The final day at ADFEST 2026 concluded with the second of two Lotus Awards winners - Outdoor, Press, Radio & Audio, Film, Creative Strategy, Effective, Sustainable, INNOVA Lotus and Lotus Roots. In addition, the Young Lotus, Grande for Humanity and Special Awards were also announced.

A total of 1,405 entries were received for the Lotus Awards and 56 jury members from 17 cities were organised into 7 groups, chaired by Yasuharu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer for dentsu, Tokyo to decide the winners of the ADFEST 2026 Lotus Awards.

OUTDOOR LOTUS AWARD

85 pieces of work were entered in Outdoor Lotus, with the Jury awarding 5 Bronze, 4 Silver and 2 Gold.

The Grande was won by Publicis Groupe Hong Kong, Hong Kong for Cathay’s Back to Kai Tak.

The Gold awards were presented to:

·       GForceGrey, Almaty for Citix Saltanat Light and

·       VML Group Thailand, Bangkok for Netflix Dalah's Spoiler Billboard

Ajay Vikram, Chief Creative Officer for Publicis Groupe, SEA and Jury President for Outdoor Lotus, commented, “Our Outdoor category led to some interesting and insightful discussions, and the big winners here represent a range from clever ideas to raw emotional power to sheer scale and impact. Our Grande winner represents the perfect blend of cultural and emotional impact, size and scale and the sheer difficulty of execution, all coming together in a spectacularly visual outdoor display.”

PRESS LOTUS AWARD

There were 8 entries recorded for the Press Lotus awards, but no awards were given in this category.

Vikram commented, “We did feel a little disappointment at the very few entries in the category that reflects the number of awards we were able to give out. This seems to be a critical moment in the evolution of print as a medium. In the Press category, we felt there were a couple of interesting applications of print, but they didn’t go far enough to showcase the potential of this medium.”

RADIO & AUDIO LOTUS AWARD

This year, there were 27 entries for the Radio & Audio Lotus Awards. The jury gave out 2 Bronze and 3 Silver awards.

Vikram stated, “Radio & Audio had some interesting pieces but again, we felt that what we heard was not as substantial [or representative of the category] as it could be. The industry might collectively think of Audio beyond radio commercials and consider podcasts, music and other audio elements to enter to future shows.

“That said, in Radio & Audio as a jury we felt that we had stumbled across a couple of gems in an otherwise bare landscape. The winning entries truly represented audio as an impactful medium to help people improve their lives. They serve as an inspiration to the rest of us to consider how hearing is such a critical part of all the senses that make us human. We should ask ourselves if we are truly using the medium to the best of its creative potential.”

FILM LOTUS AWARD

Film Lotus was had one the largest number of entries at ADFEST 2026 with a total of 115 entries. The jury awarded 8 Bronze, 3 Silver, 1 Gold and 1 Grande awards.

The Grande was picked up by Choojai and Friends, Bangkok for Snack Jack Ring, Mother Strike.

The Gold award was presented to Leo Thailand, Bangkok for Krung Sri First Choice, Patient.

Vikram noted, ”Our top Film awards represent an incredible variety of storytelling styles and cultural depth, with varying levels of problem solving for clients while entertaining and engaging consumers. Our choice of Grande was driven by what we saw as the perfect combination of universal human insight rooted in culture, but put together in a visually unexpected, arresting and impactful way that keeps you watching…and then lands beautifully with a clear and strong message. In a business category where there is so much noise and clutter, and the briefs are not always that unique, we felt this work found a way to rise above the rest.”

JURY INSIGHTS: CREATIVE STRATEGY/EFFECTIVE LOTUS / SUSTAINABLE LOTUS

Yasuharu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer for dentsu, Tokyo was Grand Jury President for Creative Strategy, Effective and Sustainable Lotus awards.

CREATIVE STRATEGY LOTUS AWARD

In the Creative Strategy Lotus category, 77 pieces of work were entered, with the Jury awarding 7 Bronze, 6 Silver and 2 Gold. There was no Grande awarded for Creative Strategy this year.

Sasaki commented, “It was unfortunate that Creative Strategy didn't have Grande this year. This is one of the challenges we face moving forward, but I feel that while many of the submitted entries demonstrate excellent execution, they often lack sufficient explanation of the underlying strategy and the outcomes achieved. I hope that this issue can be resolved by having creatives and strategists work more closely together and submit entries as a team.”

The Gold awards were presented to:

·       The Breakthrough Company Go, Tokyo for FamilyMart, Save Me

·       Publicis Groupe Hong Kong for McDonald's, Acronym Hack

EFFECTIVE LOTUS AWARD

In Effective Lotus, 36 pieces of work were entered, with the Jury awarding 3 Bronze, 1 Silver, 1 Gold and 1 Grande.

The Grande award was presented to Impact BBDO, Dubai for Annahar, Active Journalism

The Gold award was presented to Dentsu Creative Inc., Gurugram for DSP Mutual Fund, Garuda Rakshak

Sasaki stated, “Regarding Effective Lotus, we didn’t just look at numbers like impressions and sales figures; we discussed the true impact and made our selection based on that. I believe the Grande winner is a prime case in point for several years of different, effective and creative initiatives to make people look into their country, politics and journalism.”

SUSTAINABLE LOTUS

Sustainable Lotus recorded a total of 44 entries this year. Out of these, the jury awarded 3 Bronze, 1 Silver, 2 Gold metal awards and 1 Grande award.

The Grande award was presented to VML Group Thailand, Bangkok for TRA Mongkut Fertilizer, Soil Stay

The Gold awards were presented to:

·       Dentsu Inc., Tokyo for Metagen Therapeutics, Inc., The Stool Donation Platform, Cho-Musubi

·       Leo Australia, Sydney for SUNCORP Insurance, Haven

Sasaki commented, “Sustainable Lotus showcased a wide range of creative approaches to tackle the various challenges in the APAC region. APAC is the center of hidden challenges to solve with our creativity. While there were several outstanding cases, we selected the Grande winner as it helps encourage people to take action and collect data in an enjoyable way.”

INNOVA LOTUS / LOTUS ROOTS

Yasuharu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer for dentsu, Tokyo was Grand Jury President for INNOVA Lotus and Lotus Roots. The jury was made up of all Jury Presidents at ADFEST, including:

·       Jury President of Brand Experience Lotus, Commerce Lotus and Direct Lotus:

Jim Ingram, Co-Founder & Group Chief Creative, Thinkerbell, Australia

·       Jury President of Design Lotus and Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus:

Geet Rathi, Founder & Creative Director, Openfield, Mumbai

·       Jury President of Digital & Social Lotus and Digital Craft Lotus:

Theresa Ong, Head of Creative Shop, SEA & India, Meta, Singapore

·       Jury President of Entertainment Lotus, Media Lotus and PR Lotus:

Julie Jihyun Kang, CEO, Serviceplan Korea and Founder & CEO, Flux Al Asia, Seoul

·       Jury President of Film Craft Lotus and New Director Lotus:

Michael Ahmadzadeh, Partner & Executive Producer, electriclimeº,

APAC & MENA

·       Jury President of Film Lotus, Outdoor Lotus, Press Lotus and Radio & Audio Lotus:

Ajay Vikram, Chief Creative Officer Publicis Groupe, SEA

This jury also selected the winning work for Lotus Grande for Humanity.

INNOVA LOTUS AWARD

There were 30 entries for INNOVA Lotus, which recognizes world-class concepts that have made a dramatic impact on the marketplace.

Dentsu Creative Inc., Gurugram picked up both the INNOVA Grande and a separate INNOVA award for its work for DSP Mutual Fund Garuda Rakshak.

Sasaki commented, “All of the INNOVA Lotus presentations were outstanding. The kind of innovation ADFEST seeks isn’t merely the proposal of new technology, but rather the creation of new value through creativity that makes you think, “I never thought of that!” We discussed a lot of different entries but ultimately chose the cases that were the most thoughtfully designed.”

LOTUS ROOTS AWARD

The Grand Jury President and group of Jury Presidents also presided over the Lotus Roots award, which recognizes creative work that preserves and celebrates the rich heritage and value of each local culture.

There were 89 entries for the Lotus Roots category, an increase of 13% on last year’s entries. 5 Lotus Roots awards and a Grande Lotus Roots were awarded.

The Grande Lotus Roots award was presented to Fundamental, Mumbai for WhatsApp, WhatsApp Baatan Hi Baatan Mein (Love in a Few Words)

The 5 Lotus Roots awards were given out to:

·       Dentsu Creative Inc., Gurugram for DSP Mutual Fund Garuda Rakshak.

·       Innocean, Seoul for Korea’s Liberation Day Hearing 1945

·       Shiseido Creative, Tokyo for Shiseido, Traces of Trance

·       Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo for Hare-Kaze, Sakura Scan

·       DDB Mudra Group, Mumbai for Battlegrounds Mobile India, The Great In-game Wedding

Sasaki explained, “The Lotus Roots category is not just about being local; it’s about uncovering valuable insights rooted in each local culture and developing creative solutions that resonate globally. The Grande winner had every aspect deeply rooted in the local culture; from the local context and the daily lives of the people to the casting, storytelling, length and production quality.”