Pinnacle Awards

We are currently updating the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Program and Entry Brochure for 2026. Stay tuned as we make those updates. Estimated release date, mid-January 2026.

Recognizing Innovation, Creativity & Achievement in the Global Festivals and Events Industry

For more than three decades, the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) has proudly recognized outstanding achievements in creativity, promotion, operations, and community impact through the prestigious Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition.

Each year, the Pinnacle Awards celebrate the best of the best across the global festivals and events industry — honoring those who raise the bar, inspire innovation, and set new standards for excellence. From major international celebrations to small-town traditions, from cities and chambers to universities, parks, recreation departments, vendors, and suppliers, the competition welcomes entries from organizations of all types and sizes. Budget-based divisions ensure a level playing field, giving every event the chance to shine.

With categories ranging from Best Event Poster, T-Shirt, and Promotional Brochure to Best Volunteer Program, Green Program, Media Relations Campaign, Sponsorship Activation, Social Media Site, and more, the Pinnacle Awards recognize excellence across nearly every facet of event production, marketing, and management.

Over the years, the Pinnacle Awards have showcased remarkable examples of how event professionals harness creativity, strategy, and collaboration to achieve exceptional results. By participating, your organization joins a legacy of innovation and leadership that uplifts not only individual events, but the entire festivals and events industry.

To help amplify your success, the IFEA provides all winners with a customizable press release template, making it easy to share your recognition with local media, partners, and stakeholders. Winning a Pinnacle Award not only highlights your creativity and professionalism — it affirms your commitment to excellence, community, and the power of shared celebration.

Join us for another inspiring year of recognition by entering the 2026 IFEA / Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition.

Let your event’s creativity, hard work, and impact be recognized, celebrated, and shared with the world as part of the IFEA’s ongoing mission to elevate the festivals and events industry.

ALL ENTRIES SUBMITTED ONLINE

All Pinnacle Award entries are submitted online — saving you time and resources. Simply upload your entries when you are ready, submit your payment, and you are done!

To get started, create digital versions of your entries, submit them through the online entry form, and pay for them all at once.* For more details on accepted file formats, file naming requirements and submission steps, see complete details in the Pinnacle Brochure.

So, what are you waiting for? Start preparing your entries today and get ready to hear your organization’s name announced at the next IFEA Annual Convention & Expo, when we once again get to say…
“And the winners are…!”

(*If wishing to pay for your Pinnacle Entries by Check or need to be invoiced, please contact Nia Hovde, CFEE, BEFORE you start your entry process.)

2026 PINNACLE ENTRY DEADLINES

Deadlines Subject to Change

All entries must be submitted and paid for online* by the following dates:

1st Early Bird Entry Deadline:

11:55 p.m. (MST), Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Rate: $40 per entry or $150 per Grand Pinnacle entry

2nd Early Bird Entry Deadline:

11:55 p.m. (MST), Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Rate: $45 per entry or $200 per Grand Pinnacle entry

Final Entry Deadline:
11:55 p.m. (MDT), Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Rate: $50 per entry or $250 per Grand Pinnacle entry

All entry fees include credit card processing fees.

Additional Details

Additional Resources

Questions?

For questions on any of the IFEA Awards Programs, contact: Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications, at Email: nia@ifea.com.

Eligibility Period

June 26, 2025 – June 24, 2026

Entries must have been produced and / or used for the first time between June 26, 2025 and June 24, 2026.

If your event occurred just before this eligibility window and was not entered in the 2025 competition, contact Nia Hovde, CFEE at nia@ifea.com to confirm possible eligibility.

2026 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Budget Categories Include:

All Pinnacle entries are not only separated in to 64 individual categories, but also into four individual budget categories within each category. This is to ensure that like size festivals & events compete against like sized festivals and events. A Gold, Silver and Bronze winner is then awarded within each budget category within each specific entry category. Therefore, there could ultimately be four Gold winners, four Silver winners and four Bronze winners within an individual Pinnacle Category. Judges may combine budget categories within a specific category, if the number of entries warrants it.

The specific budget category you enter is based on your organization's event expense budget. Budget categories* are as follows:
*Budget Categories Updated in 2025

Budget #1: Under $50,000
Budget #2: $50,000 to $500,000

Budget #3: $500,000 to $1.5 Million
Budget #4: Over $1.5 Million

2025 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Entry Categories Include:

Complete descriptions for each category along with requirements, judging criteria and instructions on how to submit your entry for each category can be found in the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Brochure.

The 2026 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Entry Brochure will be available January, 2026 (hopefully sooner). For reference, please refer to the 2025 brochure. Note, requirement information and categories are currently being updated for 2026.

DOWNLOAD PINNACLE ENTRY BROCHURE HERE

Grand Pinnacle
Best TV Promotion
Best Full-Length TV Program
Best Video Promotion
Best Radio Promotion
Best Single Social Video
Best Multimedia Component
Best Event Website
Best Organization Website
Best Event Mobile Application / Adaptive Website
Best Facebook Site
Best Instagram Site
Best Single Digital/Social Ad
Best Digital/Social Ad Series
Best Event / Organization E-Newsletter
Best Event Program / Guide
Best Newspaper Insert / Supplement
Best Promotional Brochure
Best Printed Materials (Multiple Page)
Best Printed Materials (Single Page)

21. Best Cover Design
22. Best Single Newspaper Display Ad
23. Best Single Magazine Display Ad
24. Best Ad Series
25. Best Promotional Poster
26. Best Commemorative Poster
27. Best Promotional Photograph
28. Best Outdoor Billboard / Signage
29. Best Installation / Wrap
30. Best Invitation / Ticket
31. Best Street Banner
32. Best On-Site Décor
33. Best T-Shirt Design
34. Best Pin or Button
35. Best Hat
36. Best Festival / Event Merchandise
37. Best Sponsor Gift
38. Best Give-Away Item
39. Best Overall Merchandising Program
40. Best Targeted Sponsor Solicitation Proposal
41. Best Individual Sponsor Follow-Up Report

42. Best Sponsor Partner
43. Best Sponsor Activation
44. Best Sponsorship Program for Individual Sponsor
45. Best Overall Sponsorship Program
46. Best Volunteer Program
47. Best Green Program
48. Best Parade
49. Best Educational Program
50. Best Accessibility Program
51. Best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan
52. Best Children’s Programming
53. Best Overall Entertainment Program
54. Best Community Outreach Program
55. Best Event / Program Within an Event to Benefit A Cause
56. Best Event (Within an Existing Festival)
57. Best Emergency Preparedness & Risk Management Plan
58. Best New Festival or Event
59. Best Product or Service
60. Best Vendor / Supplier
61. Best Overall Media Relations Campaign
62. Best Event Management Bachelor’s Degree
63. Best Festival & Event Management Master’s Degree
64. Best Festival & Event Management PhD Program

About the Winners

For all entries, each winning festival/event receiving a Gold, Silver or Bronze award is selected from those festivals and events who enter the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition and are judged on the overall excellence of a festival / event based on the specific criteria and requirements of the specific category(ies) being entered, within each of the four separate budget categories. Festivals / Events recognized as an “IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Award Winner” are entitled to use that specific language in sharing the news about a Pinnacle win, for the specific category(ies) won. Language declaring a Festival / Event as the “Best Festival / Event in the World by the IFEA” is not correct or in line with the nature of the competition and will not be supported or endorsed by the IFEA.

Sponsor of the IFEA Pinnacle Awards

Haas & Wilkerson Insurance has proudly supported the IFEA and festivals and events industry for over three decades. As the title sponsor of the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Program, they have helped to raise the quality and standards of excellence for festivals and events around the globe.

With over 85 years of entertainment industry experience behind them, they provide insurance programs designed for each event’s specific needs and have a long list of clients that includes festivals, fairs, parades, carnivals and more. Learn more about them at www.hwins.com.