Cocktails, an upbeat awards celebration, family-style dinner and a quiz from Lickd. Here are the people, teams, campaigns and tools recognised at SocialDay’s Social Media Marketing Awards USA 2026.
We started with SocialDay cocktails and networking at Ketchy Shuby, headed downstairs for an upbeat awards celebration, then came together for a family-style dinner. With a quiz from Lickd and prizes from HighLevel added to the evening, there was plenty to celebrate beyond the trophies.
What a night.
On 5 November, the Social Media Marketing Awards USA 2026 brought us together in New York to recognise the work happening across our industry and celebrate SocialDay’s New York launch.
For anyone working in social, the finished post is only one part of the job. Behind it are the creative decisions, research, community conversations, internal negotiations, experiments and reporting that make the work possible. These awards give that work, and the people doing it, some well-deserved attention.
This year’s winners included PopUp Bagels, Neuemotion, IKEA USA, Coach and Hasbro, alongside individual marketers, small businesses and teams working across healthcare, technology, food, entertainment and more. Across 12 judged categories, the results recognised everything from employee advocacy and measurement to creator partnerships and short-form video.
The six Industry Choice awards turned the attention to the tools social media professionals use to do that work. Voted for by the industry, they recognised platforms across management, design, AI, video, listening and creator marketing.
And the finalists deserve their moment too. Below, you’ll find every winner and the full shortlist for every category.
The work behind the wins
A few themes stood out across the judging.
PopUp Bagels impressed with an approach that made social integral to the brand, supported by a clear strategy beneath content that felt natural. Neuemotion was recognised for having a distinct point of view and a clear ambition for its creative work.
For Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, the strength was in the care and discipline behind its employee advocacy programme, from its design and content through to measurement linked to business objectives. Coach’s work with The Sims 4 showed how creators could be built into a launch from the start.
Those are useful lessons for anyone taking stock of their own social strategy. Have a point of view. Give people a meaningful role. Build the creative and the measurement together. Know what you are trying to achieve before deciding what to publish.
The shortlist also showed just how broad this profession is. A social team at a healthcare organisation, an independent food creator and a global consumer brand work within very different circumstances. Recognising those different kinds of work matters.
Here are the results.
In-House Team
Winner: PopUp Bagels
The judges praised the team’s strategy, execution and results, recognising how closely social was woven into the way the brand operates.
Finalists: IHOP; PopUp Bagels; Northwell Health; Super Simple.
Social Media Agency of the Year
Winner: Neuemotion
Neuemotion’s clear point of view and ambitions for scaling social creative production impressed the judges. This award was sponsored and presented by Lickd.
Finalists: That Random Agency; Quantifi Media; Influence Space; Legends Legal Marketing; Picking Daisies Media; RED VELVET; Neuemotion; Influencer.
Rising Star of the Year
Winner: Jaz Daley, Delta Air Lines
Jaz was recognised for her creativity, social media understanding and ability to identify moments with real potential, alongside the influence of her work across teams.
Finalists: Jaz Daley, Delta Air Lines; Tori Stevens, SCALIS; Steven Ciravolo, Northwell Health; Jiayi Zhu, ReelShort; Danielle Kelleher, Rize Collective LLC.
Social Media Marketer of the Year
Winner: Brita Belli, Recursion
Brita’s creative approach to developing Recursion’s social presence across platforms earned her this year’s Social Media Marketer of the Year award.
Finalists: Jonathan Sterlin Tejada Francisco, TEJADA CAPITAL GROUP MG LLC; Tristin Prince, Coldwell Banker Premier; Sean Francis, Uplift & Shift; Jon DiPippo, ThePhillyFoodFanatic®; Brita Belli, Recursion; Genna Cozzolino, Northwell Health; Megan Murphy, A&O Shearman; Brendan Noble, CM Performing Arts Center; Lindsey Barker, Stewart Law Group PLLC.
Small Business Social Media
Winner: ThePhillyFoodFanatic®
The judges recognised a strategy built around the strengths of the business: experiencing places firsthand and moving quickly.
Finalists: ThePhillyFoodFanatic®; Legends Legal Marketing; Rose Valley Capital.
Employee Advocacy or Social Selling Programme
Winner: Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies
Winning entry: “When Associates Become Influencers: Building TBCT’s Advocacy Program from the Inside Out”
The judges recognised the programme’s thoughtful design, creative execution and measurement connected to business objectives.
Finalists: Aptean, “How One Strategist Built Employee Advocacy to $1m EMV in 6 Months”; Intellias, “IntelliVoice: Employee Advocacy and Thought Leadership at Scale”; Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, “When Associates Become Influencers: Building TBCT’s Advocacy Program from the Inside Out”.
Best Use of a Single Platform
Winner: IKEA USA, for “Instagram: IKEA USA”
The judges highlighted IKEA’s ability to participate in culture while retaining a clear sense of the brand.
Finalists: IZEA, “The Ultimate LinkedIn Turn Around Story”; IKEA USA, “Instagram: IKEA USA”; Dinex Group, “Fifa World Cup 2026: Bet with Daniel Boulud Reel”.
Best Use of Data, Analytics & Measurement
Winner: BMC Software, for “From Transactional Publishing to Strategic Influence: BMC’s Data-Led Social Transformation”
Finalists: SuperSummary, “The AI Content Coach: Reading Every Video We Publish, and Refusing to Chase the CTA”; EasyVista, “From Social Metrics to Business Decisions: EasyVista’s Data-Driven Transformation”; BMC Software, “From Transactional Publishing to Strategic Influence: BMC’s Data-Led Social Transformation”.
Bold Creative Format
Winner: Hasbro, for Peppa Pig’s “Mummy Pig Has a Baby” campaign
The judges recognised the campaign’s bold creative approach and the team’s execution of content designed to spark conversation and community.
Finalists: Quantifi Media, “Best Damn Marketing: The Unscripted Version”; Hasbro, Peppa Pig “Mummy Pig Has a Baby” Campaign; MOHU MOL Hulladékgazdálkodási Zrt., “The Rubbish Collection”.
Influencer Marketing Campaign
Winner: Coach, for “Coach x The Sims 4”
Coach’s campaign impressed the judges with the way creators were integrated throughout the launch, bringing research, strategy and creative execution together.
Finalists: Sprout Social, “Sprout Social Creator Network Launch @ Cannes”; NP Digital, “Making Home Maintenance Influencer Worthy for Southern Home Services”; Coach, “Coach x The Sims 4”; American Academy of Physician Associates, “AAPA Social Media Ambassador Program”.
Organic or Community-Led Campaign
Winner: WORLD CLAP DAY LTD, for “What if the whole world clapped their hands at the same time?”
The campaign began with a simple question. The judges recognised the work involved in bringing that idea to life on a global scale.
Finalists: Gray Panthers NYC, “Old Age Is Not a Disease: The Month of Maggie Campaign”; WORLD CLAP DAY LTD, “What if the whole world clapped their hands at the same time?”; ReelShort, “Building a 40M+ Global Fan Community Through Organic Social Storytelling”.
Short-Form Video Campaign
Winner: Dinex Group – Daniel Boulud, for “World Cup 2026: Bet with Daniel Boulud”
The judges praised a creative concept that made promotional content entertaining and visually engaging. This award was sponsored and presented by Tubular.
Finalists: Coach, “Coach x The Sims 4”; Dinex Group – Daniel Boulud, “World Cup 2026: Bet with Daniel Boulud”; Nikki Studio CO., “The Power of Vertical Storytelling: 52M+ Organic Views for Global Brands”.
Industry Choice Awards: The tools chosen by the industry
The Industry Choice Awards recognise the platforms, tools and technology that support the work of social media professionals. These six categories were voted for by the industry, separately from the judged campaign, team and individual awards.
Social Media Management
Winner: Emplifi
Finalists: Agorapulse; Buffer; Dash Social; Emplifi; HeyOrca; Hootsuite; Khoros; Metricool; Oktopost; Planable; Sprout Social; Vista Social.
Content & Design
Winner: Canva
Finalists: Adobe Creative Cloud; Adobe Express; Canva; CapCut; Descript; Figma; Kapwing; Picsart; Slate; VEED; VistaCreate.
AI & Generative Content
Winner: Claude
Finalists: Adobe Firefly; Canva; ChatGPT; Claude; Copy.ai; Jasper; Magic Studio; Midjourney; Runway; Typeface; Writer.
Video Creation and Editing
Winner: CapCut
Finalists: Adobe Premiere Pro; Canva Video; Captions; CapCut; Descript; InVideo; OpusClip; Riverside; Runway; VEED.
Social Listening & Analytics
Winner: Respondology
Finalists: Brand24; Brandwatch; Lumen by Talkwalker (Hootsuite); Meltwater; Onclusive; Pulsar; Quid; Respondology; Semrush; Socialinsider; Sprinklr; Tubular Labs; YouScan.
Creator & Influencer
Winner: impact.com
Finalists: Aspire; CreatorIQ; GRIN; HypeAuditor; impact.com; Influential powered by Captiv8; Later; Linqia; Modash; Oriane; Traackr; VwD; Tubular Labs; Favikon.
Thank you to the people who made it happen
A huge thank you to our sponsors Metricool, Lickd, HighLevel, Tubular and Rise at Seven for supporting the celebration.
Lickd sponsored the Social Media Agency of the Year award and brought the quiz. Tubular sponsored Short-Form Video Campaign, while HighLevel added prizes to the evening.
Thank you, too, to the judges for the time and care they gave to reviewing the entries, and to everyone who entered, voted, joined us and helped bring SocialDay to New York.
Putting your work forward takes time. It means stepping back from the next brief, deadline or report to explain the thinking behind what you have done. Every finalist on these lists deserves recognition for reaching this stage.
To our winners, congratulations. We hope you take a proper moment to enjoy it.
And to everyone who joined us at Ketchy Shuby: cocktails, awards, dinner, a quiz and good company made for a very good evening.
New York, thank you.
Explore the Social Media Marketing Awards.