The European Affiliate Awards (EAA) announced the shortlist for its 2026 edition on June 12, 2026, naming finalists across eight jury categories. A professional jury panel selected the nominees following a review of submitted case studies, according to an official announcement from the organization.
Finalists include global networks, technology providers, niche publishers, and agencies. Winners will receive gold, silver, or bronze distinctions at a ceremony in Berlin on September 21, 2026.
Networks and SaaS Platforms Compete for Best Technology
In the Best Network category, Adcell, Adtraction, and Webgains compete for the top spot. The inclusion of impact.com and Partnerize in both the Network and Technology categories underscores the blurring lines between traditional affiliate networks and SaaS-based partnership platforms.
The Best Technology category reflects the industry’s focus on infrastructure. Everflow and Swaarm join the ranks of the nominees. Collaborative entries also secured spots on the shortlist, including Nucleuslinks’ work with Zilch and Partnerize’s project with Love Holidays. These nominations indicate that successful technology implementation requires deep integration between provider and client.
Multi-Market Programs Drive Agency Nominations
Acceleration Partners, Silverbean, and Customer First Digital are among the six finalists for Best Agency. The jury recognizes these firms for their management of multi-market programs and their ability to navigate the European affiliate ecosystem.
In the Best Influencer category, the nominations reveal a shift toward professionalizing influencer partnerships within the affiliate model. Nominees include dentsu Benelux for their work with Tefal and MAI xpose360 for their collaboration with Thalia. This category highlights how brands move beyond awareness metrics to track the performance and conversion value of influencer-driven traffic.
Gold, silver, and bronze winners will be announced in Berlin on September 21, 2026, including the jury's reasoning for each selection.
Tradedoubler and Solute Lead Innovation Shortlist
The Best Innovation category features a mix of established brands and specialized services. Tradedoubler appears twice for separate projects with Wolt and a collaboration involving Boozt and Prisjakt. Other innovators include Woolsocks and Yellowgrape, showcasing new approaches to tracking, user acquisition, or conversion optimization.
The shortlist for Best Publisher includes specialized platforms like Sovendus and Shoparize alongside major price comparison players like Billiger.de, a brand owned by solute.
The Berlin ceremony also serves as a networking hub. A partnership with the Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) brings a larger contingent of German digital marketing professionals to the event. This collaboration cements the EAA's position in the European performance marketing calendar.
Affilitizer Editorial Team
This article was created with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
