Full Winners Announced at the Affiliate Leaders Awards 2026 in Lisbon

The Affiliate Leaders Awards 2026 announced its full roster of winners on 30 September 2026 at the MEO Arena in Lisbon. The ceremony, held alongside the SBC Summit, recognised leading operators, affiliate networks, technology vendors and individual managers across the global iGaming affiliate sector.

Affiliate Leaders Awards 2026: winners list and headline categories

The awards covered a broad set of categories spanning industry excellence, leadership, operator programmes and campaign work. The headline winners included Catena Media as Casino Affiliate of the Year, Flashscore Network as Sports Affiliate of the Year and GottaGamble as Crypto Affiliate of the Year. Hub Affiliations took Best Affiliate Network, while Big4Play.Live was named Rising Star of the Year (Affiliate).

Full industry and affiliate excellence winners:

• Casino Affiliate of the Year: Catena Media

• Sports Affiliate of the Year: Flashscore Network

• Crypto Affiliate of the Year: GottaGamble

• Best Affiliate Network: Hub Affiliations

• Rising Star of the Year (Affiliate): Big4Play.Live

Affiliate awards 2026 — leadership and management recognitions

The ceremony also singled out individual leaders and programme managers. The joint winners of Affiliate Leader of the Year were Anastasiia Shcherbyna, listed as a Melbet manager, and Brian Christopher from BC Ventures. Program and people awards went to a range of managers across operators and networks.

Leadership and management winners:

• Affiliate Leader of the Year: Anastasiia Shcherbyna (Melbet Manager) and Brian Christopher (BC Ventures) — joint winners

• Affiliate Marketing Manager of the Year: Giannis Stavropoulos (Stoiximan)

• Affiliate Content Manager of the Year: Anna Maria Baccaro (Hub Affiliations)

• Affiliate Account / Community Manager of the Year: Leon Soulsby-Constantinou (Entain)

Operator programmes and platform prizes

Operator-facing awards recognised network and programme performance at different scales. Novibet won Affiliate Programme of the Year (Large) while Vegas Legends secured Affiliate Programme of the Year (Medium / Small). The awards highlighted operator investment in affiliate relationships and programme management.

Operator and programme winners:

• Affiliate Programme of the Year (Large): Novibet

• Affiliate Programme of the Year (Medium / Small): Vegas Legends

Affiliate technology of the year and innovation categories

Technology vendors and product teams also featured prominently. PartnerMatrix was named Affiliate Technology of the Year, RavenTrack won Affiliate Management Platform of the Year, and Better Collective took Affiliate Product Innovation. These categories acknowledge both platform capability and product development that supports affiliate operations.

Technology and innovation winners:

• Affiliate Technology of the Year: PartnerMatrix

• Affiliate Management Platform of the Year: RavenTrack

• Affiliate Product Innovation: Better Collective

Campaigns, traffic and agency awards

Campaign and traffic-focused awards went to established operator groups and specialised agencies. Betsson Group won Digital Marketing Campaign of the Year; Clever Advertising was named Affiliate Traffic Source of the Year; SlotCatalog claimed Affiliate-led Campaign of the Year; and Basher Agency received Marketing Agency of the Year.

Campaign and marketing winners:

• Digital Marketing Campaign of the Year: Betsson Group

• Affiliate Traffic Source of the Year: Clever Advertising

• Affiliate-led Campaign of the Year: SlotCatalog

• Marketing Agency of the Year: Basher Agency

Special category and game award

A single special award recognised an individual game provider title. Evolution picked up Casino Title of the Year.

• Casino Title of the Year: Evolution

Context from the 30 September ceremony and sector relevance

The event took place at MEO Arena in Lisbon on 30 September 2026 and formed part of the wider agenda while the SBC Summit ran in the same city. The organisers presented trophies across a wide range of affiliate ecosystem roles, from affiliate networks and programme teams to vendors and independent agencies. Shortlisted nominees and the winners together reflected activity across operator programmes, content and traffic acquisition, and affiliate technology.

For readers tracking sector events, the Affiliate Leaders Awards 2026 provides a useful snapshot of which companies and individuals are being publicly recognised for performance and product work in affiliate marketing this year. The full winners list above preserves the event's outcomes and the companies and people the judges selected.

What operators, platforms and affiliates should note

Operators and affiliate programmes can use the winners list as a benchmarking reference when evaluating partners, networks and tools. Vendors named in the technology categories — PartnerMatrix, RavenTrack and Better Collective — are the companies the judges singled out for platform and product development in 2026. Programme teams recognised at Novibet and Vegas Legends indicate where judges saw effective affiliate programme management.

For those tracking the awards across event calendars, the Affiliate Leaders Awards results were published publicly following the Lisbon ceremony and align with the visibility that comes from presenting alongside the SBC Summit. Coverage and shortlists remain a resource for procurement, partnership discussions and competitor analysis in affiliate verticals.

See the full event calendar and related items on our events page and follow related operator news on our news section.