EL SOL

What EL SOL does

El Sol (full name: El Festival Iberoamericano de la Comunicación Publicitaria) is an annual creative advertising awards festival and industry conference founded in 1986 and organized by ACP (Asociación de la Comunicación Publicitaria), a Madrid-registered non-profit association (CIF G-80748726). The festival runs a competition across 17 sections — including Film, Print, Outdoor, Audio, Media, Brand Activation, PR, Digital, Integrated Campaigns, Innovation, Branded Content, Design, Production/Craft, Best International Idea, Creatividad Transformadora, Desarrollo Sostenible, and Health — awarding Sol de Bronce, Sol de Plata, Sol de Oro, Grand Prix, and Sol de Platino. It operates supplementary programs including the Jóvenes Creativos student competition, the See It Be It female talent initiative (with Cannes Lions and UnaDeDos), and specialty sections on Sustainable Development (with UnLimited Spain) and Transformative Creativity. The festival moved from Madrid to Málaga under a three-year agreement with Málaga Procultura starting with the 37th edition (2023); the 40th edition is scheduled for May 28-29, 2026 with Turismo de Andalucía as principal sponsor.

Its technology footprint is modest: an official website (elsolfestival.com), an online back-office for material submission and registration, a content streaming platform (El Sol TV at elsolfestival.tv), Google Analytics-based site instrumentation, and an e-commerce storefront selling physical trophies (340 EUR for Sol de Oro/Plata/Bronce, 530 EUR for Sol de Platino) and historical palmares DVDs from 28 EUR. There are no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, mobile applications, or documented data flywheels.

El Sol monetizes through a hybrid event-driven revenue model: per-entry competition fees across 17 sections (transaction fees), principal and supporting sponsorships (Turismo de Andalucía, Freepik, ACP, Málaga Procultura, plus industry partners), attendee ticket revenue for the conference program and awards ceremony, and trophy/merchandise sales. Its primary customer segments are advertising agencies and creative professionals entering the competition (the dominant segment), brands and advertisers seeking recognition (e.g., recurring 'Advertiser of the Year' winners include KFC, Burger King, Audi, Pernod Ricard), and emerging talent including students (Jóvenes Creativos) and female creative leaders (See It Be It). The festival is recognized as one of the 15 WARC reference festivals and one of the two most valued advertising awards by advertisers in Spain per Scopen research.

Name

EL SOL

Legal name

ACP - Asociación de la Comunicación Publicitaria

Website

https://elsolfestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

El Sol is the Iberoamerican advertising creativity festival and industry conference founded in 1986 by ACP, running an annual awards competition across 17 sections for agencies and brands across Spain and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Awards Festival and Industry Conference

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event Marketing, Sponsorship Sales & Promotion (MPAGAAAE)

Keywords

• Advertising creativity festival
• Creative awards competition
• Industry conference events
• Talent development programs
• Brand creativity recognition

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid, Community of Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Competition entry fees: Agencies and brands pay to enter creative work into the festival's competition categories across 17 sections (Film, Print, Outdoor, Audio, Media, Brand Activation, PR, Digital, Integrated Campaigns, Innovation, Branded Content, Design, Production/Craft, Best International Idea, Transformative Creativity, Sustainable Development, Health).
2. Trophy sales: Winners purchase physical trophies (Sol de Oro, Plata, Bronce at 340 EUR each; Sol de Platino at 530 EUR) to commemorate their wins. The festival also sells palmares DVDs of past editions from 28 EUR.
3. Sponsorship and partnerships: The festival is supported by sponsors including Turismo de Andalucía (principal sponsor), Freepik, and various industry partners. Sponsors gain visibility at the event and in associated materials.
4. Ticket revenue: The festival generates revenue from attendee tickets for the conference program, awards ceremony, and specialized events such as AdNight screenings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

El Sol is an annual Iberoamerican advertising creativity festival that runs a competitive awards program across 17 creative categories (Film, Print, Outdoor, Audio, Media, Brand Activation, PR, Digital, Integrated Campaigns, Innovation, Branded Content, Design, Production/Craft, Best International Idea, Transformative Creativity, Sustainable Development, Health) with five award tiers from Sol de Bronce to Sol de Platino. It complements the competition with a high-caliber conference program, screenings, and networking events for advertising professionals across Spain and Latin America, supported by digital platforms (elsolfestival.tv streaming and an online submission portal).

Product overview

El Sol is a comprehensive advertising and communication festival platform combining a prestigious awards competition with educational and talent development initiatives. The core product is the El Sol Festival itself, featuring multiple award categories across advertising disciplines. Supporting products include El Sol TV for content streaming, a Tienda for trophy sales, and specialized programs like See It Be It for female talent advancement and Jóvenes Creativos for student competition. The festival has expanded to include sections like Desarrollo Sostenible and Creatividad Transformadora, supported by various industry partner organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• El Sol TV: Official streaming platform of the festival for broadcasting conferences and award ceremony

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Turismo de Andalucía (Andalusia Tourism)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerTurismo de Andalucía is the principal sponsor of the 40th edition of El Sol. The partnership aims to promote Andalusia as a tourism destination while supporting the creative industry. The festival is held in Málaga under this sponsorship with co-financing from European Funds.
• UnLimited SpaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UnLimited Spain to create and manage the Sustainable Development section of the festival, which recognizes ideas, actions, organizations, and agencies generating positive social or environmental impact.
• Más Mujeres CreativasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation supporting the See It Be It program in partnership with UnaDeDos and SCOPEN to promote female talent in creative leadership roles.
• SCOPENminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and consulting firm collaborating on the See It Be It program and providing industry intelligence that supports the festival's positioning.
• APCP (Asociación de la Comunicación Publicitaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACP is the organizing body of El Sol. The association also co-presents the AdNight historical bobina screening sessions in collaboration with APCP (Asociación de Productoras del Cine Publicitario).
• AnunciantesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation of advertisers listed as a collaborative partner of El Sol festival.
• Mc SaatchiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a collaborative partner of the El Sol festival.
• Blinko GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a collaborative partner of the El Sol festival.
• Kobal SolucionesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a collaborative partner of the El Sol festival.
• Ayuntamiento de Málaga (City of Málaga)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe City of Málaga is a supporting partner of El Sol and collaborator on the Young Creatives competition, promoting Málaga as a destination for talent, culture, and creativity. The city also hosts the outdoor exhibition of finalists in the Outdoor and Print categories.
• HuaweiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHuawei partnered with El Sol for the Young Creatives competition, offering winning students internship opportunities at Huawei Consumer Spain in addition to the festival's recognition.
• IberdrolaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIberdrola collaborated on the Young Creativos section, providing a brief on energy transition and positioning, with winning teams recognized during the awards ceremony.
• Burger KingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBurger King partnered with El Sol for the Young Creativos competition, providing a real brief about its LaLiga sponsorship and offering winning students Apple laptops.
• UnaDeDosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnaDeDos (One of Two) is a commitment initiative for gender equality in agencies, co-leading the See It Be It program at El Sol alongside Más Mujeres Creativas and SCOPEN, in association with Cannes Lions.
• Cannes Lions (See It Be It)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe See It Be It program originally created by Cannes Lions is hosted at El Sol, providing immersion for eight female creative professionals with mentorship and jury observation opportunities.
• World Football Summit (WFS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEl Sol co-convenes the 'Most Creative Campaign in Football' award with WFS within the WFS Industry Awards, recognizing excellence in sports-related advertising campaigns.
• InOut TravelminorOthersInOut Travel is the designated accommodation and travel partner for El Sol festival attendees.
• FreepikminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpanish image bank and festival sponsor that hosted a debate on AI's impact on creativity and advertising titled 'From brief to prompt: new ways of making advertising.'
• Málaga ProculturacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMálaga Procultura signed the agreement to bring El Sol to Málaga for at least three years, supporting the city's cultural and creative positioning.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The One Show: North American creative advertising awards with multiple tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Best of Show) and creative week programming - comparable to El Sol's tier structure and conference-driven format.
• El Ojo de Iberoamérica: Latin American creative advertising festival organized by Grupo Uno, directly competing with El Sol for Iberoamerican agency entries and advertisers, with overlapping award categories and conference programming.
• Cannes Lions: The global benchmark for creative advertising awards, running an annual festival in Cannes with multi-tier awards (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Grand Prix) and conference programming - directly comparable to El Sol's structure but at global scale. El Sol hosts the See It Be It program originally created by Cannes Lions.
• Clio Awards: International creative advertising awards with annual ceremonies and conference programming, comparable to El Sol in category structure (Film, Print, Digital, Branded Content) and tier system, though with a broader international remit.
• D&AD Awards: UK-based creative advertising and design awards festival with annual ceremonies, pencil-tier awards (Yellow, Black, White), and conference programming - a global benchmark peer with similar structure to El Sol.
• New York Festivals Advertising Awards: International advertising creative awards with multi-tier recognition and category structures (Film, Print, Digital, Outdoor) closely aligned with El Sol's 17 competition sections.
• Effie Awards: Global marketing effectiveness awards program that - alongside El Sol's Premios Eficacia partner in Spain - recognizes campaign impact with multi-tier awards, comparable in advertiser recognition value to El Sol's Sol de Platino.
• London International Awards (LIA): International advertising creative awards with annual ceremonies and category structures closely paralleling El Sol, attracting similar global agency entrants seeking international recognition.
• FIAP (Festival Iberoamericano de la Creatividad): An Iberoamerican advertising creativity festival that competes for the same regional agency submissions, sponsors, and advertisers as El Sol, with similar award tier structures (Oro, Plata, Bronce, Gran Premio).
• ADC Awards (Art Directors Club): International creative advertising and design awards with annual festival and multi-tier recognition - comparable to El Sol's craft and design categories with a global creative community focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/el-sol-el-festival-iberomericano-de-la-comunicaci%C3%B3n-publicitaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EL SOL