The promo industry showed up in full force at the 2026 Shop! Outstanding Merchandising Achievement (OMA) Awards in New Orleans earlier this month.

Now in its 68th year, the awards program recognizes excellence in retail display innovation, shopper engagement and point-of-purchase execution across more than 20 categories. Several promo distributors took home awards this year, representing a growing trend in promo toward products that support in-store and experiential marketing initiatives.

“These awards validate far more than creative output,” said Michael Levitt, a 2017 Counselor Distributor Salesperson of the Year finalist and president of The MRL Group (asi/258137), a 2026 Counselor Best Place to Work that took home four OMA awards this year. “They reflect the kind of organization we are intentionally building – one capable of connecting strategy, creative development, production, logistics and commercial performance into a fully integrated marketing execution model.”

This year marked MRL Group’s first time participating in the competition, becoming the most-awarded distributor in the beverage, wine and liquor category. These awards reflect a broader industry shift toward promo designed for operational scalability and in-store performance, the distributor said.

MRL’s award-winning programs include retail activations for Heaven Hill, Evan Williams, Larceny and 818 Tequila, featuring technology, displays and fixtures built to drive shopper engagement in competitive retail environments.

Meanwhile, Winston-Salem, NC-based ImageWorks Display took home gold in the mass merchandise category for its partnership with coffee brand Breville USA, which featured a permanent fixture installed at more than 300 Best Buy locations.

“We build brand performance into every detail – strategy, design, prototyping, engineering, manufacturing and installation,” said Justin Raney, CEO of ImageWorks Display. “This recognition further validates what our teams and partners set out to do: deliver a premium Breville brand expression display that’s built to scale, serviceable and designed for enduring impact.”

Miami distributor Outform was also recognized for programs with Anheuser-Busch Bud Light, Verizon and beauty company Cécred. GLOBAL Merchandising Services and TAG Worldwide (asi/360455) placed gold for their Coppertone display in the drugstore category. Bish Creative (asi/140452) and Counselor Top 40 distributor HH Global (asi/168860) earned a gold medal for their St-Germain Cocktail Cart and Tasting Center activation with Bacardi, while Innomark Communications (asi/231852) earned gold medals for partnerships with Canon and Mammoth Brands.

“Shop! MarketPlace provides a great opportunity for the Innomark team to collaborate across different divisions and showcase the company’s capabilities through an experiential booth every year,” said Steve Zick, executive vice president at Innomark Communications. “Each department looks forward to the challenge of incorporating the theme into material offerings, technology updates and other content.”

The full list of award winners – along with images of each display – can be found on the Shop! OMA awards website.