Recognizing Leadership, Achievement, and Contribution
The American Advertising and Marketing Association recognizes individuals whose work, ideas, leadership, and service have made a meaningful contribution to advertising, marketing, media, education, and the wider professional community.
AAMA Awards are intended to recognize more than visibility or commercial success. They celebrate people whose work helps move the profession forward, strengthens the communities around it, or contributes to a deeper understanding of advertising and marketing.
Person of the Year
The AAMA Person of the Year is the Association’s principal individual recognition. It honors a person whose professional work, leadership, ideas, public contributions, or service have had a meaningful impact during the year and reflect the broader values and interests of the advertising and marketing community.
The recognition originated with AAMA’s predecessor organizations and continues as part of the American Advertising and Marketing Association. As the Association grows, Person of the Year will remain an important part of its awards program and institutional history.
2025 Person of the Year
Tony Torres
Author and consultant Tony Torres was named Person of the Year during the 2025 ceremony that formally brought together the North American Advertising and Marketing Alliance, Central American Advertising and Marketing Alliance, and South American Advertising and Marketing Alliance into the American Advertising and Marketing Alliance.
The recognition marked an important moment in the history of the organization as the three regional alliances became a unified professional body. In 2026, that organization became the American Advertising and Marketing Association.
What AAMA Recognizes
Advertising and marketing are shaped by people working across many disciplines, from creative and strategy to research, media, education, technology, leadership, and public communication. AAMA’s recognition programs are designed to reflect the breadth of the profession and the many different ways individuals and organizations can contribute to it.
Future awards may recognize achievement in areas such as professional leadership, creative work, research, education, innovation, service, historical contribution, emerging talent, and other areas important to the continued development of advertising and marketing.
A Growing Awards Program
AAMA is developing an archive documenting current and past recipients of Association honors. The archive will preserve the history of AAMA recognition programs while providing a record of the individuals whose work and contributions have been acknowledged by the Association.
As those awards are introduced, this page will serve as the central location for award information, deadlines, eligibility, nominations, recipients, and archives of past honorees.
Awards Archive
AAMA is developing an archive documenting current and past recipients of Association honors. The archive will preserve the history of AAMA recognition programs while providing a record of the individuals whose work and contributions have been acknowledged by the Association.
Nominations and Future Awards
Information about nominations, eligibility, deadlines, judging, and future award categories will be published as each program is introduced.
Members and visitors are encouraged to follow AAMA News and subscribe to the AAMA newsletter for announcements regarding new awards and nomination periods.