Sports

New in 2027

About the Discipline

Sports

One Show Sports celebrates creativity that harnesses the unique power, culture and communities of sport. It recognizes ideas rooted in sport’s athletes, teams, fans, competition, rituals, live moments, data and cultural influence.

The discipline honors original thinking and exceptional execution that build distinctive brands, deepen connections with fans, expand participation, shape culture or advance sport itself. Its annual organizational honors recognize sustained creative achievement and impact across a body of work.
Inspiration from Past Winners

Entering Sports

Who should enter?

Sports Organizations
Teams, leagues, clubs, rights holders, and sporting bodies connecting with fans, athletes, or participants through creative work.

Sports Culture Collaborators
Athletes, creators, sponsors, agencies, and brands building ideas around the passions and behaviors of sporting communities.

Entrants of all types are welcome with qualifying work, from grassroots collaborators to established sports and entertainment businesses.

Entry Tips

Explain the sporting context and the fan or participant insight behind the idea. Show why the work belongs in that community and how the brand contributes to the experience.

Include the actual creative execution and evidence of audience response or participation. Make the role of sport clear beyond the presence of an athlete, sponsorship, or event association.


Good to Know

Entering

The same work may be entered into up to three (3) categories in Sports. Craft and Innovation categories are not included in this limit.

All work must have been client-commissioned and adhere to the terms for International Entries, Non-Compliance, and other One Show terms of entry.

Fees

The One Show continually strives to be equitable and continues to offer currency value adjustments for specific countries and regions to account for an unfair disadvantage from the value of their local currency in comparison to the US Dollar. Learn more.

Reduced fees are offered to approved Independent companies with less than four offices globally. Learn more about entering as an Indie.


One Show Categories

Sports work can also be entered into other One Show categories.

Each discipline is reviewed by a set of specialized judges, focusing on the specific characteristics and challenges highlighted by work in that discipline.

All One Show Categories
One Show Fees

Reviewed by Experts

The Jury

These entries will be reviewed by a jury of experts at the top of their field to determine the best Sports work of the past year.

Round 1: January – March
Round 2: late March
Discussion Round: early April

Learn more about judging and result announcement dates.

Meet the President

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[basic info, links to profile overlay]

Submission Requirements & Categories

ELIGIBILITY
Project must have launched between January 1, 2026 – March 5, 2027.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
All One Show entries require both information on the project and media.
Below is the information that is required for all entries, regardless of category. Refer to the individual categories for additional requirements.
NOTE: Entry information should not contain agency details, as judging is anonymous; this does not apply to self promotion or Brand-Side work.
NOTE: Do NOT use all capital letters when providing information.
NOTE: All fields are required and will be seen by the jury, unless otherwise noted.

  • Entry Title: Provide the name of the project, or the campaign name.
    NOTE: Do not put the category into the Entry Title.
  • Client / Brand: Who is the client on the project and/or what brand is it promoting?
  • Single or Series: Choose from: Single (1), Series (2+). Required only for categories that allow both Single and Series entries.
  • Client Type: Choose from: Consumer / Brand, Business to Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Non-Profit
  • Vertical Market: The specific industry to which the product or service relates. See the full list of options here.
  • Launch Date: The month and year in which the work first ran, aired, was published, etc.
  • Background: Describe the challenge presented, problem being addressed, cultural background, or other key components to the initial brief. (max 300 words)
  • Creative Idea: A summary of the creative idea behind the work. (max 300 words)
  • Insights & Strategy: The insights and strategy that informed the final work and its intended purpose. (max 300 words)
  • Execution: Explain critical elements of the final execution of the work including craft, placement, tone, and other specific aspects of the creation and implementation of the work. (max 300 words)
  • Results: The results or outcome of the work such as reach, response, engagement, sales, awareness, etc. (max 300 words, not required)
  • Translation to English: Required for all entries which are not originally in English.
    NOTE: Video entries should include subtitles when possible.
Each category accepts specific media types. For general file specifications, view the Submission Media page.
Media can be attached to your entry after your category is selected. Click the View Submission Requirements button on a category below for details.

Digital media will be saved into your account. Identical media will not need to be added more than once as it can be attached to entries from your Manage Media list.

SUBMISSION MEDIA
  • Judging Media: The primary material and content that the jury will be judging.
  • Supporting Media: Secondary material and content that the jury may review at their discretion.

REFERENCE IMAGES
  • ALL entries require high res digital reference images. These images will not be judged. However, they may be used by The One Show for promotional purposes.

ENTRY THUMBNAIL
  • Every entry requires a thumbnail image. The jury will see this for reference only, it will not be judged.
A Primary Credit is the only credit required to submit an entry.
NOTE: Credits do not need to be completed in order to submit entries. Credits may be added to a closed entry after it has been completed and judged.

Credits will be saved into your account. Identical credits will not need to be added more than once as they can be attached to entries from your Manage Credits list.

COMPANY
Company credits each require the following:
  • Company Name
  • Company City
  • Company Type is to be selected from the list provided.
    NOTE: "Other" can be selected, but will not be ranked.

INDIVIDUAL
Individual credits each require the following:
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Title is to be selected from the list provided.
    NOTE: "Other" can be selected, but will not be ranked.
  • Company / Company City is the company that this individual is associated with (optional)



CATEGORIES


SP_01
Sports Branding & Identity
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-10) of elements of an identity system for a sports brand, competition, business or initiative. Includes logo, business cards, branding guidelines, prospectus, etc.
Enter this Category

SP_02
Athlete Brand Building
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work that builds an athlete's own brand, business or public presence. Includes the combination of verbal, visual, emotional, and other tools to tell an athlete's brand narrative and to maintain and increase engagement.
Enter this Category

SP_03
Creative Sponsorship & Brand Partnerships
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2–5) of work where a sports sponsorship or partnership is utilized to amplify impact and/or cultural relevance.
NOTE: Entries must include all client/brand names involved in the work.
NOTE: All brands involved should also be listed under the full credits.
Enter this Category

SP_04
Athlete Partnerships & NIL
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work where an athlete's identity is central to the creative impact, includes collegiate name, image and likeness partnerships.
Enter this Category

SP_05
Merchandise & Product Collaborations
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of products created by two or more brands working together. Entries should demonstrate how the sports identity elevates functionality, design, or user experience while strengthening the brand connection.
Enter this Category

SP_06
Branded Entertainment & Storytelling
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work for which sport was used to create or enhance a brand narrative. Sport must have played an integral role in telling a brand's story.
Enter this Category

SP_07
Social & Creator-Led Creativity
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of social and/or creator-led sport content that leverages the power of social platforms to communicate the brand's message and engage its targeted audience.
NOTE: Entries must provide the social platform(s) used.
Enter this Category

SP_08
Sports Broadcasts & Streams
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work showcasing creative approaches to presenting live sport through broadcast and streaming, with originality in format, commentary, audience interaction or storytelling central to the achievement.
NOTE: For content videos longer than 5 minutes, The One Show reserves the right to stop the video at the 5-minute mark
Enter this Category

SP_09
Hype, Announcements & Reveals
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work created to build excitement and anticipation around a sporting moment, milestone or announcement.
Enter this Category

SP_10
Tune-In, Attendance & Season Launches
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work created specifically to motivate audiences to watch, attend or follow a sporting event, competition or season.
Enter this Category

SP_11
Events & Experiential
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of live, digital or hybrid experiences that connect audiences with sport, athletes or sports brands. Includes events, activations, installations and participatory experiences.
Enter this Category

SP_12
Gaming & Esports
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work that connects sports brands, properties or athletes with audiences through games, gaming communities or competitive gaming.
Enter this Category

SP_13
Fan Engagement & Loyalty
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work that deepens the relationship between fans and a team, league or sports brand over time. Entries should demonstrate participation beyond passive viewership.
Enter this Category

SP_14
Creative Use of Media & Platforms
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of work for a sports-related brand, product, service, or message that explores creative placement, positioning, timing, or other innovative use of media to reach the target audience and push the discipline forward.
NOTE: Entries must include a written explanation of the innovative and transformative aspects of the media use and placement.
Enter this Category

SP_15
Creative Use of Data
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of sports-led work in which data played an integral role in its development and execution.
NOTE: Entries must provide the area(s) in which data played a crucial role and how it was used.
Enter this Category

SP_16
Creative Use of Technology
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

Specialized digital technologies applied to a single (1) or series (2-5) of work for a sports brand, product, service, or message. Includes the use of AI technologies.
NOTE: No special equipment will be used for judging. The required submission media must showcase the technology.
Enter this Category

SP_17
Impact Through Sport
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

A single (1) or series (2-5) of sports-led advertising that creates a positive change by addressing a pressing social, environmental, or cultural challenge and that benefits a larger purpose than the brand.
Enter this Category

SP_18
Most Creative Organization in Sport
Advance Deadline Fee: $825.00

Recognizes a team, league, governing body, collegiate athletics program, or other sports organization demonstrating exceptional creativity across a body of work over the past year.
Enter this Category

SP_19
Most Creative Brand in Sport
Advance Deadline Fee: $825.00

Recognizes a brand demonstrating exceptional creativity across its involvement in sport over the past year.
Enter this Category

SP_20
Sports Impact Leader
Advance Deadline Fee: $650.00

Recognizes a brand or organization that has created and sustained positive sports-related impact through campaigns or initiatives over time.
Enter this Category