How the Effie judging process works: from Round 1 to the Grand Round

‘It all depends on who ends up judging my entry’ – this is one of the most common myths about the Effies.

In reality, the judging process is designed to minimise the role of chance as much as possible and ensure that the assessment is objective. Each entry goes through several independent rounds of judging, is reviewed by dozens of experts, and the final decision never depends on the opinion of a single person.

First round: each case study is assessed individually

In the first round, entries are reviewed by independent judging panels comprising leading marketers, top managers from communications and media agencies, advertising and communications agencies, media experts, consultants, independent experts, and representatives from research companies and the education sector.

One important distinction: at this stage, the case studies do not compete against one another. Each entry is assessed on its own merits, without being compared to other entries in the category. If a case study scores a sufficient number of points, it is awarded finalist status.

Why are different judging panels used in each round?

The organisers put together judging panels to ensure they represent a range of professional expertise and experience. This approach allows entries to be assessed from various perspectives: marketing strategy, creative concept, media planning, business results and execution.

Each round is judged by a new panel of judges. This is one of the most important principles of Effie. Entries that successfully pass the first stage are then assessed by a different panel of experts, who judge them independently of the previous round. This approach minimises the impact of individual subjective opinions.

How does Effie ensure impartiality?

All assessments are made anonymously and confidentially. One of Effie’s key principles is the absence of conflicts of interest.

If a judge has any connection to an entry – whether they worked on it, represent the client company or the agency that submitted the case – they do not take part in its assessment.

All judges also follow Effie's standardised international methodology and adhere to the same judging criteria.

The Final: when Finalists Compete Head-to-Head 

It is only in the second round that finalists are judged against one another within their own category.

It is at this stage that the winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Effie awards are determined. However, even finalist status or a high score in the previous round does not guarantee an award. If, in the second round, an entry does not reach the required score that meets or exceeds the judging scale, it remains a finalist, and sometimes an entire category is left without a winner.

Grand Jury: The Final Decision

Once the gold winners have been determined, the third stage begins – the Grand Jury session. It is here that, from among the year’s best case studies, a single Grand Prix winner is selected – the award for the year's most effective marketing campaign.

That is why winning an Effie is never the result of a single judge's opinion, but rather the outcome of passing through several independent stages of professional evaluation.

Entries for Effie Awards Ukraine 2026 are still open. The next entry deadline is 31 August. 

This article is part of the Effie Backstage special project, supported by our General Partner, Kernel. We’re sharing the story of Effie and giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how the awards work, so that we can grow the future of Ukrainian marketing together.