The CAF’s mission is to make Chicago notorious for being the most vibrant, diverse and connected advertising community on the planet. Our committees host events that champion and celebrate the achievements of our industry, and the people behind them.
Silver Medal Award
The Silver Medal Award program was created in 1983 to recognize a distinguished member of the Chicago advertising community for their contributions to the advertising profession.
Advertising Woman of the Year
The Advertising Woman of the Year Award (AWOY) has recognized outstanding leadership by a woman in the Chicago marketing and advertising community since 1958.
American Advertising Awards
Recognizing and rewarding the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising, the American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry’s largest competition, attracting nearly 35,000 entries every year.
The CAF runs and hosts the local competition, and winners can advance to the regional and national competitions. Each year in the spring, we bring the community together to host a reception and present the winners with their ADDY trophies.
Collective Impact Committee (CIC)
Building on our legacy, the CIC advances CAF's mission by expanding access to industry opportunities, elevating voices, and mobilizing members and partners for meaningful community impact. Through collaboration, mentorship, industry engagement, and philanthropy, CIC helps strengthen Chicago's advertising community.
Hot Seat Panel Series
Hot Seat is one of CAF’s key thought leadership events. It brings together industry leaders from all sides of the table to inspire, inform and engage Chicago’s advertising and marketing community by discussing hot topics currently facing the industry.
Career Day
The Chicago Advertising Federation's Career Day attracts over 300 college students, grads and early-career professionals looking to start or advance their career in advertising.
Market Smarter
Market Smarter is a powerful webinar series that gives brands, Martech and platforms an audience for advances and innovations, and gives the community the chance to stay ahead of the game. View below to learn more about our Market Smarter webinar series.
Market Smarter Webinars*
The Chicago Advertising Federation hosts our insightful Market Smarter webinar series throughout the year, broaching a wide variety of industry subjects. Couldn’t catch the webinar live? Members can view our recordings on our webinar page.
* Member's Only Content