product information, including terms and conditions and the value of benefits.

This category is open to all B2B loyalty programs or B2B rewards programs. We are looking for evidence of initiatives that have helped establish brand loyalty to the businesses they sell to. We expect brands to showcase how their loyalty program has been an effective strategy to reward clients for their ongoing loyalty with evidence of how the program incentivised desired behaviours. Evidence of how the program influenced repeat spend and buying volumes and established a competitive differentiator that is not price driven would enhance the submission. The judges are looking for how the program created opportunities to keep contact with clients and nurture the relationship between transactions.

The judges will be looking for a project which illustrates results achieved in the last 12 months which has effectively delivered its corporate and social responsibility objectives. This could be an international, national, or local project and should demonstrate a coherent and integrated approach to the practical demonstration of CSR policies around community, social, ethical, environment or reputational issues in action. Judges will also welcome programs which aim to improve responsibility or education to key stakeholder groups, such as customers or employees. We welcome schemes that are innovative and fun.

Judges will be looking for the initiative or several short-term campaigns that were running during the last 12 months, which resulted in increased customer loyalty to the brand. Results which illustrate increased basket value, shopper visits, a propensity to remain loyal to the brand and increased market share for the brand will be viewed favourably by the judges. Short term loyalty is defined as a campaign which runs for a limited time. Entrants should also be able to show how the scheme encourages long term loyalty. Data to prove an increase in customer retention, return visits and an increase in sales is important in this category.

This award is open to all brands both B2C and B2B that can demonstrate the value of an outstanding established long-running program. (Long term loyalty is defined as a program that has run for a minimum of 3 years+) Judges will be looking for programs that have developed lasting relationship with their customers and established an attachment between them and the brand. In addition, Judges will be looking for evidence of how the program over the years has reimagined the proposition in ways that spark creativity, engagement and camaraderie with the customer and more importantly, is it a program that speaks to long-term vitality for a brand and for the consumer? Entries should show increasing basket value, shopper visits, a propensity to remain loyal to the brand and raised market share for the brand, together with customer knowledge and insight.

This award recognizes outstanding collaborations between brands that have successfully created and executed innovative loyalty programs. It celebrates partnerships that enhance customer engagement, deliver exceptional value, and drive mutual growth through strategic brand alliances. Entries should showcase how the partnership has effectively leveraged combined strengths to elevate the loyalty experience on a global scale.

This category recognises suppliers and vendors who demonstrate exceptional creativity and deliver innovative solutions with worldwide impact. Entrants must showcase unique products, services, or technologies that address emerging business needs, improve efficiency, and create measurable value across international markets. This award celebrates those who challenge convention, foster collaboration, and consistently push the boundaries of what’s possible to shape the future of global business.