European Sponsorship Awards 2025: The Winners
The 2025 European Sponsorship Awards celebrated some of the most innovative and impactful sponsorship campaigns of the year, with brands from across Europe recognised for work that spanned sport, culture, social purpose, and technology.
Leading the night was Gjensidige, whose "The Breathing Space" campaign — created in partnership with the Palmesus beach festival — took home a record five awards, including the coveted Sponsorship of the Year. The campaign, aimed at supporting mental health among young people, was lauded for its life-saving impact and creative approach, including generating nearly 700 mental health referrals through on-site activations.
Gjensidige Head of Sponsorship Stian Grøstad said:
“Sponsorship is a lot of things, but one of our greatest priorities is social responsibility. And this is an amazing example of just this, where a festival sponsorship became a project that all Gjensidige employees are proud to be a part of.”
Gjensidige’s wins included:
- Sponsorship with a Social Purpose < €250k
- Best Use of Content < €500k
- Music Sponsorship
- Arts & Culture Sponsorship (Small to Medium Scale)
- And finally, Sponsorship of the Year
Beyond Gjensidige, a wide range of brands stood out for campaigns that combined creativity, purpose, and audience engagement:
Sport and social purpose take the spotlight
Three picked up two awards for its #TalkMoreThanFootball campaign, including Best Use of Talent > €500k and Sponsorship with a Social Purpose > €1M, using football partnerships to spark meaningful conversations about mental health.
Bupa also emerged as a multi-award winner for its "Picture of Health" campaign, taking home trophies in both Best Use of PR < €500k and Best Use of Talent < €500k, showing how healthcare messaging can be delivered through impactful sponsorship activations.
In sport, Komatsu & Williams Racing claimed Sport Sponsorship > €5M for "Creating Value Together", while Guinness took home Sport Sponsorship €1M-€5M for its clever "Don’t Jinx It" campaign.
Energia, Core & Irish Rugby were recognised in Sport Sponsorship < €1M for "Think of the Possibilities", while Toyota and ParalympicsGB’s "Every Body Moves" was awarded for its social purpose-driven approach.
New voices and diverse partnerships
Newly introduced Equality, Diversity & Inclusion categories highlighted brands driving positive change, with Just Eat winning for its Pride initiative and Royal London celebrated for becoming the Lions Women’s Founding Partner.
Cato Networks and Porsche Formula E claimed Best Use of Cutting-edge Technology, while TeamViewer's SheSportTech activation took Best Use of Content > €500k, highlighting how technology continues to redefine sponsorship.
In the arts and cultural sectors, Cathay and LW Theatres won Arts & Culture Sponsorship (Medium to Large Scale) for "Staging Extraordinary Customer Experiences", while Londis picked up Media Sponsorship for its partnership with Ireland’s Fittest Family.
Leading agencies and events recognised
WeAreFearless was named Agency of the Year, reclaiming its spot as one of Europe’s most creative sponsorship agencies, while Ryder Cup Europe was awarded Rights Holder of the Year.
The Smirnoff Collective Stage won Event of the Year, showcasing innovation in music and live experiences.
Pan-European recognition
The awards also highlighted outstanding campaigns from across the continent. Ireland retained Best of Europe Gold for An Post Irish Book Awards: “Centre Stage”, while the UK’s Google Pixel: Pixel FC and the Netherlands' Philips & PSV Eindhoven & Sanquin: Blood Relatives secured Silver and Bronze, respectively.
Other standout winners included:
- Vattenfall x HAVU for Esports & Gaming Sponsorship
- ALL x SailGP for Environmentally Sustainable Sponsorship
- FedEx for Best Use of PR > €500k with UEFA Champions League Trophy
- Sanofi for Best Employee Engagement through its Olympic partnership
Full list of 2025 winners
- Gjensidige: Sponsorship of the Year
- WeAreFearless: Agency of the Year
- Gjensidige: Arts & Culture Sponsorship – Small to Medium Scale
- LW Theatres & Cathay: Arts & Culture Sponsorship – Medium to Large Scale
- Sanofi: Best Employee Engagement
- Gjensidige: Best Use of Content < €500k
- TeamViewer: Best Use of Content > €500k
- Cato Networks & TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E: Best Use of Cutting-edge Technology
- GIANTX and Shikenso: Best Use of Measurement & Insight
- Bupa: Best Use of PR < €500k
- FedEx: Best Use of PR > €500k
- Bupa: Best Use of Talent < €500k
- Three: Best Use of Talent > €500k
- ALL x SailGP: Environmentally Sustainable Sponsorship
- Just Eat: Equality, Diversity & Inclusion < €500k
- Royal London: Equality, Diversity & Inclusion > €500k
- Vattenfall x HAVU: Esports & Gaming Sponsorship
- Londis: Media Sponsorship
- Gjensidige: Music Sponsorship
- Gjensidige: Sponsorship with a Social Purpose < €250k
- Toyota x ParalympicsGB: Sponsorship with a Social Purpose €250k-€1M
- Three: Sponsorship with a Social Purpose > €1M
- Energia, Core & Irish Rugby: Sport Sponsorship < €1M
- Guinness: Sport Sponsorship €1M-€5M
- Komatsu & Williams Racing: Sport Sponsorship > €5M
- The Smirnoff Collective Stage: Event of the Year
- Ryder Cup Europe: Rights Holder of the Year
- An Post Irish Book Awards: ESA Best of Europe Gold
A night that showcased sponsorship’s full potential
With campaigns tackling social issues, advancing diversity, and creating immersive experiences, this year's winners demonstrated how sponsorship can deliver not only brand impact but also societal value.
As the European sponsorship landscape continues to evolve, these campaigns offer a blueprint for what’s possible when creativity, purpose, and strategic thinking align.
The best of the rest: Highly commended entries
- Three: Arts & Culture Sponsorship – Medium to Large Scale (Three City Stages)
- Bupa: Best Use of Content < €500k (Picture of Health)
- Škoda: Best Use of Content < €500k (Škoda x Tour de France: Draw de France)
- Three: Best Use of Content > €500k (#TalkMoreThanFootball)
- Sela and Newcastle United: Best Use of Cutting-edge Technology (Unsilence The Crowd)
- Gjensidige: Best Use of Measurement & Insight (The Breathing Space)
- Sparebanken Vest: Best Use of PR < €500k (Girls Want More)
- BMW and BFI: Best Use of PR > €500k (The BMW Filmmaking Challenge)
- Allianz x Inner Drive: Best Use of Talent < €500k
- Just Eat: Best Use of Talent > €500k (Deliver At Home: Any Given Wednesday)
- Toyota x ParalympicsGB: Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Sponsorship < €500k (“Every Body Moves”)
- Sela and Newcastle United: Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Sponsorship > €500k (Unsilence the Crowd)
- Allianz Ireland: Media Sponsorship (Paris 2024 – How Allianz Ireland ‘Beat The Best’)
- Electric Ireland: Sponsorship with a Social Purpose < €250k (Darkness Into Light)
- Cairn Community Games: Sponsorship with a Social Purpose €250k-€1M (We’re All In)
- Sela and Newcastle United: Sponsorship with a Social Purpose > €1M (Unsilence The Crowd)
- GetPRO x Team GB: Sport Sponsorship < €1M
- Sky and The Women’s National Team: Sport Sponsorship < €1M
- Paddy Power: Event of the Year (Comedy Festival)
- EssenceMediacom Sport & Entertainment: Agency of the Year
- The Space Between: Agency of the Year
