The Irish flag was flying high not just in Cheltenham this week but also in London where a large number of Irish entrants were up for awards at the annual European Sponsorship Awards which were held in The Brewery in London.
With over 600 in attendance here was no shortage of Irish brands, sponsors and agencies shortlisted for the awards, a centrepiece of the annual sponsorship calendar.
On the night Irish winners included RTÉ, Centra and Very for the sponsorship around the Irish edition of The Traitors. Sky Ireland was also a big winner on the night for for its “Bound by Belief, Sky and Irish Football” campaign, including Best Use of Measurement & Insight.
Other Irish sponsorship winners on the night included Cairn Homes, Pfizer and The Pfizer Cycle, 2025, the Vhi for the Women’s Mini-Marathon, the Irish Times and its Greenest Places Initiative and Movember/GAA/GPA while Guinness picked up several awards including its All-Ireland Marketing Awards winning campaign, Lovely Summer for a Guinness which won Gold in the Best of Europe category for Ireland.
On the night, The Breathing Space by Gjensidige, winner of a record five awards in 2025 including ESA Sponsorship of the Year, demonstrated its “enduring brilliance” as the Norwegian insurance brand picked up three winner trophies including the new Festival Sponsorship category. A Norwegian double was completed in the Sponsorship with a Social Purpose category (sponsored by IPSEM Squared) thanks to The Entry Room – by Sparebank 1 Østlandet and Retail Factory.
The ceremony featured a new winner of Agency of the Year as MSQ Sport + Entertainment earned the coveted prize, while Oak View Group enjoyed its first taste of success in Rights Holder of the Year.
ESA Awards Chair of Judges, Matthew Leopold, said: “Judging the ESA Awards puts you in a privileged position. We get to review an impressively wide range of world-class sponsorship work. This year was no exception. The standard was higher than ever. More than a few categories came down to the sort of margin that made the judges re-check their notes and engage in heartfelt, spirited debate. This is what sets the ESA Awards apart – our judges really know their subject matter and really care about the result.
A full list of Irish winners is below
Best Employee Engagement
Winner: The Pfizer Cycle 2025
Best Use of Content < €1M
Winner: Suss or Sound? Centra Content Champions of the Traitors Ireland
Best Use of Measurement & Insight
Winner: Bound By Belief, Sky and Irish Football
Best Use of PR
Winner: Movember Ahead of the Game in partnership with the GAA/GPA WINNER
Environmentally Sustainable Sponsorship
Winner: The Irish Times Ireland’s Greenest Places partnership with Electric Ireland
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Sponsorship
Winner: Cairn Community Games
Event of the Year
Winner: Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon 2025
Media Sponsorship
Winner: A Very Proud Sponsor of The Traitors Ireland
Sponsorship with a Social Purpose – Large Scale sponsored by IPSEM Squared
Winner: IDA x Guinness ‘Never Settle’ Boot
Sport Sponsorship – Medium to Large Scale
Winner: Bound By Belief, Sky and Irish Football
ESA Best of Europe
Ireland Gold Winner: All-Ireland Marketing Awards: Entertainment Sponsorship Award – MII/ Lovely Summer for a Guinness
