The Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards (UMEAS) have received the highest number of entries ever, from top brands and agencies, ahead of the 5th anniversary of the annual awards gala, slated for December 11, at Kampala Serena Hotel.
This year presents a two-in one experience for the UMEAS; running under the theme `Promoting sustainable Marketing Excellence,’ the UMEAS shall kickoff with the first ever State of Marketing Address, that will later lead to the 5th edition of the annual awards gala.
According to Paul Businge, a Co-founder of Evolve Africa, the 2025 UMEAs have received the highest number of entries since the awards inception in 2021.
“We have received over 200 entries from over 70 brands, across the UMEAS 13 categories. This year has also realized a significant number of entries from new brands and agencies that have submitted for the first time,” Businge said.
The entries are spread across the UMEAS 13 award categories, that shall have top brands compete for bragging rights on who had the best campaign idea, execution, and impact in terms of return on marketing investment, for the period running from November 2024 to October 2025.
“We have received better entries in terms of entrants sharing quality write ups, and most importantly, most submissions followed our 2025 judging/nomination criteria, Businge noted.
Come December 11th, the UMEAS awards gala will see outstanding organizations and individuals recognized and celebrated for their remarkable contributions to the growth of the marketing sector in the year 2025.
All submissions shall be assessed by a six-member Marketing council panel that comprises renowned industry professionals, who were cherry picked based on leadership, contribution towards the profession, experience, and academic qualifications, who will not only oversee the entire nomination process of the 13 categories this year, but also select the winners.
Finalists are expected to be announced on December 1st, 2025, followed by public voting for the seven public vote categories, that will end on December 10th.
The public vote shall count for 40%, while the Marketing Council shall hold 60% stake in the overall decision. All winners will be announced at the black-tie awards gala, in presence of all participants and industry leaders.
This year’s UMEAS will start earlier than ever before, with The State of Marketing Address, slated for 2pm to 4:30 pm. The event will bring together industry leaders, to analyze the current state of the marketing sector, as well as extrapolate on the latest trends.
The State of Marketing Address masterclass will be based on the State of Marketing Report 2025, a key document that will feature current key industry statistics and insights.
The black-tie UMEAS awards gala will start at 6pm, and will go on till late.
Tickets to the event are going for Shs 2.5m, for a corporate table, while individual tickets for both events go for Shs 200k, and can be booked on 0703115242 / 0772358292.
The UMEAS @5 edition is sponsored by I&M Bank, NBS, Afromobile, Nexcom, UBL, Centenary Bank, NSSF, Crown Beverages Ltd, Equity Bank, New Vision, Kampala Serena Hotel, Datamine Business School, Women in Marketing, Matooke Republic, Kadanke Brand House, Radiocity97FM and Marketer Media.
