The winners of the EMAS Awards 2026 were announced today during the DDMA Email Marketing Automation Summit (EMAS). Harman EMEA Consumer Lifestyle Division (JBL) won the Email Marketing Automation Excellence Award, Eveline van Hal of bol was named Young Talent of the Year, and Funnelboost took home the title in the Battle of the Agencies.
The EMAS Awards annually recognise the most inspiring achievements in email marketing, CRM and marketing automation. According to Judith Oude Sogtoen, Managing Director of DDMA, this year’s winners demonstrate the continued evolution of the industry:
“This year’s winners show just how mature our industry has become. Organisations are using data, technology and automation in increasingly sophisticated ways to build meaningful customer relationships. At the same time, we see a new generation of professionals bringing fresh ideas and energy that will help shape the future of email marketing and marketing automation.”
The jury was impressed by the quality of entries. The independent jury was chaired by Milou Steenvoorden (ING).
“As a jury, we were truly impressed by both the quality and the energy within the industry this year. Marketing automation is clearly evolving towards mature, always-on customer journeys, while new talent is already making an impact and pushing the industry forward. The winners demonstrate exactly that: not only strong results, but also new ways of thinking and working by bringing strategy, data and execution together from the very beginning. It gives us great confidence in the future of the profession.”
Email Marketing Automation Excellence: Harman EMEA Consumer Lifestyle Division (JBL)
The Email Marketing Automation Excellence Award goes to Harman EMEA Consumer Lifestyle Division (JBL) for the case The JBL Customer First Strategy: Using Intent-Based Segmentation. According to the jury, the case demonstrates that successful marketing automation is not only about technology, but also about adaptability, perseverance and organisational alignment. During a complex platform migration and rebranding process, the team managed not only to maintain customer communications but to fundamentally improve them. The transition towards an always-on lifecycle strategy, combined with smart use of first-party data, scalable processes and continuous optimisation, ultimately convinced the jury.
The other nominees in this category were:
- Catawiki
- Sunweb group
Young Talent of the Year: Eveline van Hal (bol)
The Young Talent of the Year Award goes to Eveline van Hal, Marketing Automation Expert at bol. The jury praised her ability to bring together multiple stakeholders within a complex organisation while maintaining a clear vision for communication and automation. Her combination of strategic thinking, stakeholder management and execution makes her one of the most promising young professionals in the field.
The other nominees were:
- Wout Jansen (Merkle)
- Sharon van Arum (Pets Place)
Battle of the Agencies: Funnelboost
The winner of the Battle of the Agencies 2026 is Funnelboost. In this competition, Funnelboost, Merkle and Yellowgrape developed an email campaign for this year’s client, Pink Gellac. The agencies presented their concepts live on stage during EMAS.
JoeYee Tang, Head of CRM at Pink Gellac:
“This was a fantastic experience. Three agencies, one brief and three completely different interpretations. That difference in approach made it especially valuable because you only truly discover what works when you test ideas side by side. The outcome was surprising and reminded us that small choices can have a major impact. We will certainly apply elements from the winning email in future campaigns and flows.”
About the EMAS Awards
The EMAS Awards are an initiative of DDMA and are presented annually during the Email Marketing Automation Summit (EMAS), the leading event for email marketing and marketing automation in the Benelux.
About DDMA
DDMA is the largest marketing and data industry association in the Netherlands. We represent a network of more than 360 brands, non-profits, agencies, technology providers and publishers that use data responsibly for marketing, service and sales.