Evolve Group Africa has announced this year`s Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards (UMEAS) finalists that will tussle it out for marketing’s most coveted honours, at the fifth instalment of the UMEAS, slated for next Thursday- December 11^th, at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

The UMEAS 2025 is in its fifth edition of the awards, and will see different companies and brands commune to exhibit their marketing success, signify the quality of their business, while celebrating the edition’s underpinning theme; ‘Promoting sustainable marketing excellence`

Nominees are to tussle for an edge over the thirteen categories, after Evolve Group Africa, introducing a new category to the awards, Brand of the Year, in commemoration of the awards 5^th anniversary.

According to Paul Businge, a co-founder of Evolve Africa, this year’s edition will span every single aspect of marketing, communications, digital, and advertising, right from ideation, to creation, and execution

Businge further highlighted that the six-member marketing council determined all nominations, and holds 60% stake on all public vote categories, while the public shall have 40% of the final decision to be considered for seven (7) of the thirteen (13) categories of this year’s UMEAS.

Brand of the year will be part of the categories whose winner shall be determined by Marketing council.

`The marketing council plays a crucial role of ensuring professionalism at every stage of the process, as the awards aim to maintain credibility, transparency and fairness`. Paul Businge said

The distinguished Marketing council includes Dr. Benedict Mugerwa, Ngulumi Immaculate Nabatte, John Paul Okwi, Rogers Anguzu, Barbara Arimi and Jackie Namara.

John Paul Okwi, the Marketing Council lead noted that this year, the focus was centered on Sustainability, as they assessed campaigns and projects that made good use of resources that were entrusted to marketers, and whether they made a return on investment sustainably.

A corporate table at the event goes Ugx 2.5M, individual tickets are going for Ugx 200,000. Tickets can be booked by calling 0703115242 / 0772358292.

The UMEAS 2025 are sponsored by, I&M Bank, NSSF, NBS TV, Afromobile, Nexcom, Centenary Bank, Crown Beverages (Pepsi and Aquafina), Vision Group, Equity Bank, Radio City, Matooke Republic, Kadanke Brand House, Datamine Technical Business School, Marketer Media and Women in Marketing Uganda.

Below is the full list of the 2025 Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards (UMEAS) nominees;

1. Advertising Campaign of the Year

• Tukikube Ne I&M Bank
• Buckets Of Cheer-Uganda Breweries Ltd
• Go Tv Ka Weekie
• Stanbic Flexi Cash Back
• Master Wa Street-Total Energies Uganda
• I Am Streetwise-Kfc Uganda
• Dstv Ka Weekie
• Stanbic Supa Dupa

2. Best Use of Partnership Marketing

• The Dfcu Rising Woman Season 7
• Bell Obafest 2025-Ubl
• Government Communications Officials training in Strategic Communication and Digital Skills- Multichoice Uganda
• Isaiah Katumwa 30 Years of Jazz-Vision Group
• Menstrual Hygiene Management Project-World Vision Uganda & Absa Bank
• Evervess Malt Launch
• Uganda Film Festival Awards Gala Night & Regional Film Competitions-Multichoice Uganda
• Spinny & Friends-Malembe Holdings
• Stanbic Flexi Cash Back

3. Best Use of Digital Marketing

• Master Wa Street by Total Energies Uganda
• Tosuula Step-Centenary Bank
• Spinny & Friends-Malembe Holdings
• Kampala Cream Wolox- Multichoice Uganda
• Jumia Black Friday Masanyalaze 2025
• Stanbic Flexi Cash Back
• Smarta With Data-Airtel Uganda

4. PR Campaign of the Year

• Airtel-Spire Crisis Management Campaign
• She Walks-Uganda Breweries Ltd
• Culture Of Accountability (Project Hope)-Equity Bank

5. Best Use of Experiential Marketing

• Guinness Smooth Re-Launch
• Master Wa Street by Total Energies
• Johnnie Walker Golf Open
• Smirnoff Fiesta – The Art Project
• Don Julio 1942 Launch at Mezo

6. Best Not for Profit/ Social Good Campaign

• Why Gamble Campaign-UNICEF Uganda
• Equi Mama (Women-Focused Loans for Business Growth
• Rotary Cancer Run 2025
• Equity Grow (Women Entrepreneurs, Refugees, Business Expansion
• Annual Bankers’ Sports Gala 2025
• Equity Young Africa Works -Yaw (Youth Entrepreneurship, Jobs Creation)
• Stanbic National Schools Championship- Battle of Champions
• Equity Broader ESG/Related News (Refugee Inclusion, Youth Jobs, Carbon Footprint
• Equi Green Products (Clean Energy, Wash, Climate-Smart Agriculture Loans)

7. Best Innovation- New Product/ Service/Process

• Baileys Strawberries & Cream-Uganda Breweries Ltd
• Go Tv Ka Weekie-Multichoice Uganda
• Sapphire Club- I&M Bank

8. Best Use of Sustainability

• Stanbic National Schools Championship-Battle of Champions
• Equity VSLA Refugee (Refugee Financial Inclusion Groups)
• Eyo Red Card Campaign-Uganda Breweries Ltd
• Equity VSLA Refugee (Refugee Financial Inclusion Groups)
• Equity Young Africa Works (Youth Entrepreneurship, Jobs Creation)
• Tusker Lite Mt. Rwenzori Marathon
• Shut Up & Trash-NRG Radio
• Equity Tree Planting (Ecosystem Restoration)
• Equity Leaders Program (ELP- 412 Scholars, Youth Empowerment)
• Menstrual Hygiene Management Project-World Vision Uganda & Absa Bank
• Equity Broader EESG/Related News (Refugee Inclusion, Youth Jobs, Carbon Footprint)

9. Rising Agency of the Year

• Blend Advertising
• Node Group Consult

10. Agency of the Year

• Metropolitanrepublic
• Maad Mc Cann
• Zeus The Agency
• Fireworks Advertising

11. Brand of the Year

• I&M Bank Uganda
• NRG Radio Uganda
• Centenary Bank

12. Marketing Campaign of The Year

• Dstv Ka Weekie
• Tukikube Ne I&M Bank
• Spinny & Friends- Malembe Holdings
• Smarta With Data-Airtel Uganda
• Go Tv Ka Weekie
• Johnnie Walker Golf Open
• Jumia Black Friday Masanyalaze 2025
• Stanbic Flexi Cash Back

13. UMEAS Marketing Pioneer Award

• To be announced at the Awards Gala