The Curious Felis Awards, established in Istanbul in 2021, are dedicated to celebrating strategic excellence in marketing campaigns globally. With a vision to elevate the visibility of strategy in its entirety—from creative to marketing—Curious Felis shines a spotlight on strategists driving success across diverse markets and cultures worldwide.

Curious Felis Awards

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<div class='flex h-full flex-col items-center justify-center gap-2 px-2 py-8'> <h4 class='text-center text-white md:text-lg'>Submission Period</h4>16 July 2025 12 September 2025</div>

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Purpose of the Awards

The Curious Felis Awards categories are open to entries from&nbsp;all types of agencies, including creative agencies, communications agencies, media agencies, digital agencies, consultancies, and independent consultants.

Who Can Enter?

Eligibility Period
In order to be eligible for entry, work must have originally been executed between 1 January 2024 and 12 September 2025. Campaigns that have started before 1 January 2024 are eligible as long as their end date falls within the eligibility period.
For the Time Defiers category, the original start date of the campaign or campaign series must be before 1 July 2022.
Authenticity
In order to be eligible for entry, work must have been created and executed with client approval as part of a commercial effort. Work that is created for the purpose of entering competitions is not eligible.
Previously Entered Work
Cases that have previously competed at the Curious Felis Awards are not eligible for re-entry. This rule doesn't apply for work that, while belonging to the same campaign series, is substantially different from previous entries in the series.
Work that has previously competed at the Curious Felis Awards may be entered into the Time Defiers category if it has subsequently come to meet the requirements of this category. This rule doesn't apply for cases that have previously competed in the Time Defiers category, which are not eligible for re-entry.&nbsp;

Eligibility Requirements

Entry System
Entries must be submitted online using the Curious Felis Awards entry system.&nbsp;The system allows entrants to create entries using an online entry form. It also allows them to save, edit, review, approve, and pay for their entries.
In order to access the entry system, entrants must visit the <a href="https://curiousfelis.com/account/register">registration page</a> to create a Curious Felis Awards account.
An entry consists of the information and supporting materials that are submitted into a particular category through the entry form in the entry system.
Entrant Organisation
Each entry can only have one entrant organisation. The entrant organisation is the company or organisation on whose behalf the entrant submits the entry. Other organisations which might have contributed to the work may be acknowledged in the "Credits" section of the entry form.
Information and Material Requirements
Entries must adhere to the information and material requirements of the entry system. Guidelines for these can be found in the "Entry Form" and "Supporting Materials" sections below.
Please note that case films are not allowed in the Curious Felis Awards.
Language
Entries must be submitted in English. Original campaign assets which are not in English must be translated before being submitted as supporting materials. Any other supporting materials must be in English.
Anonymity
Entries must be presented anonymously. Information and supporting materials submitted must not contain any references that might identify the entrant organisation or any contributors to the work, except in the "Credits" sections of the entry form.
Faithfulness to the Original
Entries must reflect the work in its original form, as it was originally released, implemented, or performed. Work must not be modified for entry and any information submitted must be true and accurate.
Category Limit
Entries must be submitted into the correct categories.
The maximum number of categories a single entry can be submitted into is three. Please note that a separate entry fee will apply for each category selected.
Submissions
Once the entry form is complete, an entry becomes ready for approval. Entrants must make sure an entry is final before approving it, as they will not be able to edit it afterwards. Any entry which has not been approved will remain as an editable draft.
Approved entries will appear as ready for payment in the user dashboard. An entry is submitted upon successful payment of the applicable entry fee. Payments must be made online by card.
Entries must be submitted in accordance with the deadline for entry submissions, which is 12 September 2025.
Entries cannot be submitted without the permission of the client of the work. By submitting an entry, entrants confirm that they have secured the permission of the client of the work.
In respect of any third party material that forms part of an entry, entrants must obtain any permissions and waivers of moral rights necessary from the copyright owners to use their material in connection with the entry prior to submission.

Entry Process

In order to submit an entry, entrants must complete the online entry form after <a href="https://curiousfelis.com/account/login">logging in</a> to the Curious Felis Awards entry system.
The entry form has multiple sections where entrants are asked to provide information and upload materials in relation to the work being entered. Entrants can save the changes they make to their entries after completing the required fields in any section of the form. Any saved changes will appear as a draft entry in the user dashboard.
Presenting the Case
Inspired by Stephen King's Planning Cycle Model, the first section of the entry form challenges entrants to present their case in five parts, corresponding to the different stages of the strategic journey behind the work. Entrants are free to determine the length of their input for each of these parts, as long as they do not exceed the combined limit of 5,000 characters that the entry form will impose on them.
1. Initial Evaluation (Understanding the Situation): In this part, entrants are expected to provide a brief overview of the campaign and describe:
<ul>
<li>the initial challenge or opportunity that prompted the campaign,</li>
<li>the key insights, data, or research that helped them assess the initial situation of the organisation, brand, product, or service that the campaign relates to,</li>
<li>the strengths and weaknesses that were identified during this assessment.</li>
</ul>
2. Defining the Objectives (Setting Goals): In this part, entrants are expected to explain the objectives that the campaign was meant to achieve and describe:
<ul>
<li>the primary and secondary objectives that were set,</li>
<li>how these objectives were aligned to the broader business goals.</li>
</ul>
3. Strategy Formulation (Developing the Creative Strategy): In this part, entrants are expected to elaborate on how the campaign strategy was formulated and describe:
<ul>
<li>the different strategies that were considered and how the final strategy was decided,</li>
<li>the factors that influenced this decision (e.g. target audience, resources, timing),</li>
<li>how the strategy integrated marketing elements with creative elements.</li>
</ul>
4. Implementation (Executing the Plan):&nbsp;In this part, entrants are expected to reveal how the strategy was put into action and describe:
<ul>
<li>how the campaign was executed and what steps were involved,</li>
<li>which tools, platforms, or channels were used to implement the strategy.</li>
</ul>
5. Results (Reviewing Progress): In this parts, entrants are expected to demonstrate how they tracked the success of the campaign and describe:
<ul>
<li>what KPIs or metrics were used to measure success,</li>
<li>whether the campaign met the goals that were set.</li>
</ul>
Credits
Individuals from the client, agency, and third-party teams who have made a significant contribution to the work can be acknowledged in the "Credits" section of the entry form. Each entry requires at least one person to be credited.
Credits for the winning entries will be published as part of the case studies. Entrants must make sure that the names, positions, and organisations are entered correctly.

Entry Form

Each entry requires at least one media file that illustrates the work to be submitted as a supporting material. Supporting materials must be used to supplement the information provided in relation to the work and must not replace it. They must be directly uploaded to the entry system.
Entrants can submit up to five supporting materials and an additional transcript or translation document for each category selected for an entry. Any uploaded supporting material can be used for multiple categories selected.
Supporting materials that are not in line with the guidance below will not be taken into consideration for judging.
Images
<ul>
<li>These must be copies of the original campaign assets or displays of the work.</li>
<li>Files must be in JPG format with a maximum resolution of 2048x2048 pixels.</li>
<li>Files must not be larger than 50MB each.</li>
<li>File names must not contain non-Latin characters.</li>
</ul>
Videos
<ul>
<li>These must be copies of the original campaign assets or, if the entry involves experiential work, expository content that shows how the work was executed.</li>
<li>Case films are not allowed as supporting materials. Any videos that document the work should be free of music, supers, visual effects, and other forms of enrichment.</li>
<li>For videos which are not in English, translations must be included in the file as subtitles. Any subtitles must be clearly legible.</li>
<li>Runtime must not exceed 3 minutes for each file.</li>
<li>Files must be in MP4 format (video codec: H.264, scan type: progressive, audio codec: AAC or MP3) with a maximum resolution of 1920x1080.</li>
<li>Files must not be larger than 150MB each.</li>
<li>File names must not contain non-Latin characters.</li>
</ul>
Audio
<ul>
<li>These must be copies of the original campaign assets.</li>
<li>For audio which is not in English, translations must be uploaded separately as Word documents.</li>
<li>Runtime must not exceed 3 minutes for each file.</li>
<li>Files must be in MP3 format.</li>
<li>Files must not be larger than 50MB each.</li>
<li>File names must not contain non-Latin characters.</li>
</ul>
Documents
<ul>
<li>Documents are allowed only as transcripts or translations of the work.</li>
<li>Files must not contain any hyperlinks.</li>
<li>Word count must not exceed 1000 words for each file.</li>
<li>Files must be in DOC or DOCX format.</li>
<li>Files must not be larger than 50MB.</li>
<li>File names must not contain non-Latin characters.</li>
</ul>

Supporting Materials

By submitting an entry, etrants grant Kapital Media Group a royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive and fully sub-licensable licence to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, perform, display, and otherwise exploit the entry, including any supporting materials that form part of the entry.

Intellectual Property

The Curious Felis Awards may refuse or withdraw an entry at any time if the entry:
<ul>
<li>Does not meet the eligibility criteria and the rules,</li>
<li>Relates to work which is not original to the entrant or is discovered to have been plagierised,</li>
<li>Relates to work which has been held by a relevant authority to be in violation of any national and international laws, regulations, or industry codes of practice of the territory or territories in which it ran,</li>
<li>Contains hateful content or promotes discriminatory practices,</li>
<li>Contains content that offends national sentiments, religious sentiments, or public taste.</li>
</ul>
The following apply with regard to entry withdrawals and refunds:
<ul class="list-decimal list-inside">
<li>No refunds will be made on entry fees after entries are submitted.</li>
<li>If an entry which has been paid for is withdrawn either by the Curious Felis Awards or the entrant, the entrant can either submit a replacement entry before the deadline for entry submissions, or use the credit at a future Curious Felis Awards event.</li>
<li>In the event of a complaint against a winning entry, an investigation will be conducted by the Curious Felis Awards team. If the investigation upholds the complaint, the entry and the award may be withdrawn. In that case, all entry fees will be forfeited.</li>
</ul>

Withdrawals and Refunds

Entries will be judged by an international panel of strategy experts representing advertisers, agencies, and media and technology providers. Judging will be done in two rounds.
1. Preliminary Judging
In the first round, a preliminary screening of entries will take place online. Jury members will be asked to review and score entries from 1 to 10 on each of the evaluation criteria. Entries with a weighted average score of 6.5 or higher will be shortlisted.
Jury members will not be allowed to judge categories in which their organisations have submitted an entry or is the client or contributor of a work that has been entered.
2. Final Judging
In the second round, jury members will convene online to judge the shortlisted entries. Jury members will be asked to review and score entries from 1 to 10 on each of the evaluation criteria. Once judging is closed, entries in each category will be ranked according to their weighted average scores to determine the winners.
Jury members will not be allowed to judge categories in which their organisations have submitted an entry or is the client or contributor of a work that has been entered.
Once the winners are determined, the jury will review gold-winning entries to select the Grand Prix winner(s). This will involve an in-depth discussion around each gold-winning entry's strategic impact, creativity, and overall contribution to the industry.

Judging of Entries

The criteria that will be used when evaluating entries and the weight accorded to each criteria are as follows.
Problem Solving &amp; Strategic Approach (40%)
How did the campaign approach the initial challenge or opportunity? What actions were taken to uncover new insights or gain new perspectives? What framework was used in devising the solution? How are different kinds of outcomes linked in this framework? Did the campaign make connections others have failed to see? Did it come up with new models? How strong is the resulting strategic idea and how robust is the plan? Are there lessons in the campaign's strategic process that could be applied to other brands, industries, markets?
Implementation of Strategy (30%)
How aptly has the strategic idea been brought to life? How do the key campaign activities and outputs fit together? How well do creative, media, and technology choices reflect strategy? Is the resulting work engaging, compelling, and memorable? Does it challenge the norms or push the boundaries of its category?
Results (30%)
Did the strategy work? Did it translate into marketing and business results? Do the results align with the objectives that were set? Is success attributable to the strategy itself or can it be explained by other factors?

Evaluation Criteria

Entries in each category will be assessed for a Gold, Silver, or Bronze award. Each level has a minimum score requirement for entries to be eligible for an award:
<ul>
<li>Gold: 8.5</li>
<li>Silver: 8</li>
<li>Bronze: 7.5</li>
</ul>
The jury may vary these thresholds at its discretion.
The Grand Prix
In the final round of judging, the jury will assess gold-winning entries for the Grand Prix. The jury may, at its discretion, select multiple winners for the Grand Prix or choose not to award the Grand Prix at all.
Case Study Writing of the Year
All entries, irrespective of whether they have been shortlisted or awarded, will be eligible for consideration for the Case Study Writing of the Year. This special award focuses on the presentation of the case, instead of the work itself, taking into consideration style, structure, and detail.
Brand of the Year with Outstanding Strategy
This award will be given to the brand that has shown the best overall performance at the awards, based on the number of different shortlisted or award-winning entries involving work that was created for the brand. The winner will be determined by the total number of points earned, based on the following coefficients:
<ul>
<li data-start="1340" data-end="1364">Shortlisted entries: 1</li>
<li data-start="1367" data-end="1394">Bronze-winning entries: 2</li>
<li data-start="1397" data-end="1424">Silver-winning entries: 3</li>
<li data-start="1427" data-end="1452">Gold-winning entries: 4</li>
<li data-start="1455" data-end="1486">Grand Prix-winning entries: 8</li>
</ul>
When calculating the total number of points, each entry will be counted only once. If an entry has been shortlisted or has won multiple awards in different categories, only the highest coefficient for the entry will be taken into account.
Agency of the Year with Outstanding Strategy
This award will be given to the agency that has shown the best overall performance at the awards, based on the number of different shortlisted or award-winning entries that the agency has. The winner will be determined by the total number of points earned, based on the following coefficients:
<ul>
<li data-start="1340" data-end="1364">Shortlisted entries: 1</li>
<li data-start="1367" data-end="1394">Bronze-winning entries: 2</li>
<li data-start="1397" data-end="1424">Silver-winning entries: 3</li>
<li data-start="1427" data-end="1452">Gold-winning entries: 4</li>
<li data-start="1455" data-end="1486">Grand Prix-winning entries: 8</li>
</ul>
When calculating the total number of points, each entry will be counted only once. If an entry has been shortlisted or has won multiple awards in different categories, only the highest coefficient for the entry will be taken into account

Award Levels

Early Bird Submissions:&nbsp;16 July 2025 - 29 July 2025
Standard Submissions:&nbsp;30 July 2025 - 27 August 2025
Late Submissions Deadline:&nbsp;28 August 2025 - 12 September 2025
Preliminary Judging:&nbsp;24 September 2025 - 6 October 2025
Final Judging:&nbsp;10 October 2025
Awards Ceremony: 12 November 2025

Key Dates

Early Bird Submissions: &euro;200 + VAT
Standard Submissions: &euro;250 + VAT
Late Submissions: &euro;300 + VAT

Rules