Shortlist revealed for 2026 Talent Trailblazer Award
Five companies have been shortlisted for The Talent Trailblazer Award, which recognises efforts to broaden access to the industry.
· Marketing WeekBy Marketing Week Reporters 1 Oct 2026 7:00 am
Marketing Week and the Advertising Association have announced the shortlist for the 2026 Talent Trailblazer Award.
The free-to-enter award spotlights the efforts of individuals and organisations to open up the marketing industry to new talent, particularly those who may not have considered the sector as a career option previously.
The shortlisted nominees for the 2026 Talent Trailblazer Award are:
- BrandMe for Beyond and Helping Hands
- The Marketing Academy for BeTheOne
- Media Lab for The Talent Trailblazer
- Sky Media for Shine
- VCCP for Challenger Academy
All the schemes intend to broaden access to the marketing industry and take different forms, from work experience schemes and mentorships to staging live briefs and pitches.
BrandMe by Beyond and Helping Hands helps design students break into the industry as professional designers by running tailored university talks. Students are also challenged with a live brief to apply the skills they’ve learnt in a professional context, reflecting the realities of agency life. The overall winner from across the four participating universities was awarded a one-month internship at BrandMe.
The Marketing Academy’s BeTheOne launched with a goal to increase social mobility in marketing. The free, one-day employability bootcamp helps young people find their fit in marketing, grow their confidence and make the connections to start their career, looking specifically at how to get those from low-income backgrounds into the industry. Agencies and brands, such as Lego and Snap, host and co-deliver on the day, with volunteer marketers also participating.
Media Lab identified a specific need to focus on underrepresented groups, particularly ethnic minority, disabled and working-class talent. The company has hosted students through the IPA’s Advertising Unlocked initiative and offered internal mentoring for all entry-level employees, as well as championing employee-led communities. Media Lab’s bootcamp with WYK Digital – which so far has spanned eight cohorts – helps young people from underrepresented groups overcome barriers to work and includes a ‘soft-skills’ accelerator.
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Run as a six-month leadership programme for colleagues from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, Shine by Sky Media aims to create a sustainable leadership pipeline. High-potential colleagues are provided with executive sponsorship, strategic exposure, practical leadership experiences and stronger professional networks. The programme pairs participants with members of the Sky Media executive team and surveys them throughout the process.
VCCP’s Challenger Academy is an eight-week work experience programme looking to tackle severe accessibility and social diversity shortages in the creative industries. Initially run for post-16 students across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, Challenger Academy has now expanded to Nottingham, with VCCP and OLIVER providing industry mentors, and partnerships with Music Venue Trust and regional educational institutions strengthening the programme.
The 2025 Talent Trailblazer Award was won by the Neverland Flying Academy. The scheme offers eight young people access to a six-week paid internship programme, which provides exposure to the agency’s creative, strategy, production and client service teams. Many of the interns go on to work in the industry.
The winner of the 2026 Talent Trailblazer Award will be announced at the Marketing Week Awards ceremony on 19 November. At the same time, the winners of the categories in the Marketing Week Awards, in partnership with Ozone, will be announced.