The maiden edition of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Special Recognition Awards (ASRA), has been slated for October 23, 2026 with the theme, “An Evening of Many Honours”. At the event, deserving individuals, brands, organisations and industry practitioners would be recognised across four major categories: Advertising Compliance, Public Sector, Private Sector and Individual Recognition.

Nominations for the awards opened on August 31 and close on September 13, while submission of supporting evidence starts September 14 to 19, with voting commencing September 20 to 27.

Speaking at a press briefing to unveil the award, Director-General of ARCON, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, said the initiative was initially conceived to recognise compliance but was expanded to accommodate other important contributions to the advertising sector.

Noting that regulation and compliance is critical to ARCON’s mandate, he said recognising good work could also encourage responsible practice .

And greater commitment to professional standards. Fadolapo stated that the awards underscore ARCON’s commitment to the growth of the industry, as the Council is committed to strengthen the marketing communication sector.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the ASRA Planning Committee, Yinka Adebayo, said the awards would be presented under four broad categories. He stated that the Advertising Compliance Category will recognise advertisers, brands and practitioners that demonstrate exemplary compliance with advertising standards and adherence to the industry’s vetting process.

The category will cover 16 sectors, including food; hotels, restaurants and cafés; alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages; aviation and automobiles; fintech; banking and insurance; betting; computers, mobile devices and electronics; telecommunications; commerce and retail; education; real estate; healthcare services; home and personal care; and entertainment.

The Public Sector Recognition category will cover grassroots engagement and community mobilisation, stakeholder engagement for public service delivery, public information campaigns, social impact communication, culture and heritage promotion, responsible influencer engagement and digital public communication.

The Private Sector Recognition category will cover SME engagement and consumer mobilisation, customer response management, sponsorship marketing, corporate social responsibility and social impact communication, brand reinvention and innovation, creative use of culture in communication and Pride in Origin.

The Individual Recognition category will honour professionals and pioneers who have contributed significantly to the development of the marketing communications industry through the Sectoral Frontrunner Awards, Industry Lifetime Contribution Awards and Distinguished Service Recognition Awards.

The President, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), LanreAdisa, said recognising good work would create greater visibility for the advertising industry aside encouraging practitioners.

President, Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Brenda Nwangwu, and Publicity Secretary of the Out-of-Home Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (OAAN), Babs Fagade, who represented the association’s President, also expressed support for the initiative.

Tolaram Group, the initiative platinum sponsor, said it supported the awards because of its commitment to creativity, professionalism, integrity and excellence.