For the 25th Anniversary competition, we have completely modernized the mediums and categories available to enter to more accurately reflect how work is being done today. To prepare your entry, review the mediums below, then find the category that best fits your work. Projects can be entered into multiple categories, increasing your opportunities for recognition (each category requires a $60 entry fee). If you have any questions about where your project may need to be categorized, please contact us: entries@horizoninteractiveawards.com
Recognizes excellence in website design, user experience, content strategy and technical execution across a wide range of industries.
Agency, creative studio, freelancer and professional portfolio websites showcasing capabilities, services, case studies, clients and creative work.
Museums, cultural organizations, performing arts groups, advocacy organizations, historical sites, public art initiatives and cultural institutions.
Banks, credit unions, investment firms, insurance providers, financial advisors, fintech companies and wealth management services.
Manufacturers and brands promoting physical consumer goods, packaged goods, electronics, apparel, home products and retail brands.
Businesses providing personal or household services including home services, salons, fitness, repair, childcare and local service providers.
Corporate websites, professional services, consulting firms, manufacturers, distributors and business-to-business organizations.
Online stores, retail shopping experiences, subscription commerce, marketplaces and direct-to-consumer brands.
K-12 schools, colleges, universities, academic departments, continuing education and educational institutions.
Theaters, performing arts venues, attractions, family entertainment centers, production companies, radio stations, podcasts and entertainment brands.
Federal, state and local government agencies, municipalities, counties, public services and civic organizations.
Hospitals, healthcare providers, medical practices, behavioral health, senior care, community services and human service organizations.
Hotels, resorts, destinations, tourism organizations, vacation rentals, attractions and travel services.
Recruiting firms, staffing agencies, career portals, employment services and employer career websites.
Manufacturers, industrial suppliers, engineering firms, logistics providers and industrial technology companies.
Law firms, legal services, attorneys, mediation, compliance and legal technology organizations.
Charities, foundations, faith-based organizations, associations and nonprofit organizations.
Political campaigns, elected officials, advocacy groups, issue campaigns, PACs and public policy organizations.
Residential and commercial real estate, builders, developers, apartment communities and property management.
Restaurants, breweries, wineries, food brands, catering companies, cafés and beverage companies.
Sports teams, leagues, parks, recreation programs, outdoor organizations, clubs and fitness destinations.
Software companies, SaaS platforms, technology startups, IT providers and digital service organizations.
Recognizes campaigns that build brands, engage audiences and deliver measurable results across today's digital marketing channels.
Recognizes integrated marketing campaigns designed to build brand awareness and create memorable audience experiences. Eligible entries include product launches, awareness campaigns, experiential campaigns and integrated brand storytelling.
Recognizes paid digital advertising including display advertising, paid search, programmatic campaigns, paid social, rich media and digital billboards.
Recognizes promotional email campaigns, newsletters, automated customer journeys, lifecycle marketing, lead nurturing and customer communications.
Recognizes coordinated campaigns utilizing websites, email, social media, digital advertising, video, mobile applications and other connected touchpoints.
Recognizes campaigns created for one or more social platforms including organic content, paid social advertising, influencer collaborations and community engagement.
Recognizes digital experiences designed for physical, experiential and immersive environments.
Recognizes experiences leveraging augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, spatial computing and other immersive technologies.
Recognizes interactive brand activations, trade show experiences, product launches, pop-up installations and immersive marketing initiatives.
Recognizes museum exhibits, visitor centers, kiosks, touchscreen installations, retail experiences and public interactive environments.
Recognizes digital products and applications that deliver exceptional user experiences across consumer and enterprise markets.
Recognizes enterprise software, SaaS platforms, CRM systems, workflow tools and business-focused digital products.
Recognizes consumer applications including travel, dining, home services, personal finance, lifestyle and social networking.
Recognizes educational applications including tutoring, language learning, certification, classroom tools and lifelong learning.
Recognizes streaming platforms, sports, gaming, music, publishing, news, podcasts and digital entertainment experiences.
Recognizes fitness, telehealth, patient engagement, nutrition, mental wellness, wearable technology and healthcare services.
Recognizes excellence in digital storytelling, animation, promotional content and AI-powered filmmaking.
Recognizes productions that combine traditional filmmaking with AI-generated content or AI-assisted creative workflows. Eligible entries include commercials, branded films, documentaries, promotional videos and other productions where AI complements live action, animation or post-production.
Recognizes videos created primarily through AI-driven creative processes. Eligible entries include AI-generated short films, branded content, experimental films, music videos and narrative storytelling where AI serves as the primary production medium.
Recognizes animated content, motion graphics, title sequences, explainer videos, visual effects, 2D/3D animation and other motion-based visual storytelling.
Recognizes videos created for nonprofit organizations, charitable causes, advocacy groups, public awareness campaigns, fundraising initiatives and community outreach.
Recognizes promotional videos highlighting products, services, organizations or brands including commercials, product launches, corporate videos, brand films and marketing content.
Recognizes narrative short films, documentaries, docu-series episodes, independent films and non-commercial storytelling produced for digital audiences.
Recognizes digital learning experiences for organizations, educators and learners.
Recognizes digital learning experiences designed for employee onboarding, professional development, compliance, workplace safety, leadership development and internal corporate training.
Recognizes learning experiences developed for K-12 education, higher education, continuing education, tutoring, certification programs and academic instruction.
Recognizes learning experiences that leverage artificial intelligence to personalize instruction, adapt content, provide intelligent tutoring, generate assessments or enhance learner engagement.
Recognizes instructional experiences that combine video, animation, motion graphics, simulations or interactive media to improve learning outcomes.
Recognizes comprehensive digital learning platforms, learning management systems (LMS), learning portals, knowledge ecosystems and enterprise learning environments.
Each entry requires a $60 non-refundable entry fee. To increase your opportunities for recognition, you may enter a work in more than one category. Each additional category will require an additional $60 fee.
Mastercard, Visa or American Express are accepted. International wire transfers can be arranged with customer service. All payments must be U.S. Currency.
Submit a publicly accessible URL for your website. Websites should remain available for judging through March 1, 2027.
If your website requires a username and password, please provide those credentials within your entry description. Supporting materials, including case studies or presentation documents, may also be submitted by email or via a file sharing service.
Advertising and marketing entries may be submitted as a public URL, online case study, or campaign landing page. Supporting creative assets, including display ads, email campaigns, social media examples, presentation decks, and campaign summaries, may be submitted by email or through a file sharing service.
For Multi-Channel Campaign entries, please include representative examples from each channel being evaluated.
Applications and digital products should be submitted wirth a video demo hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or another online video service demonstrating the product's primary functionality and user experience. Supporting case studies, presentations, or additional documentation may also be submitted by email or via a file sharing service. (links may be included in the description). Alternatively, if your application is freely available through the United States Location - Apple App Store, Google Play, or another public marketplace, please include the download link within your entry.
Video entries should be submitted using a public YouTube, Vimeo, or other online video URL.
For AI-generated or AI-assisted productions, entrants are encouraged to briefly describe how artificial intelligence was incorporated into the creative or production process within the project description. Supporting materials, including production notes or case studies, may also be submitted by email or through a file sharing service.
Interactive experiences, exhibits, kiosks, experiential marketing projects, and AR / VR / XR experiences should be submitted through a video demonstration, online case study, or publicly accessible project website.
Because many experiences are location-based or temporary, entrants are encouraged to provide a comprehensive walkthrough that clearly demonstrates the overall user experience, interaction design, and project objectives. Supporting documentation may also be submitted by email or through a file sharing service.
Training and e-learning entries may be submitted using a public URL, online demonstration, or video walkthrough.
If the learning experience requires user authentication, please provide temporary login credentials within your entry description whenever possible. Supporting documentation, including instructional design case studies, curriculum overviews, learning objectives, or evaluation materials, may be submitted by email or through a file sharing service.
The deadline to enter the 25th Annual Horizon Interactive Awards is December 11, 2026.
Entries must be submitted online and payment received by the deadline to be eligible for judging.
Projects must have been launched, published, or substantially updated within the past two years or have never been entered into the Horizon Interactive Awards.
Projects previously entered may be submitted again if they have been significantly redesigned or entered into a different category.
Begin by selecting the competition medium that best represents your primary deliverable, then choose the category that most closely aligns with your project.
If your work spans multiple disciplines, you may enter it into multiple categories. Each category is judged independently.
If you're unsure which category is the best fit, contact us at entries@horizoninteractiveawards.com before submitting your entry. We're happy to help guide you to the most appropriate category and may occasionally move entries into a more suitable category during the review process.
Your project description helps judges understand the goals, audience, challenges, and accomplishments of your work. We recommend including:
This additional context helps judges better evaluate your work, particularly when important features or functionality may not be immediately apparent.
Absolutely.
The Horizon Interactive Awards recognizes creative excellence regardless of the tools used to produce the work. AI-generated and AI-assisted projects are welcome throughout the competition wherever appropriate.
For the 25th Annual competition, Horizon has introduced dedicated recognition for emerging AI-driven creative work through categories including AI-Native Video, AI-Hybrid Video, and AI-Powered Learning.
Yes.
The Horizon Interactive Awards utilizes blind judging whenever possible. Judges do not receive entrant or company information during the evaluation process, allowing projects to be judged solely on the quality of the work submitted.
Yes.
If you need to update your project description, replace a URL, provide additional materials, or make other changes before judging begins, simply contact us at entries@horizoninteractiveawards.com.
We'll be happy to update your submission whenever possible.
No problem.
If your project requires login credentials, passwords, access codes, voucher information, or other special instructions, please include those details in your project description or email them to entries@horizoninteractiveawards.com.
For private applications, internal systems, training programs, or experiential projects, video walkthroughs and online case studies are encouraged whenever they help judges better understand the experience.
Before judging begins, the Horizon Interactive Awards team reviews entries for accessibility.
If we discover a broken URL, missing materials, or another issue that prevents judges from reviewing your work, we'll make every reasonable effort to contact you so the issue can be resolved before judging begins.
Entries are evaluated by an independent panel of industry professionals representing agencies, brands, technology companies, creative studios, educators, and digital practitioners.
Judges evaluate each project within the context of its category using the official judging criteria outlined on our Judging Process page.
No.
Awards are presented only to entries that meet the judges' standards of excellence.
In addition to Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, judges also recognize a single Best of Category winner within each category. From those winners, one project is selected to receive the competition's highest honor, Best of Show.
The Horizon Interactive Awards also presents select Special Awards recognizing exceptional achievement in areas that transcend individual categories. Details about these honors can be found on our Special Awards page.
We're here to help.
Please contact entries@horizoninteractiveawards.com with any questions regarding eligibility, categories, submission requirements, or the entry process. Our team is happy to assist before, during, or after your submission.