Brace Yourself for the 2026 Indie Impact Awards Winners
Six winners. Twenty Standouts
Brace Yourself for the 2026 Indie Impact Awards Winners
The creativity coming from independent billboard operators is so explosive, the 2026 Indie Impact Awards was a hard-hat-required zone.
Now in its second year, the show handed out six awards on April 16 at the IBO Spring Conference in New Orleans, recognizing OOH media companies constructing the most creative campaigns of the year. Work that stopped people. Work that actually served the clients who paid for it.
Work that raised expectations for what local billboards should look like.
160 entries. 35 companies. Three independent judges: Karl Bastian, creative director and owner at PB&J in Traverse City; Karla Steele, fractional OOH sales at K Steele Solutions; and Ryan Fitzpatrick, creative director at Lamar in Chico, California.
Six winners. Twenty Standouts. None of them from a Fortune 500 brand or a major metro market.
THE WINNERS
EWWWWWWWWWW — Melody Roberts, OOHC / ABC Home & Commercial Services – Austin, TX
Words That Work — Link Media Outdoor / Hatco – Sturgeon Bay, WI
Big Ass Bling — Durden Outdoor / Kirkland Jewelry – Dothan, AL
Too Hot to Handle — Durden Outdoor / Oaks on Park – Dothan, AL
Size Matters — Adams Outdoor / ShopRite – Lehigh Valley, PA
Radical Reveal — Meadow Outdoor / Budget Blinds – Eugene, OR
Every person behind these campaigns chose to do something remarkable when ordinary would have been easier and nobody would have complained. They pushed their clients, trusted their instincts, and built work that proved what this industry is capable of from any zip code in the country.
View the full campaigns at indieimpactawards.com
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