Canada is beginning to build an impressive track record at AdAge’s Small Agency of the Year awards, as two local agencies received honours at this year’s show.

Bensimon Byrne won Gold International Small Agency of the Year, while No Fixed Address was the runner-up and took the Silver in the same category.

AdAge established the Small Agency of the Year awards in 2009 to recognize innovative campaigns and brand ideas generated by companies with 150 or fewer employees.

Bensimon Byrne and No Fixed Address were also recognized for their creative work over the last year. No Fixed Address won Gold in the pro-bono category for Small Agency Campaign of the Year for its “Don’t Get Sextorted, Send a Naked Mole Rat” campaign for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Bensimon Byrne took Silver in the same category for Casey House’s “Break Bread Smash Stigma” campaign.

This year’s overall Small Agency of the Year award went to BSSP in California, with AdAge citing its win of the Mitsubishi account, work for clients such as Michael Angelo and Blue Shield, as well as “expertise in data analytics, standout creative, strong culture and brand-building acumen” as deciding factors in the award.

In 2016, Zulu Alpha Kilo became the first Canadian agency to win the overall Small Agency of the Year award from AdAge, which it followed up by winning International Small Agency of the Year in 2017.