The Awards

The Annual SACSC Footprint Marketing Awards seek to recognise exceptional shopping centre marketing, innovation and creative achievements, together with economic success, within the South African property industry.

Entry Classification

What you need to know to enter
All entries have to have a centre or company classification. All entries should comply with the guidelines set here. In this case, size does matter: your classification is determined by the amount of overall retail selling space in your centre (including vacant space).

Classification Entry Fee
Class 1: Up to 15,000m² R1,000.00 (excl. VAT)
Class 2: Between 15,001m² and 30,000m² R1,650.00 (excl. VAT)
Class 3: Between 30,001m² and 60,000m² R1,950.00 (excl. VAT)
Class 4: Above 60,000m² R2,250.00 (excl. VAT)

The following information will be required:

  • GLA of centre
  • Full disclosure of the marketing budget (including salaries, retainers and Christmas décor budgets) for the entered project/campaign, plus the total marketing budget for the centre (all sensitive information will be kept confidential).

Entry Categories

The below categories are defined further in the judges criteria document.

  • Strategic Marketing
  • Tactical Activation
  • Grand Opening/Expansion/Refurbishment
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Social Media
  • Public Relations
  • Brand & Tenant Partnerships
  • Customer Services
  • Emerging Technology
  • Business-to-Business
  • Best Placemaking

But What Does It All Mean?

A: STRATEGIC MARKETING

A big campaign idea using multiple marketing channels.

B: TACTICAL ACTIVATION

Campaigns and activities designed primarily to generate footfall or sales.

C: GRAND OPENING/EXPANSION/REFURBISHMENT

The marketing of the opening of a new centre, or the re-launch of an existing scheme.

D: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Projects which aim to benefit the centre's catchment area or local community.

E: SOCIAL MEDIA

Acknowledging projects where social media is at the centre of the project.

F: PUBLIC RELATIONS

Campaigns centred around the communication of key messages in the media, human interest stories and crisis management comms.

G: BRAND & TENANT PARTNERSHIPS

Rewarding relationships between tenants, third party brands and sponsorships which have achieved positive marketing results.

H: CUSTOMER SERVICES

Campaigns and initiatives involved in customer service and guest experience.

I: EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

Projects which have technology at the heart of the programme.

J: BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS

Campaigns targeting a business audience to raise the profile of assets and leasing opportunities.

K: BEST PLACEMAKING

Celebrating temporary or long-term innovations which add to the placemaking experience where people shop, live, eat, work or play.

Ready To Enter?

Verify if your entry is in line with the following guidelines:

  1. Eligible shopping centre entrants:
    A recognised shopping centre, its owner, a shopping centre developer, the management company of a shopping centre, Marketing agency or consulting firm affiliated to a shopping centre.
  2. The promotion or campaign must have taken place or have been completed between 1 January 2025 and 13 May 2026.
    Ensure that the entry is in English.
  3. If the campaign was in another language, the campaign should include an English translation.
  4. All figures and cost must be in South African Rands (ZAR). International currencies if applicable to be converted to ZAR.
  5. Ensure that you have categorised your campaign correctly?
    You are permitted to enter segments of an overall marketing campaign separately. All you have to do is make sure that you’ve referenced the different category sections properly. Brush up on the categories here.
  6. Ready to Enter
    Ensure your 25-page summary uploaded has all the necessary information as outlined under Useful Tips.
  7. Do you qualify?
    Our committee and SACSC officials will make eligibility rulings based on the criteria, and their decision is final. If your entry is deemed to be wrongly classified or ineligible, it will be reclassified, recategorised or may even disqualified. Any items that even if you pass through on the overall eligibility check, we’ll still remove any items that are ineligible from your entry. Please check your entry before submission.
  8. Third Party Acknowledgment:
    Ensure that all parties involved in the campaign have been acknowledged in the document.
  9. Footprint Award Publicity:
    The winners will be featured in Shopping SA and on the SACSC website. By sending us your entry, you give SACSC permission to reproduce, copy, publish and display all of your fancy entry materials in any format they want to. But, don’t worry; our only use for it all is to advertise the winning entries and not to rip off any of your ideas. Evaluate your entry for publication appropriateness with regard to confidential propriety information.

Ts & Cs