NYF Appoints VML's Bamford to Lead New Creative Strategy Jury

New York Festivals has appointed Ellie Bamford, Chief Strategy Officer of North America at VML, to chair its inaugural Creative Marketing Strategy and Effectiveness Executive Jury for the 2026 NYF Advertising Awards. The submission deadline is April 23, 2026.

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Bamford has worked with major global brands including Nike, Samsung, Pepsi, Uber, Spotify, Sephora, Nestlé, Rockstar Games, and American Express. She was previously named Media Person of the Year by Ad Age.

"My mission is always to advocate for the value and power of strategy to create work that works," Bamford said. "This brand-new category matters because it shines a light on the false choice between art and commerce."

Scott Rose, President of New York Festivals, added: "As the industry continues to evolve, strategy and creativity have never been more interconnected. With Ellie at the helm and this exceptional jury of global strategists, we're excited to honor the work that demonstrates the power of insight, creativity, and measurable business impact."

Asia-Pacific Representation Already Embedded in NYF Judging

NYF receives entries from 60-plus countries, judged by more than 200 global jurors. The 2025 Shortlist Jury includes more than 300 executives from 40-plus countries across six continents.

APAC creative leaders are already part of NYF's evaluation structure. Jung A Kim, Chief Creative Officer at Innocean in South Korea, and Kelly Pon, Chief Creative Officer at BBH Shanghai in China, both serve on the 2025 Executive Jury.

Asia-Pacific marketers are also building the measurement tools needed to compete in effectiveness-focused award categories. Over 61% of regional marketers are prioritizing improved Marketing Mix Modeling capabilities. Marketing Mix Modeling, or MMM, is a method that analyzes how different marketing activities contribute to sales results. Additionally, 52.8% are adopting incrementality lift testing, which measures the true impact of a specific campaign by comparing results against a control group.

NYF Expands 2026 Judging Program in Partnership With the 4A's

For 2026, NYF is expanding its judging experience through an enhanced in-person program developed with the 4A's, the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Specialty Executive Jury sessions, including the Creative Strategy and Effectiveness jury, are scheduled for May 2026.

Asia is projected to account for 42% of global GDP by 2040. Samsung and Spotify, both significant players across Asian markets, are among the brands Bamford has worked with directly, indicating the jury's standards will reflect commercially scaled, globally competitive brand work.

Agencies and brand teams preparing submissions can find full entry details at the NYF Advertising Awards official site. The April 23, 2026 deadline applies to all categories, including the new Creative Strategy and Effectiveness track.