Best of Marketing Award

2026 Best of Marketing Award

The Library Marketing and Communications Group Board is thrilled to announce our second annual Best of Marketing Awards! Thanks to the generosity of sponsor Hoopla Digital, this year we will present three awards, as well as Honorable Mentions: 

• Best of Marketing Award (Public Library)

• Best of Marketing Award (Academic/Special Library)

• Peer Award

Each Best of Marketing Award awarded library will receive $1,500 ideally to be used toward a future marketing campaign, as well as one complimentary registration to attend LMCC 2026.

The Scholarship and Awards Committee will also select up to six total Honorable Mentions from the pool of applicants for the Best of Marketing Awards. Honorable Mention recipients will receive a $100 gift card and Hoopla Swag, and these libraries will be considered for the Peer Award.

• The Peer Award winner will recognize excellence in library marketing as evaluated by LMCC attendees during the conference. Nominees will present their campaigns via a poster session during the beverage break on November 11. We hope this award will spark discussions among peers and highlight innovative efforts as attendees make connections and learn from fellow marketers. The Peer Award winning library will receive a $300 gift card and Hoopla Swag. 
  
• All award winners and Honorable Mention recipients will be recognized during the LMCC day two opening session.

APPLICATION PROCESS

We will accept applications between July 1–midnight ET and July 23, 2026. Award winners will be notified by August 29, 2026. A representative from the winning and honorable mention libraries must attend LMCC 2026 on Nov. 11-12, 2026. Please note that libraries do not need to apply for the Peer Award, only the two Best of Marketing categories. 

Your entry should focus on a marketing campaign at your library that largely took place between July 2025 and June 2026. The campaign could still be ongoing. Your application should highlight your process from planning to takeaways, so the judging committee can fully understand the scope and its impact. The committee will evaluate based on your planning, implementation, and results. You can view our judging rubric here. Small libraries should not hesitate to apply—effectiveness is not dependent on a large budget! Judges will consider small budgets and staff.

The Best of Marketing Award is open to any public, academic, special library, or library system, as well as state libraries, in the United States or Canada. 

Click here to apply