Annual celebration honors the most impactful, creative, and culture-shaping work in digital and social media, live from New York City
NEW YORK, May 21, 2025 - The Shorty Awards, the leading international awards program honoring excellence in digital and social media, today announced the winners of its 17th annual ceremony during a live event in New York City. The celebration brought together leaders from marketing, entertainment, tech, and culture to spotlight the individuals, brands, and organizations shaping the future of digital storytelling.
This year’s winners exemplified exceptional creativity, cultural relevance, and measurable impact. Honorees included The Kitchen NA, CeraVe, Ogilvy PR, Code and Theory, Critical Mass, Google, VCCP, MTV, PetSmart Charities, We Are Social Canada, Dunkin’, Visa, Red Lobster, Disney+, Nickelodeon, and INNOCEAN USA.
In addition to brand and campaign honors, this year’s ceremony also spotlighted the 2025 Creator of the Year honorees, who have built communities and shaped culture through content across platforms. The creators recognized this year were V Spehar, Grace Wells, Sambucha, Dhar Mann Studios, and The Shade Room.
For the complete list of winners, visit https://shortyawards.com/17th/winners/.
“The Shorty Awards have grown alongside a creator economy now reshaping media, business, and culture,” said Junmian Sun, Managing Director of the Shorty Awards. “What excites me most isn’t just the innovation we see, it’s the ownership, the community-building, and the reinvention of storytelling in real time. We’re here to champion not just creativity, but the infrastructure and equity that will power its future.”
With submissions representing a wide range of industries, voices, and platforms, the 17th Annual Shorty Awards underscored the growing influence of digital and social media as drivers of innovation, brand identity, and cultural leadership.
PRESS CONTACT:
Jade Nguyen, [email protected]
ABOUT THE SHORTY AWARDS
The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honors the most innovative work in digital and social media by brands, agencies and organizations.
Founded in 2008, the Shortys’ notable previous winners include Malala Yousafzai, Trevor Noah, Michelle Obama, Conan O’Brien, Lady Gaga, Lizzo, and brands such as MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount, Digitas, HBO, Meta, Airbnb, Honda, UNICEF and PepsiCo.
The Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of excellence in digital storytelling. Entries are judged on the merits of creativity, strategy, and engagement by the Real Time Academy, a body of hand-selected industry experts and leaders. The public can also weigh in and select their favorite Shorty Awards contenders during Audience Honor Voting.
Currently, the Shortys have two annual competitions, the flagship Shorty Awards and Shorty Impact Awards dedicated to honoring the best work with a positive social impact.
