NewsBrands Ireland’s Power of Planning competition returns on October 1st 2026, bringing together some of Ireland’s brightest emerging media planning talent for a day of strategy, creativity, networking and industry insight.

Taking place at Medley, Dublin 2, the annual competition challenges junior media planners with three years’ experience or less to develop an innovative media strategy in response to a creative brief, using Ireland’s leading news brands and their print and digital platforms.

The day will feature a special presentation from Heather Dansie, Insight Director at NewsWorks, who will present some of the organisation’s latest research on cultural relevance, and an overview of their recent Attention research undertaken with Peter Field and Lumen.

The Power of Planning competition also gives participants the opportunity to meet commercial teams from Ireland’s leading news publishers, gain insights into their audiences and platforms, and explore the creative opportunities available across news brands.

Last year’s competition was won by a team from Core Exchange – Emma Brassanini, Alex Sheerin, Christine Power, Hanna Akinso, Michael Poufong and Hollylee Higgins – for their media plan, “Today’s Choices, Tomorrow’s Change.” The judges praised the winning entry for its strong audience insights, detailed interpretation of the brief and compelling strategic execution.

The competition is designed to give young planners an opportunity to put their strategic and creative skills into practice, while gaining a deeper understanding of the reach, trusted environments and creative possibilities offered by news brands.

To register a team, please contact Lisa Buckley in NewsBrands Ireland: lbuckley@newsbrands.ie