Code of Conduct: Misrepresentation, Fake Work, and False Claims

 Entrant Certification Requirement

All entrants must certify the accuracy and authenticity of their submissions at the time of entry. This includes all creative assets, case study videos, written explanations, and data claims. Submission of an entry constitutes a formal attestation that the work is real, was publicly released during the eligibility period, and that the results described are truthful and not misleading. For additional context, all submissions must comply with the following:

• All submissions by agencies, advertisers, production companies, marketers, studios or other firms or individuals who produce advertising and/or related work on behalf of bona fide clients must have run with client approval and with media placement paid for by the client;
• To the extent that any artificial intelligence tools are or were used in the creation of the submission such use shall be in an ethical manner. By way of example only, entrant may not misuse, abuse and/or manipulate existing content;
• The submission must not contain material that violates or infringes any rights of any other party, including but not limited to copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or any other intellectual property rights;
• The submission must not in any way disparage Sponsor or any other person or party;
• The submission must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;
• The submission must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age;
• The submission must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations of the United States or of any jurisdiction where submission is created;
• The submission must adhere to all local laws, codes and regulations relating to the Submission and any third parties appearing in the submission;
• The submission cannot promote illegal drugs or firearms (or the use of any of the foregoing), or any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous, or any particular political agenda or message; and
• The submission must be consistent with the image and values of sponsor and be consistent with and satisfy the purpose of the awards.

Enhanced Claim Review in Judging
Additional flagging mechanisms have been implemented in our judging system to allow jurors to raise concerns about the legitimacy of work — including suspicions of fabricated executions, manipulated results, or exaggerated outcomes. Any entries flagged during judging will be fully investigated by ANDY staff before winners are finalized or announced.

Policy on Fake Work and False Claims
The ANDYs reserves the right to review campaign details including launch dates. If The ANDYs, at its sole discretion, determines that the work was created expressly for an award show entry, The ANDYs have the right to take remedial action including by barring agency/company from entering for up to two (2) years. This policy has been extended to cover any intentional misrepresentation within an entry — including falsified outcomes, misleading case study narratives, or deceptive execution claims.

We expect all entrants to uphold the highest ethical standards, and we reserve the right to rescind recognition in the form of awards and rankings points should violations come to light, even after winners have been announced.

Updated: October 1, 2025