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Call for Entries Deadline: July 18, 2025

Recognizing the best in visual creativity and virtual experiences

Ragan’s Video, Visual & Virtual Awards honors the storytellers and experience-makers who captivate audiences through bold visuals and unforgettable content. This awards program recognizes excellence in videography, design, animation, virtual events and more.

Whether you’re producing show-stopping videos, crafting compelling visual designs or hosting virtual events that inform and bring people together, this is your opportunity to be recognized for your creativity and innovation. We celebrate the organizations, agencies, individuals and teams that are setting the standard for creative communications.

Winning this award places your work in front of the industry’s top minds and proves your ability to inspire, inform and engage. Winners will be featured across Ragan’s platforms.

Submit your most impressive videos, visual designs or virtual events for recognition alongside the industry’s best work. The deadline to enter is July 18—don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your standout work.

CATEGORIES

AWARDS OF DISTINCTION

 Best Overall Video

This honors standout video that captivated its audience and delivered exceptional storytelling, creativity and purpose. It should reflect the highest standard of visual communication, whether internal or external.

 Virtual Event of the Year

This recognizes a virtual event that successfully engaged, informed or inspired its target audience—internal or external. Judges will look for innovation, successful execution and clear communications outcomes.

 Visual Design of the Year

This award goes to the most compelling and cohesive visual design that elevated a message or brand experience. Entries should showcase outstanding creativity, clarity and effectiveness.

VIDEO CATEGORIES

 AI - Use of

This honors the innovative use of artificial intelligence to enhance video creation, storytelling or personalization. Show us how AI elevated your content’s creativity or efficiency.

 Animated Video

This category recognizes a video that uses animation to creatively communicate a message or simplify complex topics. Judges will look for originality, clarity and visual engagement.

 Augmented or Virtual Reality Video

This celebrates immersive AR or VR video experiences that deliver dynamic storytelling or training. Entries should demonstrate strong interactivity and strategic alignment with comms goals.

 B2B Video

This honors a video targeted to a business audience that successfully communicates value, expertise or solutions. Entries should clearly resonate with B2B buyers, partners or stakeholders.

 B2C Video

Recognizes a video aimed at consumers that drives awareness, engagement or action. Show how your video connected with your audience while reinforcing your brand.

 Beauty, Fashion or Lifestyle Video

Honors a video that highlights trends, products or culture in a compelling and visually polished way. Entries should align with brand values while captivating the target audience.

 Cause-Related Video

This celebrates a powerful video that champions a social cause or nonprofit mission. Judges will look for emotional impact, authenticity and measurable influence.

 Celebrity/Influencer Video

Recognizes the strategic use of a public figure to tell a story, promote a message or build credibility. Entries should highlight alignment between the influencer and brand goals.

 Company Overview Video

Honors a video that introduces or reintroduces your organization with clarity, energy and purpose. This may be used for onboarding, external branding or investor relations.

 DE&I Video

This celebrates a video that showcases your organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The content should educate, inspire and reinforce inclusive culture.

 Documentary

Recognizes a video that explores a topic, mission or story in depth. Entries should reflect journalistic integrity, emotional resonance and strong narrative flow.

 Educational Video

This honors content designed to teach or explain a topic, product or process. Judges will look for clarity, structure and audience relevance.

 Employer Branding Video

Recognizes a video that highlights company culture, values and opportunities to attract top talent. The best entries will leave viewers saying, “I want to work there.”

 Employee Engagement

This category honors video content that strengthens internal culture and boosts team morale. Whether fun, heartfelt or informative, entries should build connection and community.

 Financial Services and Banking Video

Celebrates video work that makes complex financial topics understandable and engaging. Entries should balance clarity, compliance and creativity.

 Health & Wellness Video

Tell us about your wellness initiative, health care institution, health related cause or study. How did your video help build awareness around the great work you’re doing? Share your strategy for creating a health care video that delivered results.

 Humorous Video

This honors video content that uses humor to make an impression, explain a concept or engage viewers. Judges will look for cleverness, tone and shareability.

 Informational Video

Recognizes videos designed to communicate facts, updates or insights clearly and concisely. Entries should balance detail with viewer engagement.

 Inspirational Video

This honors a video that uplifts, motivates or celebrates achievements. Judges will look for emotional impact and storytelling excellence.

 Instructional/How-To Video

Recognizes a step-by-step video that teaches a task or concept effectively. The best entries will be both easy to follow and enjoyable to watch.

 Internal Communications Video

Honors a video created for internal audiences that improves communication, reinforces strategy or celebrates your people. Show how your video strengthened team connection.

 Interview or Profile

Celebrates a standout interview or spotlight on an individual or team that brings insight, authenticity and depth. Entries should reflect strong production and storytelling.

 Live Video

This category recognizes a live-streamed or live-recorded video that engages viewers in real time. Judges will look for smooth execution, energy and audience response.

 Long-Form Video (3 Minutes or Longer)

Honors videos that use extended time to tell a compelling, in-depth story or deliver complex messaging. Entries should engage audiences and demonstrate narrative structure.

 Marketing Video

Recognizes a video that drives awareness, demand or brand loyalty. The most effective entries will align content with marketing goals.

 Nonprofit Video

This honors video storytelling for nonprofit organizations that communicates mission, impact and need. Judges will look for clarity and actionability.

 Product or Service Video

Celebrates a video that clearly explains and promotes a product or service offering. Entries should balance features with benefits and visual appeal.

 Public Health Video

Honors videos that communicate vital health information in a compelling and accessible way. Show how your video helped inform and protect your audience.

 Public Relations Video

Recognizes a video that supports a larger PR campaign, shaping perception or managing reputation. Entries should demonstrate message control and audience impact.

 Public Service Video

This celebrates videos that serve the public interest or promote social good. Judges will look for clarity and results.

 Recruitment Video

Honors a video designed to attract new talent by showcasing your employer brand and opportunities. Entries should be authentic, energizing and aligned with your hiring goals.

 Science & Technology Video

Recognizes videos that simplify and humanize technical or scientific content. Show us how you made the complex engaging and digestible.

 Shoestring Video (Under $300)

This award goes to a brilliant video created with little to no budget. Entries must prove that great storytelling doesn’t require big spending.

 Short-Form Video (Less than 3 Minutes)

Honors a concise and powerful video that gets the message across fast. Entries should demonstrate high impact in a short timeframe.

 Sizzle Reel

Recognizes fast-paced, energetic videos that promote an event, campaign or initiative. Show how your sizzle reel earned attention and generated excitement.

 Social Impact Video

Honors video content that advocates for meaningful change and leaves a lasting impression. Judges will look for authenticity, purpose and emotional pull.

 Social Media Video

Celebrates a video created specifically for social media platforms that drives engagement and shares. Entries should reflect platform-native creativity and concise messaging.

 Sports or Outdoor Video

This category honors high-energy, visually striking videos related to athletics or outdoor experiences. Judges will look for pace, visuals and audience engagement.

 TikTok Video

Recognizes an entry created specifically for TikTok that leverages trends, creativity and storytelling. Show how you spoke the language of the platform to connect with viewers.

 Travel, Hospitality or Tourism Video

Honors video content that showcases destinations, experiences or services in the travel space. Entries should inspire viewers and promote exploration.

 User-Generated Content

Celebrates videos created by employees, customers or community members that authentically support your brand or campaign. Show how you activated your audience as storytellers.

 Video Series

This honors a collection of related videos that maintain quality and narrative consistency across episodes. Entries should demonstrate strategic planning and execution.

 Video Team of the Year

Recognizes the creative minds behind your organization’s most impactful videos. Judges will look for quality, innovation and collaboration across multiple projects.

 YouTube Video

This category celebrates a video created for or hosted on YouTube that successfully engages, informs or inspires. Entries should align with the platform’s tone, reach and potential.

 Other

Something we missed? Use this category if your standout video doesn’t fit elsewhere. Tell us why your work deserves to be recognized.

VISUAL DESIGN CATEGORIES

 AI – Use of

Celebrates the use of artificial intelligence to support or enhance your visual design work. Show how AI added speed, scale or creativity to your process.

 Editing

This honors masterful editing that enhances the story and elevates the overall viewing experience. Judges will look for seamless transitions, narrative flow and creative polish.

 Illustration or Animated Design

Recognizes original illustrations or animated visuals that bring content to life in a unique and engaging way. Entries should showcase consistency and alignment with brand or message.

 Infographic

Celebrates visual storytelling that distills data or complex information into a clear, engaging and easily digestible design. The best entries blend form and function beautifully.

 Interactive Content

Honors visual experiences that encourage users to engage, explore or respond. Entries should show how interactivity deepened understanding or strengthened audience connection.

 Internal Communications Design

Recognizes visually compelling materials created to inform, engage or inspire internal audiences. Whether digital or print, show us how your design supported culture and communication goals.

 Marketing Design

This category honors the strategic use of visual design in marketing materials—from digital ads to sales collateral. Entries should drive brand recognition and campaign performance.

 Motion Graphics

Recognizes animated graphic design that adds energy and sophistication to your messaging. Entries should demonstrate technical expertise and creative spark.

 Photography

Honors stunning photography used in marketing, internal communications or branding. Entries should evoke emotion, reinforce messaging and exhibit strong visual composition.

 Print Design

Recognizes printed communications—posters, brochures, postcards and more—that leave a lasting visual impression. Judges will look for compelling layout and originality.

 Publication Design

This honors the layout and visual storytelling of digital or print magazines, reports or newsletters. Entries should reflect strong editorial alignment and visual consistency.

 User-Generated Content

Honors compelling visual designs created by employees, customers or community members. Entries should reflect authenticity, enthusiasm and alignment with your messaging.

 Visual Design Team of the Year

Recognizes a team whose visual work has consistently raised the bar across projects or campaigns. Entries should highlight collaboration, innovation and measurable impact.

 Website Design

This category celebrates an intuitive, visually compelling and well-branded website or landing pages. Judges will evaluate layout, navigation, aesthetics and user experience.

 Other

Something we missed? Choose this category for work that doesn’t fit any other design category—but still deserves to be celebrated. Be sure to explain your project’s unique value and results.

VIRTUAL EVENT CATEGORIES

 Community Engagement Event

Honors a virtual event that successfully connected, informed or mobilized a community—internal or external. Entries should highlight participation, inclusivity and meaningful outcomes.

 External Stakeholder Event

Recognizes a virtual experience created for customers, clients, media, investors or the public. Judges will look for seamless execution, strategic content and audience value.

 Internal Stakeholder Event

This honors a virtual event that engaged employees, leadership or other internal audiences with purpose and impact. Whether a town hall, celebration or training, show how it strengthened culture and connection.

HOW TO ENTER

Awards Criteria

On the entry form, be sure to include a thorough synopsis explaining the purpose and scope of your project. We ask that the synopsis be 350-900 words and include the following sub-headings (when applicable):

  • Goals
  • Strategy and tactics
  • Execution
  • Evaluation: success, results or ROI

Be sure to follow the guidelines laid out in the category descriptions, as the judges will look for those elements when they select the winners.

You will be able to upload additional documents to your submission. We encourage you to include press releases, design concepts, videos, analytics, testimonials and anything else you feel will give us a better sense of your project. Proprietary or internal information can also be attached and will not be shared with the public.

ENTER

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The award program is open to in-house teams, agencies and individual practitioners in the private, corporate, nonprofit and government sectors. Vendors may also submit their work or their client’s work. Enter your work, the work of your organization or submit entries on behalf of your clients.

Companies from around the world are welcome to enter as long as the entry is submitted in English.

Contact Barbara Kanady to find the perfect category for your campaign or project. You can email her at barbarak@ragan.com. 

This year’s program is open to any work executed between July 1, 2024, and July 18, 2025, inclusive.

ENTRY FEES

The fee for this program is $550 per entry into standard categories, and $600 per entry into Awards of Distinction categories.

A late fee of $325 per entry will be added to all entries received after 11:59 p.m. Central time, July 18, 2025.

Do you have a campaign or project you'd like to enter into multiple categories? Pay the original entry fee, and then only $250 for each additional category!

All entries are non-returnable and non-refundable.

W-9 Form / Tax ID Number Request

Frequently Asked Questions

WHY SHOULD I APPLY?
Our Video, Visual & Virtual Awards help you measure the success of your work and prove the value of your contributions to your organization or clients. As a winner, you’ll earn publicity for your brand across our websites and social media audiences, a custom write-up about your work and a trophy. Here are a few of the many reasons to enter your work:
  • Showcase Creative Excellence: Gain recognition for your standout work in video production, visual design and virtual experiences that captivate audiences and drive engagement.
  • Elevate Your Brand and Team: Winning highlights your team’s innovation and storytelling power, enhancing your organization’s reputation as a leader in communications.
  • Gain Industry-Wide Visibility: Finalists and winners are celebrated across Ragan’s influential platforms, putting your work in front of top industry professionals, peers and potential collaborators.
WHO CAN ENTER THESE AWARDS?
Entries may be submitted by organizations and agencies worldwide. Entries must be submitted in English. The program is open to in-house, agency, independent communication practitioners and vendors in the private, corporate, nonprofit and government sectors.
CAN I ENTER TWO OR MORE CATEGORIES?
YES! In fact, we encourage you to submit your applications in multiple categories. Each category is judged discreetly, and discounted pricing applies to your 2nd category and beyond. This also increases your chances of winning.
WHAT DO THE JUDGES LOOK FOR IN ENTRIES?
Judges look for top-quality work that shows clear, bold and creative ideas that benefit your business or client. Please provide metrics or results that support your claims, and share creative collateral such as videos, visual design or websites that were a part of your project. Please look at our past award winners to see what gets recognized and rewarded.
WHY ARE SOME DEADLINES EXTENDED?
We extend deadlines based on applicant needs and upcoming promotional opportunities.
WHEN WILL I FIND OUT RESULTS?
We try to announce a list of finalists eight to twelve weeks after the close of the program. The announcement of the winners comes about four weeks after the announcement of the finalists. Each announcement will be made with a headline on our website, in our daily email newsletter and on our social media platforms. Emails notify entrants in advance of these announcements. As deadlines are extended, so are expected announcement dates.

Additional Questions

If you have any questions about the program or problems submitting your entry, please email Barbara Kanady at barbarak@ragan.com. 

Sponsorship Opportunities

If you are interested in sponsoring one of Ragan Communications’ award programs, please contact Morgan Einspanier at MorganE@ragan.com. 

Ragan Communications is not responsible for international shipping fees related to trophies or certificates.