The Hashtag Sports Awards Reveals 2019 Shortlist

Hashtag Sports has announced the finalists for the inaugural Hashtag Sports Awards Presented by Budweiser. The Awards honor excellence in fan and consumer engagement with a live show hosted by digital star Scott Rogowsky on June 25 at The TimesCenter in New York City to kick off the 4th annual Hashtag Sports Conference.

Finalists and winners were determined by the newly established Engagement Academy of Sports & Entertainment, a group of CMOs, executives, athletes, and other engagement experts from across the global sports media and marketing ecosystem.

Shortlist highlights for Brands & Properties categories include seven nominations for millennial sports media publisher Bleacher Report and six for brand experience agency Momentum Worldwide.

“We were blown away by the quality and number of entries received in the first year of the awards,” said Steve Cobb, co-founder, Hashtag Sports. “The Academy did an amazing job identifying the work that will shape the future of fan engagement, and we look forward to celebrating the organizations and talent who have raised the bar for effective engagement as we kick off Hashtag Sports 2019.”

In addition to finalists in more than twenty Brands & Properties categories, winners of eleven Athletes & Creators categories have been revealed ahead of the show. Selected by a combination of fan voting on social media and peer judging by the Engagement Academy, winners include JuJu Smith-Schuster, Charlotte Flair, The F2, Colin Kaepernick, and Pat McAfee, among others.

2019 Shortlist – Brands & Properties:

Best Integrated Campaign
American Express Jersey Assurance (Momentum Worldwide)
Good Karma Payout (PointsBet / North 6th Agency)
Focus On (Bose)
Rival Hug (FIFA / Jung von Matt)
This is Our Ice (ICF Next)
#zLAtan (LA Galaxy)

Best Multi-Platform Campaign
Double Clasico (beIN SPORTS USA / VMLYR Miami)
New Level of In (Chicago Cubs)
Purple Reign (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Rookies Drawing Logos (NFL)

Best Social Media Campaign
Brees-A-Thon by The Checkdown (NFL)
Lifetime Tattoo Ticket (Hertha BSC / Jung von Matt)
NHL Fan Choice Awards (NHL)
Rival Hug (FIFA / Jung von Matt)
#zLAtan (LA Galaxy)

Breakthrough Sports Ad of the Year
Who is Kevin Love? (R/GA / Banana Republic)
We Got Now: Kawhi Leonard | New Balance Basketball (The Rec League)

Best Athlete Storytelling
Dear Kyle (Minnesota Vikings)
Lou Williams: Live from the Underground (LA Clippers)
Run With Us: Home (Chicago Bulls)
Snow Pack: Shaun White’s Horrific Crash (Yahoo Sports)
The People (The Ohio State University)
Visa Defeats FIFA World Cup FOMO (Visa / Endeavor Global Marketing)

Best Branded Content Series
Hockey 101 with Snoop Dogg (NHL)
House of UA (House of Highlights)
IBM & Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Poster Series (MKTG)
JCPenney Style Stories (Bleacher Report)
SAP GM School (Momentum Worldwide)
Who is Kevin Love? (R/GA / Banana Republic)

Best Fan-Generated Content
Believing in Miracles (Minnesota Vikings)
FanSided/Sports Illustrated NFL Preview (MKTG)
Lifetime Tattoo Ticket (Hertha BSC / Jung von Matt)

Best Original Content or Programming
Behind the Scenes with the Storytellers: New York Jets (Libris by Photoshelter)
Face to Face (LaLiga)
#NBATwitteris… (Twitter)
SkoLOL (Minnesota Vikings)
The Breakdown (Chicago Cubs)
The Grind (Canadian Football League)

Best Real-Time Engagement
Bleacher Report (Bleacher Report)
ESPN x 2018 NBA Finals (ESPN)
Farewell Jersey (beIN SPORTS USA / VMLYR Miami)
Kit Launch Wallpaper Wednesday (Atlanta United FC)
Real-Time Custom Fantasy Team Logos (NFL)
SportsCastr Social First Screen (SportsCastr)

Best Website or Mobile Experience
2018 TCS New York City Marathon App (New York Road Runners / TCS)
Bleacher Report (Bleacher Report)
‘See The Puck’ Mobile Campaign (San Jose Sharks / Rover)
SportsCastr (SportsCastr)
theScore (theScore)

Outstanding Use of Instagram
Farewell Jersey (beIN SPORTS USA / VMLYR Miami)
@HouseofHighlights (House of Highlights)
@NBAKicks at NBA All-Star 2019 (NBA)
NFL Throwback (NFL)
The Brotherhood (Duke Men’s Basketball)
@theScore (theScore)

Outstanding Use of Snapchat
Skol Scribbles (Minnesota Vikings)
NFL Highlights: Snapchat Discover Story (NFL)
Premier League: Extra Time (NBC Sports Group)
Showtime Sports: Wilder vs. Fury (Showtime Networks)

Outstanding Use of Twitter
2 Chainz “Rap Or Go To The League” Emoji (Def Jam Recordings)
@BleacherReport (Bleacher Report)
#NBATwitterLive (NBA)
The Metro by T-Mobile Purple Couch (Lagardere Plus)

Outstanding Use of Facebook
CFL Game Time (Canadian Football League)
DAZN Surpasses 295 Million Facebook Video Views (Grabyo / DAZN)

Best Engagement Through Esports
IEM Katowice 2019 (ESL)
NBA 2K League (NBA 2K League)
State Farm Esports Partnerships (ReKTGlobal)
theScore Esports (theScore)
The Overwatch League: World Class Ecosystem (Activision Blizzard)

Best Use of Culture, Music, or Entertainment
2 Chainz x LeBron James “Rap Or Go To The League” (Def Jam Recordings)
Brooklyn Nets City Edition Campaign (BSE Global)
Mostly Football (Yahoo Sports / Complex Media)
@NBA x UnitedMasters (NBA)
“The Bullchelor” Starring Robin Lopez (Chicago Bulls)
Who is Kevin Love? (R/GA / Banana Republic)

Best Activation to Reach Young Fans
B/R Kicks Presents: The Drop Up (Bleacher Report)
Cox Flight Speed 4D Experience (Cox Communications)
Skol Scribbles (Minnesota Vikings)
NBA TikTok: #AllStarTalent Challenge (NBA)

Best Engagement Through a Live Event
All-Star Access: A Front-Row Seat to All-Star Week (MLB Network)
Minnesocial: The Minnesota Vikings Fan-Focused Gameday (Minnesota Vikings / Tagboard)

Best Event-Based Activation
2018 NBA Draft Social Circuit (NBA)
Australian Open #EmiratesPlay (Tennis Australia / Brizi)
IBM at the US Open (IBM)
Rival Hug (FIFA / Jung von Matt)
Rugby World Cup Sevens (CSM)

Best Use of Immersive Media
Cox Flight Speed 4D Experience (Cox Communications)
NASCAR Playoffs AR Experience (NASCAR)
SAP Battles from the Bench (Momentum Worldwide)
The Drone Racing League (DRL)

Best Use of Technology
American Express Super Rally (Momentum Worldwide)
Artificial Intelligence = Athlete Insights (Miro AI)
CBS Sports: Google Assistant Ultimate Fantasy Advisor (CBS Interactive)
Fox Sports World Cup Highlights Machine (Thuuz)
IBM & ESPN Fantasy Football (IBM)
ShotTracker Broadcast Solution (ShotTracker)

Best Engagement for Good
Dear Kyle (Minnesota Vikings)
Hockey’s Declaration of Principles (NHL / The Vault)
Kevin Durant Charity Foundation (KDCF)
Rival Hug (FIFA / Jung von Matt)
Touchdowns Against Cancer (Pledge It)

Most Creative Partnership With an Athlete or Influencer
American Express Jersey Assurance (Momentum Worldwide)
CAHILLTEX (TLA Worldwide)
NHL’s Jason Zucker Co-Designs for a Cause (Lola Pro Sports Marketing)
Rock Your Routine – With UCHealth, the Colorado Rockies and Charlie Blackmon (UCHealth)
Who is Kevin Love? (R/GA + Banana Republic)

Most Creative Partnership Without an Athlete or Influencer
#BarstoolDoesDaytona (Barstool Sports / NASCAR)
Minnesota Vikings and 3M Light Up U.S. Bank Stadium Purple (Minnesota Vikings)
Natural Light Beer – Race Resume (M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment)
SAP GM School (Momentum Worldwide)
The AI Revolution in High School Sport (PIxellot / NFHS Networks)
#TheDebut – Live High School Basketball Games (Twitter / Gatorade / Intersport)

2019 Winners – Athletes & Creators:

Best Female Athlete on Social Media
Charlotte Flair

Best Male Athlete on Social Media
JuJu Smith-Schuster

Best Creator
The F2

Best Athlete Show or Series
Tom vs. Time

Best Sports Podcast
The Pat McAfee Show 2.0

Best Parody or Comedy Account
Bob Menery

Best Streamer
Ninja

Social Highlight Star
Katelyn Ohashi

Most Gif-Worthy
Gritty

Best Engagement for Change
Colin Kaepernick

Best Engagement for Good
LeBron James

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