Content Marketing Institute Crowns Industry’s Best in 2026 Content Marketing Awards Program

CMI announces top three winners in the prestigious Content Marketing Awards

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, August 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) has announced the top three winners in the 2026 Content Marketing Awards, the largest and longest-running international content marketing awards program. Presented annually by CMI, the awards recognize the best projects, agencies, and marketers around the world.

The 2026 winners represent the pinnacle of content marketing excellence, demonstrating how strategic storytelling, innovation, and measurable impact continue to transform the industry.

Here are the 2026 top Content Marketing Award winners:

Agency of the Year: Pace Communications

– Pace is helping brands rethink what great content marketing looks like in the age of AI, combining audience insight, creativity, and human judgment to drive measurable business impact for clients including Hackensack Meridian Health, Brighthouse Financial, and Verizon.

Content Marketer of the Year: Zari Venhaus, Vice President, Global Marketing Communications, Eaton

– A leader, mentor, creator, and champion of content marketing at Eaton for more than a decade, Zari built the foundation for award-winning content programs that engage and convert Eaton’s global audience—and inspire teams to do their best work.

Project of the Year: The Action Plan: Making Retirement Active by Lincoln Financial

– Lincoln Financial’s four-part docuseries reframed retirement planning around the life people want to keep living. Through authentic, emotional storytelling, it connected financial planning with purpose and passion while changing the conversation around retirement.

“This year’s top winners are true content innovators, showing how pairing meaningful audience insights with human judgment can transform creativity into results,” said Stephanie Stahl, managing director of the Content Marketing Institute. “The future of content marketing balances innovation with authenticity, and these winners show that emotional storytelling still earns attention. Their work sets the standard for excellence and inspires marketers everywhere to push boundaries and deliver content that truly matters.”

Congratulations to the winners of the top three Content Marketing Award prizes and the more than 50 individual category winners announced in July.

You can explore the full list of category winners here: cmi.media/award-winners

Explore all the groundbreaking work in the online winners spotlight gallery here: cmi.media/awards-spotlight

About Content Marketing Institute
Content Marketing Institute (CMI) exists to do one thing: advance the practice of content marketing through online education and in-person and digital events. We create and curate content experiences that teach marketers and creators from enterprise brands, small businesses, and agencies how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. Global brands turn to CMI for strategic consultation, training, and research. Organizations from around the world send teams to Content Marketing World, the largest content marketing-focused event, and CMI virtual events. Our community of 215,000+ content marketers shares camaraderie and conversation. CMI is part of LIONS, part of Informa PLC. To learn more, visit www.contentmarketinginstitute.com.

Amanda Subler
Content Marketing Institute
Amanda.Subler@informa.com

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