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The Marketing and Advertising Excellence Awards

PMA's Marketing and Advertising Excellence Awards program is for everyone involved in the marketing, promotion, management and/or operation of multifamily, commercial, and retail properties. The program offers benefits for everyone who enters, including Associate Members.

February 15 - July 31, 2026: Entry Form Available
Fall 2026: The MAE Awards will be presented at PMA's new Marketing Symposium.
PMA’s Marketing and Advertising Excellence Awards program recognizes creativity and innovation in 15+ categories:
  • Public Website: Best overall design, content and user experience.
  • Social Media Campaign: Best overall interactivity and functionality in one or more social media channel(s).
  • Video: Best video promotion featuring relevant and engaging content.
  • Reputation Management Campaign: Best campaign to generate and promote positive press and reviews, handle negative press and reviews and amplify positive brand awareness.
  • Advertisement: Best writing, content and design of a print or digital advertisement.
  • Brochure: Best writing, content, design and overall presentation of a print or digital brochure.
  • Marketing Campaign: Best campaign using at least three communication vehicles, such as print, direct mail, social media, website and/or video, and featuring a common message, mission and/or theme to promote a single property, portfolio of properties or company.
  • Promotional Item: Best content, design and overall packaging and presentation of a promotional item (e.g., move-in gift, renewal gift, event give-away).
  • Event: Most creative and successful property, portfolio or company event (e.g., resident pool party or car wash, employee team-building initiative or community fundraiser).
  • Corporate Communication/Internal Public Relations: Best writing, content, design and overall packaging of an internal property and/or company communication (e.g., Apartment Onsite Teams Day communication, HR piece, training brochure or 401K brochure).
  • Signage: Most attractive, creative and effective  signage (e.g., interior or exterior property, office building, retail, event signage).
  • Resident/Tenant Communication: Best writing, content, design and overall presentation of a property communication vehicle (e.g., print newsletter, flyer, e-newsletter, portal).
  • Model Apartment: Best use of virtual staging and/or furniture, accessories, color, texture and window and wall treatments to create an effective model apartment.
  • Leasing Center: Best use of furniture, accessories, color, window and wall treatments to create functional, organized, clean and welcoming leasing-center environment.
  • Amenity: Best use of an amenity to add value to a property and meet resident/tenant wants and needs.
  • Other: Did your company launch an innovative marketing campaign that doesn’t fit neatly in one of the existing categories? Enter it in the ‘Other’ category, tell us all about it and explain why you think it’s award-worthy!

The MAE Awards categories cater to different company types:

  • Property Management Company
  • Associate Company: Any company providing products or services to property management professionals.
Categories are further segmented according to property types, including lease-up, stabilized,  affordable, commercial, hotel and more. This approach ensures a comprehensive assessment tailored to each property segment’s unique demands. Moreover, recognition is also given based on the materials’ development:

  • In-House: Materials developed by a company’s internal communications, marketing and/or design professional(s). For example, ABC Management Company staff designs Awesome Apartment’s e-newsletter, or Perfect Painting Company staff creates a direct-mail postcard to promote Perfect Painting Company. Pieces developed by a property management company in tandem with an apartment locator service will be considered in this category.
  • By Agency: Materials developed by an outside entity for a property management company or Associate. For example, ABC Management Company hires Marvelous Marketers, Inc. to develop Awesome Apartment’s e-newsletter, or Perfect Painting Company hires Marvelous Marketers, Inc. to design a direct-mail postcard to promote Perfect Painting Company
All work that is entered must have been in general use for at least part of the current calendar year. Entries do not, however, need to have been created this year. Prototypes may not be submitted. Please note, entry materials will not be returned. PMA reserves the right to publish entries in its publications and other media.

1 - 5 Entries 6 - 10 Entries 11+ Entries
MEMBER RATE
Regular
Ends June 14		 $110 per entry $100 per entry $90 per entry
Extended Deadline
Ends July 31		 $160 per entry $150 per entry $140 per entry
NON MEMBER RATE
Regular
Ends June 14		 $220 per entry $210 per entry $200 per entry
Extended Deadline
Ends July 31		 $260 per entry $250 per entry $240 per entry

To be eligible for Property Management Association member rates, the entry must be created for and/or submitted by PMA member. To be considered a member, the company must have paid 2026 dues in full at the time of entry. Membership applications are available online at pma-dc.org.

Entry fees are due within 30 days of receipt of invoice. PMA staff will email invoice(s) to the contact person no later than August 15, 2026. Entry fees will be based on the total number of entries received by the company and the date(s) of submission.  A late fee of $25 will be incurred if not paid within 30 days of receipt.

In keeping with PMA's Event and Program Policies, MAE Award entries may be withdrawn or transferred but are not refundable. All requests for transfer must be made more than 30 days prior to scheduling of evaluation/consideration and/or 90 days prior to the event at which award winners will be announced.

View Past MAE Award Winners

2025 Marketing & Advertising Excellence Awards Winners

Presented by PMA’s Marketing Council, this program honors outstanding communications achievements within the property management industry in the national capital area, celebrating innovation, creativity, and effectiveness in marketing and advertising.