OBIE Awards 2026 to Debut as a Standalone Event During Out of Home New York Week

The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) has announced a major shift for the OBIE Awards, one of the most respected creative honors in the out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry. Starting in 2026, the awards will be held as a standalone celebration during Out of Home New York Week, highlighting the growing influence and creative impact of the OOH sector.

According to Anna Bager, the OBIE Awards represent the innovative ideas that define the strength of out-of-home advertising. She emphasized that OOH remains one of the last true mass media platforms and continues to inspire bold creativity. When a campaign succeeds in the OOH space, it often resonates across multiple channels.

The 2026 OBIE Awards ceremony will take place on October 15, 2026, at the iconic Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Hosting the event at this world-renowned cultural institution signals a renewed focus on creativity and artistic expression within the OOH industry.

For more than eight decades, the OBIE Awards have recognized groundbreaking out-of-home campaigns that transform public spaces into powerful storytelling platforms. From city streets to towering skylines, award-winning campaigns have turned everyday environments into immersive brand experiences.

The 2026 edition will introduce updated award categories and refined judging criteria designed to reflect how the industry has evolved. The focus will be on creative concepts that transcend traditional formats, delivering cultural impact and memorable brand experiences.

In 2025, the top OBIE honor went to The Coca-Cola Company for a campaign that highlighted how timeless creativity can be amplified through large-scale OOH placements. The campaign reinforced the idea that even in today’s fragmented media landscape, impactful ideas thrive when they appear in the real world.

This year’s awards will recognize excellence across several areas, including brand storytelling, experiential campaigns, craftsmanship, public service messaging, innovation, and breakthrough ideas that redefine the possibilities of out-of-home advertising.

As brands increasingly focus on campaigns that earn attention rather than interrupt audiences, OOH continues to stand out as a medium capable of delivering highly visible, shareable, and culturally relevant experiences.

Submissions for the 2026 OBIE Awards are now open to agencies, brands, media owners, production companies, and creative innovators whose campaigns were executed during the eligibility period. A respected jury of industry leaders, marketers, and creative professionals will evaluate the entries.

The upcoming ceremony promises to celebrate the ideas that not only shape the OOH industry but also influence the broader advertising and cultural landscape.