Winners of SPORTO Brands 2020
2020 SPORTO Brand Awards, given based on the annual public research performed by the market and media research company Mediana (since 2007 in Slovenia and since 2013 in Croatia and Serbia), went for the fourth time to the Slovenian alpine skier Ilka Štuhec and for the first time to climber Janja Garnbret. Among male athletes SPORTO Brands became Luka Dončić for the third time and Primož Roglič for the first time. Among the sports club SPORTO Brands become NK Maribor and RK Celje Pivovarna Laško.
In Croatia, 2020 SPORTO Brand among male athletes are the football player Luka Modrić, who received the award for the sixth time, and, for the first time handball player Domagoj Duvnjak. Just like every year since the research started, Sandra Perković dominated among female athletes and for the third time to football club GNK Dinamo Zagreb.
Serbia’s top athletes still include the tennis ace Novak Đoković, the athlete Ivana Španović (sixth time) and the football clubs FK Crvena zvezda and KK Crvena zvezda.
Check out the highest-ranked athletes and clubs and final contenders for the 2020 (in alphabetical order).
SLOVENIA
Female athletes: Alenka Artnik, Janja Garnbret, Ema Klinec, Anamarija Lampič, Ilka Štuhec
Male athletes: Luka Dončić, Goran Dragić, Tim Gajser, Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič
Sports clubs: KK Cedevita Olimpija, NK Maribor, NK Olimpija Ljubljana, OK ACH Volley, RK Celje Pivovarna Laško
CROATIA
Female athletes: Sara Kolak, Ćamila Mičijević, Sandra Perković, Tea Pijević, Blanka Vlašić
Male athletes: Domagoj Duvnjak, Mario Mandžukić, Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić, Martin i Valent Sinković
Sports clubs: GNK Dinamo Zagreb, HNK Hajduk Split, NK Osijek, NK Rijeka, VK Jug CO
SERBIA
Female athletes: Tijana Bošković, Olga Danilović, Milica Mandić, Maja Ognjenović, Ivana Španović
Male athletes: Bogdan Bogdanović, Novak Đoković, Nikola Jokić, Miroslav Raduljica, Miloš Teodosić
Sports clubs: FK Crvena zvezda, FK Partizan, KK Crvena zvezda, KK Partizan, VK Partizan
>> Who owns the SPORTO Brand title from 2019?
SPORTO Awards competition rewards outstanding work in the field of sponsorship and marketing in sport. The competition is opened to applicants based in the Adriatic region. The competition is organised in cooperation with European Sponsorship Association (ESA) and national partners.
The highest-ranked project in each country within the category “Best sports sponsorship / SPORTO Sponsorship Award” is automatically placed in the contest for the prestigious “Best of Europe” at the ESA Excellence Awards competition. Entry into this category is only possible by invitation or by winning the mentioned category at SPORTO Awards competition.
I’m not missing anything. (Lidl Slovenia), We’ve got this. We’ve got Tokyo! and Slovenian Torch – We’ve got an Olympic Dream (Olympic Committee of Slovenia), Pogačar can also overcome hunger (Engrotuš) and Argeta takes over Planica 2021 (Atlantic Droga Kolinska – Argeta) were the winners of the four categories and one subcategory of the 2021 SPORTO Awards as the best practice in sponsorship and marketing in the Adriatic region. The best projects from each country, participating in the SPORTO Sponsorship category, qualified directly to the ESA Excellence »Best of Europe« competition.
The jury awarded the following projects:
SPORTO Sponsorship category
“I’m not missing anything.” (sponsor: Lidl Slovenia, rights holder: Slovenian Paralympic Committee, entrant: Luna\TBWA, Drom agency, Taktik)
SPORTO Endorsement (sub)category
“Pogačar can also overcome hunger” (sponsor: Engrotuš, rights holder: Tadej Pogačar, entrant: Agencija 101)
SPORTO Digital category
“Argeta takes over Planica 2021” (sponsor: Atlantic Droga Kolinska – Argeta, rights holder: Ski Association of Slovenia, entrant: Luna\TBWA)
SPORTO Rightsholder category
“We’ve got this. We’ve got Tokyo!” (rights holder and entrant: Olympic Committee of Slovenia)
SPORTO Event category
“Slovenian Torch – We’ve got an Olympic Dream” (rights holder and entrant: Olympic Committee of Slovenia)
Projects from each country of the applicants that received the highest score in the category of SPORTO Sponsorship Award are qualified for the competition of the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) in the category “Best of Europe”. The following projects qualified to enter the competition of the best European sponsorships projects:
The best Serbian project: “Doncafe Sponsorship of the Serbian National Olympic Committee” (sponsor: Strauss Adriatic, rights holder: National Olympic Committee of Serbia, entrant: Strauss Adriatic).
The best Slovenian project: “I’m not missing anything.” (sponsor: Lidl Slovenia, rights holder: Slovenian Paralympic Committee, entrant: Luna \TBWA, Drom agency, Taktik)
The Jury highly commended the sponsorship project “Mind of steel – Slovenian Torch” (sponsor: SIJ Group, rights holder: Olympic Committee of Slovenia, entrant: SIJ Group).
Entries in all SPORTO Awards categories were reviewed and evaluated according to predefined criteria in close cooperation with European Sponsorship Association (ESA), by an international expert Judging Panel chaired by an ESA president Andy Westlake.
