Observed Signal · May 29, 2026 · Awards Shortlist · Source: Hello Partner · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
2026 US Partnership Awards Shortlist Revealed
HelloPartner published the 2026 US Partnership Awards (USPAs) shortlist on 2026-05-29. The USPAs, returning June 11 as a digital-first programme, highlight standout partnership work across categories including Media Buying Affiliate Campaigns, Most Innovative Technology, Best Full Funnel Strategy, Influencer Marketing, and Best Use of AI/Automation. The shortlist names agencies, platforms and brands — from Linkbux Media and Shutterfly to Rakuten Advertising, CJ, impact.com and numerous agency–brand collaborations — and calls out performance outcomes such as multi-thousand-percent revenue uplifts and multi-million-dollar growth engines. The article emphasises AI-driven entries (e.g., CJ 360-AI, Partnerize VantagePoint) and notes finalists gain access to a USPA community Slack channel for networking ahead of the awards on June 11.
The shortlist highlights notable partnership and affiliate marketing case studies and emerging AI-driven attribution entries; useful industry recognition but not a major platform policy or product release.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- HelloPartner published the USPA 2026 shortlist on 2026-05-29.
- The US Partnership Awards (USPAs) programme returns on June 11, 2026 as a digital-first event.
- Vibrant Performance’s campaign with Wiser Advisor reportedly scaled Meta revenue by 3,267%.
- Performance Partners’ campaign with Fiera Cosmetics achieved 300% growth.
- impact.com and Tombras collaborated to build an $18.8MM growth engine (shortlisted under Best Full Funnel Strategy).
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2026 US Partnership Awards: Gold Winners Announced
The 2026 US Partnership Awards (USPAs) winners were published in a digital-first format, recognising leading partnership, affiliate, influencer and performance marketing work. Hello Partner founder Matthew Wood highlighted entrants’ stronger measurement, commercialised AI use, and disciplined execution. Major gold winners included Tombras (five golds, incl. Partnership of the Year and Best Full Funnel Strategy), CJ (Best Platform for Partnership Success and Best Use of AI/Automation with CJ 360-AI), Rakuten Advertising (two golds, incl. Best Content Partnership and Best Health, Beauty & Wellness Partnership with Bluemercury), Partnerize (Most Innovative Technology for VantagePoint), and Acceleration Partners (Best Affiliate Programme Optimization for TikTok, exceeding targets by over 160% in North America). Other notable winners included Linkbux Media, Gen3 Marketing, Round Barn Labs, Partner Commerce, Trafalgar with Capital One Ad Solutions, and Upsellit with Splits59.
Digiday Announces 2026 Media Buying & Planning Finalists
Digiday published the list of finalists for the 2026 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards on June 2, 2026. Finalists span agencies, brands, publishers and technology vendors across categories including Media Campaign of the Year, Media Plan of the Year and Best Omnichannel Campaign. Highlighted nominations include Uber Advertising’s full‑funnel holiday campaign for Diageo; the NFL and CBS/Paramount+ for the “Count on Sundays” 360 campaign; and WPP Media & Mazda for the docuseries “First to the Finish,” which reported 16 million minutes watched and nearly 587,000 full-series viewers. The awards also feature new AI-related categories (Best AI Platform; Best Creative Use of AI; Best Use of AI in Planning/Search) and recognize campaigns using omnichannel, CTV, DOOH and data-driven tactics.
Finalists Named for 2026 Digiday Media Buying Awards
Digiday published the finalists for the 2026 Media Buying and Planning Awards on June 2, 2026. Notable nominees include Uber Advertising for a full-funnel holiday campaign for Diageo, the NFL and CBS/Paramount+ for the “Count on Sundays” 360-degree media plan, and WPP Media and Mazda for the docuseries “First to the Finish.” The article lists finalists across multiple categories (Media Campaign, Media Plan, Omnichannel, Connected TV, Retail Media, AI planning/search categories and more) and highlights campaign tactics and outcomes such as multi-channel activations, experiential events, streaming and OOH placements, and measured performance metrics (e.g., a 15% uplift in NFL opening weekend viewership; 16 million minutes watched for Mazda’s docuseries). The list illustrates industry trends toward omnichannel, audience-driven personalization, and integration of commerce and experiential activations.
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