Channel 4 has today (20th October) announced the six shortlisted brands for the 2025 Diversity in Advertising Awards. 

The awards, now in their tenth year, sees six brands shortlisted to win one million pounds of commercial airtime. This year’s awards will once again focus on the expansive brief ‘Inclusive by Design.’

This year agencies AMV BBDO, Havas London, Leo UK, BBH and EMC have made the shortlist for the award. With each agency successfully submitting campaign ideas which champion inclusive creativity. 

The full shortlist is as follows:

• Morrisons, entered by Leo UK
• Maltesers, entered by AMV BBDO
• The Open University, entered by Havas London
• Tesco, entered by BBH and EMC
• Bodyform, entered by AMV BBDO

The shortlisted campaigns will take part in final stage pitches this month, where one brand will be chosen as the winner with their campaign airing on Channel 4 in 2026. The five runners-up will be offered the opportunity to secure match funding to get their entries on air.

Chaired by Channel 4’s Amy Jenkins, the judging panel for this year’s edition is made up of industry leaders from across ISBA, Thinkbox, IPA, Advertising Association, Marketing Society, Creativebrief, Paralympics GB, RNID, RNIB, Currys and Channel 4.

“With so many strong entries for this year’s Diversity in Advertising Award, it is inspiring to see so many companies wanting to develop work that is Inclusive by Design into the whole process. The final stage pitches are set to be a fantastic day with so much creativity, expertise and passion in the room,” says Amy Jenkins, Sales Leader at Channel 4.

She continues: “This year’s brief is built on the core belief that having adverts which are Inclusive by Design doesn’t just make things better for some; it enhances the experience for everyone. Accessibility is a matter of importance for Channel 4, and I can’t wait to partner with the winning brand as we work together to drive change.”

A decade of the awards underline Channel 4's long-term commitment to driving diversity across the industry. This year’s awards will also embrace Channel 4 Sales’ commitment that from Spring 2026, all adverts delivered to Channel 4 (across linear and streaming) will mandatorily require closed captions.

Research from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) shows that 18 million people in the UK have different, diverse experiences of hearing loss and deafness, while Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) research shows around 340,000 people are registered blind or partially sighted. This year’s brief underlines the need for more inclusive, creative solutions and is an extension of Channel 4’s commitment to setting new standards when it comes to inclusive advertising. 

The success of last year’s winning campaign, ‘Sigh of Relief’ from Currys and AMV BBDO, brings to life how embedding inclusive practices into creative development can remove barriers to engagement and unlock new audiences for brands. 

The 2024 campaign is a masterclass in the power of creativity and inclusivity to drive a brand forward.