DMA Talent Marketing Challenge 2025 Entry Guidelines and Terms and Conditions

Entering the Challenge

• The Promoter of this Challenge is DMA Talent.
• By submitting your entry, you give DMA Talent the right to securely send your application to external judges.
• You agree that all work is created by the team members with no input from a third party.
• The word of DMA Talent is final in respect of the result.
• Entries must be in compliance with the DMA Code and the CAP Code.
• Closing date for entries is Monday 2 June 2025 at 23:59.
• Entrants must be UK residents and full-time students, studying any subject. You do not need to obtain permission from your course lecturer to enter. This competition is not for people who are already working in, or teaching marketing, even if you are also studying.
• This is a team competition. Minimum of 3 people per team with a maximum of 6 per team. More than one team is permitted to enter from the same educational institution.
• Only one entry per team to be submitted. Multiple entries from the same team will be disqualified. Individuals can only be part of one team.
• Entries are to be submitted online via the entry form on the DMA website before the closing date specified.
• Your team's name should be stated at the top of your pdf document BUT NOT the name of your university.
• DMA Talent does not hold responsibility for lost, damaged or incomplete entries which are lost due to transmission problems.
• All entrants must be over the age of 18.​

Submission requirements

To enter the competition, please submit the following:

1) Your full campaign document.

2) A summary of your campaign, to include;
> Summary of key findings from your primary or secondary research and how you've used them in your campaign.
> Persona of your target audience and why you've chosen them.
> The campaign “big idea” and some examples of your creative execution.
> Overview of your multichannel communication plan, which explains your media choices, including your Gantt chart/promotional schedule and what you'll test.
> Budget breakdown and the ROI you believe this campaign will achieve for the client.

Please keep your summary succinct and visually appealing – it should capture the audience and keep them engaged! (We would suggest a maximum of 10 presentation slides).

The summary will be the first thing the judges see and will form the basis of the first stage of the competition. It should grab your audience i.e. the client, from the outset and should invite them to look at your full campaign document.

Judging Process

• Judging criteria is based on the most creative and effective response to the brief.
• DMA Talent are not obliged to give individual feedback from the judges regarding any entry.
• The judging will review all summary documents, and then decide on a longlist of submissions for further review of their full campaign documents.
• The judges will decide on a shortlist of around four teams, who they will invite to pitch to Costa Coffee in London in early July 2025.
• The shortlisted teams will be notified by phone and email if they are successful by 13 June 2025. Successful teams will also be posted on the website.
• The winning team will be selected after the client has seen all pitches and announced on the DMA Talent website.

Promotion

• The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the challenge and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible.
• If you are one of the finalists, you agree to your pitch material being used for promotional purposes by The Data and Marketing Association (UK) Limited (DMA), registered company (England) number 2667995, limited by guarantee.
• The winners agree to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winners, or any other entrants, will be used solely in accordance with current [UK] data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.