Irish Brands Score Multiple Gold at European Sponsorship Awards
Irish campaigns and partnerships, including many from our Sport for Business membership, were among the standout successes at the 2026 European Sponsorship Association Awards, with multiple winners across sport, entertainment, sustainability and social purpose categories.
The ceremony, held at The Brewery and attended by almost 600 sponsorship professionals from across Europe, recognised the best commercial partnerships of the past 12–18 months.
While the top honour of ESA Sponsorship of the Year went to the collaboration between Canon and Royal National Institute of Blind People for their ‘World Unseen’ campaign, Irish brands and organisations secured a strong share of the night’s silverware.
Guinness claims triple success
Guinness enjoyed one of the most successful nights of any brand, collecting three awards across different categories.
The company won in the Sponsorship with a Social Purpose category for the IDA x Guinness ‘Never Settle’ Boot campaign and also took the Sport Sponsorship award for its partnership with the Premier League titled ‘A Match Made in Heaven’.
Guinness also delivered Ireland’s third consecutive success in the prestigious ESA Best of Europe category, this time for the ‘Lovely Summer for a Guinness’ campaign, where Verve were one of the main partner agencies.
The judges of whom I was one, also awarded silver to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics partnership between EDF and Paris 2024, while Samsung collected bronze for its Shot Control campaign in the Netherlands.
Irish media and sponsorship partnerships recognised
Irish media partnerships also featured prominently among the winners.
The Irish version of the hit television format The Traitors Ireland secured two awards through brand collaborations with Centra and Very for campaigns titled ‘Suss or Sound? Centra Content Champions of the Traitors Ireland’ and ‘A Very Proud Sponsor of the Traitors Ireland’.
Meanwhile, Sky Ireland collected two awards for its ‘Bound by Belief, Sky and Irish Football’ campaign, including recognition in the Best Use of Measurement & Insight category.
Each of these campaigns were delivered by Core Sponsorship, led by Jill Downey and Noel Martyn, as was Dalata Hotel Group and the GAA’s For Difference makers campaign which was Highly Commended in the Sports Sponsorship Category. Electric Ireland and the GAA and Camogie Minor Championship Campaign was also Commended in the same category.
The Movember Ahead of the Game Partnership with the GAA and GPA was the winner in the Best Use of PR category.
Lovely Summer for a Guinness was Highly Commended in the Music Sponsorship Category
Sustainability, community sport and major events honoured
Further Irish successes came in categories highlighting sustainability and community sport.
The partnership between The Irish Times and Electric Ireland won the Environmentally Sustainable Sponsorship award for the ‘Ireland’s Greenest Places’ initiative.
In participation sport, the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon was named Event of the Year, kudos their to DSD Athletics who have delivered this event for 40 years.
We were especially delighted for Cairn Community Games, a peculiarly Irish bred approach to sport who won won the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Sponsorship category, with Guinness Fan Fair as commended in the same category. Cairn Community Games were also Highly Commended in the Sponsorship with a Social Purpose Category, with Energia’s Rugby For All campaign also Commended in the same category.
There was more irish engagement with the success of The Pfizer Cycle 2025, assisted by Titan Experience in the Employee Engagement category.
European campaigns also recognised
Three’s partnership with Chelsea Women, showcased at the Sport for Business Women in Sport Conference in December was winner of the Cutting Edge Technology Award for ‘We See You Lily Parr.’
Elsewhere on the night, Norwegian insurer Gjensidige continued the success of its ‘The Breathing Space’ campaign, collecting three awards including the new Festival Sponsorship category.
The Chair’s Award was presented to Tommy Hilfiger for its collaboration with F1: The Movie, recognised by judges for what they described as “disruptive brilliance”.
The ceremony, hosted by former England national rugby union team international and broadcaster Ugo Monye, marked the 18th edition of the ESA Awards and celebrated excellence across 26 sponsorship categories.
The ESA Ireland branch will host a special 2026 Winner Showcase Event hosted by Bord Bia on the morning of Thursday April 16th.
If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible.
Image Credit: Sport for Business
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