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Get To Know The 2025 Judges

We asked the esteemed judges of the 2025 Content Marketing Awards about their top tips for entrants, why they continue to return as judges year after year, and more!

What is your top tip for those entering the CMAs?

My top tip for those entering is to tell a compelling story. For example, answering these five questions will get you there:

1) With so much noise out there, what makes your submission stand out?
2) From soup to nuts, why is your submission worthy of recognition?
3) What metrics can you include that show the impact of your work?
4) How did your submission move the needle — either for your organization, or even better, on a societal/cultural level?
5) Is it sustainable/does it have a long shelf life? – Khalil Garriott, VP & Executive Editor, American Bankers Association

As Robert Rose says, “It’s your story. Tell it well.” How do you do that? Meaningful metrics! Be sure you show the impact of your submission. Showing results can truly set you apart from other projects. – Amy Fair, Editorial Lead | Salesforce, Aquent Studios

Bring your project to life in your submission, and make sure you address all the criteria. Don’t rush through this! – James Tennant, Founder, Converge

As Dr. Brene Brown says, “to be clear is kind, to be unclear is unkind”. Providing clarity in your submission looks like having a clear problem statement, solution and results. More is not always better. – Heather Rist Murphy, VP | Brand & Consumer Engagement, Collective Measures

My top tip for entrants is to be specific in their entries. Take the time to truly explain why your campaign or strategy is innovative and impactful. Describe how it achieved its goals and how it connected with your audience. Make sure you have the metrics or evidence to back up the story you’re telling. – Zontee Hou, Managing Director, Convince & Convert

Data! Data! Data! When entering for the awards, don’t forget to show the story, but backup the story with data. I’d also recommend that entries share key lessons learned from the program. How did they improve? What are they going to do differently next time? What surprised them the most? – Amy Higgins, Director | Content Strategy, Cloudflare

As a judge I always enjoy seeing both the spark that incited the campaign and the impact of each piece. Include the “why” behind your entry. Why did this content piece happen? There is a problem that your content was meant to solve. Why did it have impact? Show the data that demonstrates why this content marketing initiative was a success. – Penny Gralewski, Vice President | Product Marketing, Arcserve

My tip would be to give details. As judges, we’re looking at campaigns from the outside, but as marketers, we’re naturally curious about the why and how behind what applicants did. What was the strategy? What problem were you solving? What made it work? The more context you can give, the better we can understand the impact of your work and appreciate all the thought and effort that went into it. Also, metrics! – Ashley Baker, Freelance & Contract Marketer, Coastline Marketing

As a returning judge, what motivates you to continue judging?

I’ve been judging for many years, fun to make it an annual tradition. Also love seeing interesting work from around the world! – Josh Miles, Founder, ArmourSash

I’m always so amazed by the high quality of submissions for the Content Marketing Awards. The talent in this field is unmatched, and every year I’m more and more impressed by the output of the creative minds of my peers. – Amy Fair, Editorial Lead | Salesforce, Aquent Studios

I am driven to be a returning judge because this competition truly recognizes the best of the best in content marketing. Having been both a judge and a winner of CMI’s Content Marketing Awards program, I always look forward to participating in it. Each year, I am inspired, impressed and motivated by the level of excellence in the submissions! – Khalil Garriott, VP & Executive Editor, American Bankers Association

I get inspired by great work, so getting to see some of the best work every year is a pleasure and a privilege that is well worth my time. – James Tennant, Founder, Converge

To see behind the scenes of the great work happening in the content marketing industry. The teams submitting put a lot of effort and creativity into planning and executing campaigns. It’s inspiring to see the work and the results. – Heather Rist Murphy, VP | Brand & Consumer Engagement, Collective Measures

I love seeing great work. Content marketing can be a grind. We all know it. So when someone puts out something smart, strategic and genuinely engaging, I want to cheer for it. Judging gives me a front-row seat to that kind of work—and it reminds me why we do this in the first place. I also do it because I believe in raising the bar. When we highlight what great looks like, it helps everyone. It pushes us to be better, to think harder and to not settle for “good enough.” Plus, there’s something really satisfying about giving a high-five (even if it’s virtual) to the folks behind the scenes. It’s rewarding to shine a spotlight on the individuals and teams whose work might otherwise go unrecognized. – Amanda Gant, Director of Marketing, Orbit Media Studios

It’s inspiring to see so much talent. Volunteering to be a judge is a commitment, but with the caliber of work submitted it’s energizing. – Claudia Plumley, Managing Editor, Great Lakes Studios

Every year, the Content Marketing Awards brings together some of the most impactful, creative, and unique content marketing strategies and campaigns in one place. I love to see what our community has created, and I’m excited every year to learn from the community. – Zontee Hou, Managing Director, Convince & Convert

I love the content marketing field and love seeing it intersect with journalism and audio/visual elements and evolving media. – Lauren Fritsky, Content Marketing Consultant

After 10+ years of judging the Content Marketing Awards, I’m continually inspired by each and every submission. I love seeing how the status quo is being challenged and marketers continue to hone in on their craft. – Amy Higgins, Director | Content Strategy, Cloudflare

I’ve been serving as a judge for the CMA for over ten years, and I’m proud to be a part of it. My main motivation is to contribute to the advancement of best practices in content marketing worldwide. It also keeps me connected with the CMI community. – Cassio Politi, Founder, Tracto

It’s inspiring to see the creative and impactful content marketing initiatives submitted for the Content Marketing Awards. Each submission has a story – an idea that sparked a full content marketing campaign or impactful content piece. I’m honored to help recognize the people behind the content and their persuasive work. – Penny Gralewski, Vice President | Product Marketing, Arcserve

I love getting to look at the best content across different businesses and brands, in and out of my industry. I get so many ideas and inspiration for different ways to use content marketing in each submission. – Brian Piper, Director of Content Strategy & Assessment, University of Rochester

I’m excited to be back as a judge because I genuinely love what I do and seeing how our industry keeps pushing the envelope. Great marketing isn’t about playing it safe. It’s about taking risks, trying new things, and always looking for ways to do it better. If we’re not pushing ourselves to think bigger and bolder, we’re not really doing our jobs. Getting to see the work people are creating and celebrating those who are raising the bar is the best part for me. – Ashley Baker, Freelance & Contract Marketer, Coastline Marketing