Frequently Asked Questions

The Nothing Without Us Awards celebrate commercial brand work that makes authentic disability representation a creative and business advantage. We recognise campaigns made for the marketplace, not charity films or public service announcements (PSAs). By PSAs we mean non-commercial awareness or fundraising messages typically produced by charities, NGOs, or public bodies. While valuable, they have different objectives, budgets, and distribution models from brand marketing, so they sit outside our scope.

The focus is on work that competes in the same spaces as any major brand idea — TV, digital, social, retail, experiential — and proves that inclusive storytelling can be culturally resonant, commercially effective, and creatively outstanding.

The Awards exist to raise the standard across the industry: moving beyond tokenism and one-off “cause” moments toward teams that build accessibility into the craft, involve disabled talent with real decision-making power, and portray disabled people with nuance and agency. When representation is authentic, the work improves: stronger ideas, broader reach, better results, and practices that repeat.

We recognise two things that make this shift possible:

• Campaigns that deliver creative excellence with integrity and impact.
• Change Makers whose leadership and lived expertise reshape how organisations brief, hire, create, and measure success.

Our goal is simple: make authentic disability representation standard practice in brand marketing — creatively, operationally, and commercially.

The Awards are led by Valuable 500, the global organisation of 500+ partners and companies working together to end disability exclusion.

They are shaped and judged by a global panel of creatives, industry practitioners, and inclusion leaders — all of whom identify as disabled. We operate a clear conflict-of-interest policy and an accessible judging process.

As part of our mission to close what’s missing in inclusive representation across marketing, Valuable 500 created the Nothing Without Us Awards and the Authentic Representation Tool (ART). ART is a free, practical self-assessment that helps brands benchmark where they are, identify systemic gaps (from leadership and hiring to craft and accessibility), and get tailored, prioritised actions to improve how work is made — not just what goes on screen. Explore ART here

Entries are reviewed by our jury against four criteria. Points are awarded for each bucket, totalling up to 100.

Authenticity
We look for lived-experience leadership and meaningful co-creation across strategy, creative, production and post — not just consultation. Show where disabled talent had decision rights, how community insight shaped choices, and how accessibility was designed in from the start. Inclusive hiring/casting and fair pay strengthen the case.

Representation
Portrayals should be nuanced and human, avoiding pity, perfection, “inspiration” and medicalised tropes. We value stories that show the fullness of disabled lives (joy, humour, ambition, everyday moments), reflect diversity within disability (visible and non-visible; across identities), and give disabled characters meaningful presence.

Impact
Outcomes over outputs. Where relevant, include commercial results (e.g. brand lift, sales, consideration) and social/cultural effects (e.g. community sentiment, accessibility reach, behaviour change). Explain your methodology and what changed inside the organisation as a result (processes, partnerships, repeatable practices). If a metric isn’t applicable, say why.

Craft
Original ideas, strong storytelling, and high-quality execution across channels. We value fresh perspectives that expand the canon of disability narratives, coherence from concept to delivery, and accessibility that enhances the creative idea rather than sitting beside it.

Nominations are reviewed by our jury against four criteria. Points are awarded for each bucket, totalling up to 100.

Lived expertise & craft
We look for self-identified disabled professionals who pair lived experience with strong marketing judgement. Show specific decisions they influenced (brief, script, casting, edit, artwork, media) and how their expertise shaped the work.

Power-building & collaboration
Evidence that the nominee brought disabled creators and experts into the process — with real influence on decisions, fair pay and credit, and clear routes for participation that others can use.

Systems change
Simple mechanisms that stick beyond one campaign: guidance, checks, roles, language standards, vendor policies or training that make authentic representation repeatable across teams.

Outcomes & adoption
Clear links from the nominee’s actions to creative quality, audience response and/or brand impact — plus signs that the new ways of working are being adopted by colleagues and partners.

Download the relevant entry form below (Campaign or Change Makers), complete it, and email it with your supporting materials to art@thevaluable500.com. The forms outline exactly what to include and how to structure your submission. Entries are free of charge and must arrive by 31 October 2025.

Please ensure all materials are accessible. For video, include captions and audio description, plus a transcript. For images, provide alt text. If files are large, share a download link.

Keep consent and privacy in mind: only name disabled contributors who have chosen to be public, and don’t include medical details. You must also hold the rights to everything you submit (see the forms for the full checklist).

Download Campaign Entry Form (DOCX)
Download Change Makers Entry Form (DOCX)

Judging will take place in November, and winners will be notified directly that month with next steps. We’ll share guidance for press and social posts; all communications will be under embargo until the public reveal.

The big announcement happens at SYNC25 in Tokyo on 3–4 December 2025, where the winners will be revealed on stage. Attendance is encouraged but not required.