In the jury room of the AMMA's

What happens behind closed doors during the AMMA judging process? As a jury member in the “best collaboration” category, Ewoud van Zwam, Strategy Director at Mediaplus, saw firsthand how diverse and challenging the field is. From innovation to sponsorships and business partnerships, the bar is high and success must clearly stem from the collaboration itself.

In this interview, he shares his experiences from the jury, the behind the scenes discussions and what stood out to him among this year’s submissions.

Ewoud, this is your first time on the AMMA jury. What were the jury days like? 

“That’s right. It was incredibly fun and special to be part of the jury of the award show of the year, where the best work is crowned. A huge honor, but also a big responsibility, because our judgment ultimately determines who makes it to the stage and who does not.

The jury days themselves were intense, but above all very valuable. We discussed, critiqued and complimented each case one by one. What made this jury strong is its diversity: everyone comes from a different part of the industry, with different backgrounds and levels of experience.”

You were part of the “best collaboration” jury. What does that category involve? 

“In this category, everything revolves around the power of collaboration. A case must not only meet its objectives, but must demonstrably be successful because of the collaboration.

That collaboration can take many forms, for example in media, content, sponsorship or business. As long as it is clear that the collaboration itself drove the success and created value for all parties involved, preferably based on a shared goal.”

What stood out to you in the submitted cases? 

“The diversity stood out immediately. This category is so broad that many types of cases fall within it, as long as collaboration is the decisive factor. We saw cases in areas such as innovation, branded content and sponsorships, but also business partnerships and long term collaborations. There were of course also more traditional media cases.

That breadth also made judging more complex. It is difficult to directly compare such different cases. How do you determine which is the best? This led to strong but constructive discussions within the jury.

What also stood out is that there were no pure AI cases this year, even though the industry has been experimenting and innovating heavily in that area. I expected to see something there. At the same time, we did notice that some cases were clearly written with the help of AI, which did not always benefit the quality of the case text.”

And… were you unanimous about the category winner? 

“I’m not allowed to say anything about that! What I can share is that it was a difficult process. We quickly identified the extremes: the ones that dropped out and the absolute top contenders.

But the middle segment in particular was large. Good cases that still raised questions: is this truly distinctive, or is something missing? In the end, we reached a decision. The nominees will be announced in the week of 30 March.”

What are you most looking forward to during the award ceremony? 
“The tension on the faces of the nominees and then the release of emotion from the winner. That excitement is fantastic to see.

In addition, with this category we hope to send a clear message: the success of channels, creation, technology and business truly improves when there is an equal partnership.

To brands that were not nominated this year or did not submit: make collaboration central in 2026 and take part again next year!”