ITV has today announced the shortlist for the 2026 ITV Head First Award. The initiative offers a transformative £1 million in ITV airtime to the advertising campaign that best shines a spotlight on mental wellbeing and inspires action through the power of TV advertising. 

Following a highly competitive initial stage five campaigns have been selected as the shortlist:

● Carwow 

● The Quentin Blake Center for Illustration 

● Kwik Fit 

● Miracle-Gro 

● Starbucks 

These shortlisted brands and their agency partners will develop their initial concepts into full campaigns. They will then deliver an in-person pitch to a prestigious panel of judges, including Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of Mind, Maisie McCabe, Editor of Campaign, Laura Rogers, Executive Creative Director at AMV BBDO and Lindsey Clay, Chief Executive of Thinkbox. 

The competition challenges the industry to develop bold, creative campaigns that encourage the nation to take small, meaningful steps toward better mental health and the overall winner will be announced later this Spring with the campaign on-air in Q3 2026. 

Kate Waters, Director of Client Strategy and Planning at ITV, said: “We have been absolutely blown away by the calibre, insight, and creativity of the entries for this year's Head First Award. Television advertising has an unparalleled power to shape culture and spark vital conversations in millions of living rooms across the country, and the brilliant ideas presented by the shortlisted brands demonstrate exactly what happens when brands use their platform to drive positive change. We cannot wait to see these ideas come to life in the pitch room.” 

Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive, Mind said: “The shortlisted campaigns demonstrate real ambition and creativity. At a time when so many are struggling, it’s powerful to see the advertising industry recognising the vital role they can play in encouraging people to take meaningful steps toward looking after their mental health”. 

The Head First Award reflects ITV’s wider social purpose commitment to fostering a world in which we all do more to look after our mental wellbeing. The 2026 competition, being run for the second time, follows the massive success of the inaugural winner, WWF, who used their £1 million airtime prize to launch a powerful campaign encouraging people to get their "daily dose of nature" to support their mental health. 

The ultimate winner of the £1 million ITV airtime prize will be announced following the final pitch sessions. 

For more information on the Head First Award, including the full list of judges, click below.