Final Call for MAD STARS 2025

​MAD STARS’ submission process is reaching its final stage. The second (regular fee) deadline ends on May 30, and the final (late fee) deadline ends on June 16.

There are many reasons why these deadlines are important to note:

Fair and honest judging by the world’s best minds

MAD STARS is judged by more than 350 experts from over 70 countries, ensuring a truly global standard of fairness and quality. For the Professional division, one round of online preliminary judging is followed by three final judging (1 online and 2 offline) to determine Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Crystal winners, Grand Prix winners in each category, and Grand Prix of the Year winners. Meanwhile, the General Public division winners are selected based only on preliminary judging

New categories in 2025 reflect industry evolution

MAD STARS has introduced new categories to recognise emerging trends as the advertising and marketing landscape continues to evolve. The new categories expand the scope of the awards and acknowledge the broad range of creative techniques underpinning the world’s best advertising. The categories now feature 6 Groups, 25 Stars, and 442 Categories, providing entrants with a wide array of opportunities to show their work in the best possible light.

1. AI in the Spotlight: PIVOT Evolves to Capture Innovation
The first important addition is that creative work using AI technology is now eligible for submission. The PIVOT category has been redefined to focus on the transformative role of AI in marketing, advertising, and creativity. The new category aims to spotlight innovative cases where AI is used to develop new advertising techniques or enhance consumer experiences.

2. VIDEO Group transforms into the Entertainment Group
To reflect the expanding role of entertainment in both culture and advertising, the VIDEO Group has been renamed the Entertainment Group. New subcategories such as Games, Sports, and Music highlight the growing influence of creativity across entertainment sectors.

3. New Culture and Context Sector for Meaningful Impact

A new Culture and Context sector has been added across various categories to honour work that resonates meaningfully with cultural values and market realities around the world.

Asia's only international festival of its kind and the largest in scale

MAD STARS is a global marketing, advertising, and digital content festival and awards program that merges creativity with cutting-edge technology. This year’s festival takes place in August in Busan, under the theme, ‘AI-vertising, AI Advertising Marketing Era’. The event will feature a rich lineup of insights, innovations, and success stories that show how AI is transforming the advertising and marketing industries, along with explorations of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Find everything you need to enter MAD STARS 2025 here.