To win a European Title in any activity is some achievement. To do so for a fourth time in the six years that a Grand Prix Prize has been awarded is quite incredible.
That is what the Irish Sponsorship Industry has done with news emerging last night from London that An Post had been declared the overall winner for its partnership with the An Post Irish Book Awards.
Congratulations then to Louise Cronje and all her team at An Post as well as those who helped to create the partnership in the first place and bring it to such powerful effect. They include Onside Sponsorship, Core Sponsorship Starcom, Ringers Creative and Unique Media all of whom can reflect in the glow of a job well done this morning.
An Post were actually a three-time winner on the night taking the prize for Arts and Culture Sponsorship of the Year and the one for Best Newcomer.
They were far from the only Irish success story of the night as well with a total of 12 Outright wins and another four highly commended campaigns.
Electric Ireland were once again very much to the fore with Darkness Into Light winning the Besta Mass Participation Award and being Highly Commended in the Purpose-led sponsorship in the Cause sub Category.
They also hit the board with last year’s overall winner the Game Changers programme with the Northern Ireland Football Association coming good once more in the sports subcategory of the Purpose Led Award and in the first of the Sports Sponsorship Awards with a value of less than €400,000. In that, they just edged out Energia for their Partnership with Leinster Rugby.
With their table already laden, there was one final trip to the stage for Team Electric Ireland when the GAA Higher Education Partnership emerged on top in the Best Use of Digital Channels category.
We were on a roll then with Vodafone winning the Best use of Hospitality Award for ‘Everyone In’ and then following up with a Highly Commended nod in the Sports Sponsorship between €1 million and €5 million category.
Paddy Power then won the prize for Best Use of PR as well as doubling up with success in the Game Changer category, and securing their own treble with the Best Sports Sponsorship between €400,000 and €1 Million, all for the brilliant ‘Save Our Shirt’ campaign.
Littlewoods Ireland and the #StyleofPlay campaign with the Camogie Association and the GAA took home the prize for Best Use of Social Media and Aldi’s Play Rugby Campaign took a Silver Award in the Best of Europe section.
Sene Naopua was presenting on the night to complete a stellar night for Ireland at the heart of London Town.
It was a night built on the success of those who had gone before here is the newly updated roll call of Irish Winners of the Sponsorship of the Year:
2020 – An Post Irish Book Awards
2019 – Electric Ireland Game Changers Campaign
2018 – Electric Ireland Darkness Into Light
2016 – Lidl and Ladies Gaelic Football
Other major winners down the years have included the GAA with SuperValu, Liberty Insurance and Cúl Camps, Electric Ireland and Team Ireland at the Olympics, Teneo Ireland, AIB and many more.
Read More: Judges Revealed for Irish Sport Industry Awards
Image Credit: Various from Twitter #ESAAwards
