Channel 4 has announced the 11th edition of its annual Diversity in Advertising Awards with a focus on class representation. 

The awards see Channel 4 offer £1 million worth of advertising airtime to work that champions more authentic representation.

This year’s focus is on class, following insights from Channel 4’s upcoming seventh Mirror On The Industry audit. Despite YouGov data showing that 56% of Britons consider themselves working class, Channel 4’s research finds only 11% of characters identified as working class, compared with 41% as middle class. 

The research also found that working-class people are heavily depicted through the lens of their jobs, with characters more than three times as likely to be shown in a uniform (37%) compared with the total sample (11%). 

The Diversity in Advertising Awards aim to encourage advertisers to create more accurately representative campaigns. This year’s theme aims to address the class representation gap and discourage stereotyping.

“More than half of people in the UK identify as working class, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in advertising. By entering this initiative, brands have an opportunity to reach an audience whose considerable spending power and influence is often overlooked, while creating work that resonates more strongly with modern Britain,” says Amy Jenkins, Sales Leader at Channel 4.

Channel 4 is challenging brands and agencies to better represent the lives, agency and influence of working-class people across the UK. The brief encourages inclusive thinking into the creative process to reflect the diversity of working-class communities. 

The winning brand will receive £1 million worth of Channel 4 advertising airtime across the broadcaster’s linear, streaming, and social platforms. An additional five shortlist entries will also be offered up to £250,000 of match funded commercial ad space. Previous winners have included campaigns from Maltesers, Lloyds, Starbucks, Vanish, E45, Currys and Tesco.

“Over the past decade, Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award has helped drive meaningful change across the industry, while proving that inclusive advertising delivers results. This year, we're challenging brands to rethink how working-class people are represented in advertising and bring forward fresh ideas that reflect one of the UK's largest and most influential audiences,” added Rak Patel, Chief Commercial Officer at Channel 4.

Competition entries for 2026’s Diversity in Advertising Award must be submitted by 1^st October 2026. 

For more details on how to get involved, please click here.