ADFEST 2026: THE BEST OF HUMAN+
- Enkhjin Batbayar
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
The culmination of ADFEST 2026 is the announcement of Lotus Special Awards at PEACH, Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand. ADFEST is pleased to announce the winners below.
A new Special Award has been added to the line-up this year with Independent Network of the Year joining the line-up.
ADFEST 2026 SPECIAL AWARDS
NETWORK OF THE YEAR
ADFEST 2026 proud to announce that Dentsu has retained the title of Network of the Year. The group of 11 offices that entered the ADFEST Lotus Awards included Dentsu Inc., Tokyo,
Dentsu Creative, Gurugram
Dentsu Creative Thailand, Bangkok
Dentsu Creative Taiwan, Taipei
Dentsu Digital Inc., Tokyo
Frontage Inc., Tokyo
Dentsu Creative Philippines, Manila
Dentsu Indonesia, Jakarta,
Dentsu Live Inc., Tokyo
Dentsu East Japan Inc., Tokyo,
Dentsu Creative Manila, Manila
Following on, the second to fifth place runners up were:
2. Leo
3. Hakuhodo
4. Ogilvy
INDEPENDENT NETWORK OF THE YEAR
Innocean was awarded Independent Network of the Year 2026.
Following on, the second to fifth place runners up were:
Gigil
Good People Network
Edelman
Special Group
FSN
AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo was awarded Agency of the Year 2026.
The second to fifth places were allocated to:
2. Dentsu Creative, Gurugram
3. Leo Australia, Sydney
4. Ogilvy Singapore, Singapore
5. Shiseido Creative, Tokyo
INDEPENDENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Independent Agency of the Year went to Shiseido Creative, Tokyo.
The second to fifth positions were taken by:
2. Fundamental, Mumbai
3. Studio Eeksaurus Productions, Mumbai
4. Choojai and Friends, Bangkok
5. DMINUSONE, Seoul
DIGITAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Ogilvy Singapore, Singapore was awarded Digital Agency of the Year.
The second to fifth places were allocated to:
2. BBDO Guerrero, Manila
3. Leo Australia, Sydney
4. Gigil, Manila
5. Good People, Jakarta
MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Media Agency of the Year was jointly awarded to Dentsu Creative, Gurugram and Starcom Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Following on, the third to fifth place runners up were:
Hakuhodo DY One Inc., Tokyo
Innocean, Seoul
H+, Jakarta
Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc., Tokyo
Initiative Thailand, Bangkok
Starcom Taiwan, Taipei
PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR
PR Agency of the Year, was MSL Philippines, Manila.
The second to fifth positions were taken by:
Brilliant & Million, Bangkok
Material Inc., Tokyo
Ogilvy Singapore, Singapore
PR Consulting Dentsu Inc., Tokyo
SOUR Bangkok, Bangkok
Verve Bangkok
PRODUCTION COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Production Company of the Year was shared by Chrome Pictures, Mumbai and Crastos Studios, Mumbai.
In the ranking below, the third to fifth positions were given to:
3. Studio Eeksauraus Productions, Mumbai
3. Canaries Post Sound, Mumbai and
5. Ducktape Studios, Mumbai
ADVERTISER OF THE YEAR
Advertiser of the Year was won by DSP Mutual Fund.
The second to fifth positions were taken by:
Unilever
Suncorp Group
WhatsApp
Centre for Pastoralism
McDonald’s
REGIONAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Regional Agency of the Year is now a part of ADFEST Special Awards line-up. The award is given to the Agency with the highest score from East Asia, Middle East, Oceania, South Asia and South East Asia.
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo was awarded East Asia Agency of the Year.
The second through fifth position were allocated to:
2. Shiseido Creative, Tokyo
3. Innocean, Seoul
4. Hakuhodo Inc, Tokyo
5. Leo Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Middle East Agency of the Year went to Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Leo Australia, Sydney was awarded Oceania Agency of the Year.
South Asia Agency of the Year was won by Dentsu Creative, Gurugram.
In the ranking below, the second to fourth positions were given to:
2. Fundamental, Mumbai
3. Studio Eeksaurus Productions, Mumbai
4. DDB Mudra Group, Mumbai
Ogilvy Singapore, Singapore was retained its title of Southeast Asia Agency of the Year.
In the ranking below, the second to fifth positions were given to:
2. VML Thailand, Bangkok
3. BLKJ Havas, Singapore
4. Wolf BKK, Bangkok
5. Choojai and Friends, Bangkok
LOTUS GRANDE FOR HUMANITY
The Lotus Grande for Humanity recognizes creative excellence in the Public Services & Cause Appeals categories. Gold Lotus winners in Brand Experience, Commerce, Creative Strategy, Design, Digital & Social, Direct, Effective, Entertainment, Film, Media, Mobile, Outdoor, PR, Press, Radio & Audio (Except Audio Craft Lotus sub-categories), Sustainable, INNOVA and Lotus Roots are eligible to win the Lotus Grande for Humanity.
The Grande of Humanity was not awarded this year. Yasuharu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer for dentsu, Tokyo was Grand Jury President for Creative Strategy, Effective, Sustainable Lotus, Lotus Roots and Grande for Humanity Awards.
He explained, “Unfortunately, we were unable to select a Grande winner in this category this year. While each nominee was a wonderful Gold-winning entry, we believe there must be even more creativity out there that truly embodies the “Human+”, is applicable worldwide, and represents the APAC region. We look forward to next year’s submissions.”
LOTUS LEGEND: SOMPAT TRISADIKUN
Introduced in 2012, the Lotus Legend recognizes a creative leader who has impacted, contributed to and left a lasting legacy in our industry by raising the bar for creative excellence in the region.
Each year, we ask all the ADFEST juries to nominate and vote for this Hall of Fame award. This year, 56 juries of ADFEST 2026 voted to elect Sompat Trisadikun, former Chief Creative Officer of Grey Thailand as the 2026 Lotus Legend.
Khun Sompat Trisadikun, also known as P’Kae was a much-loved and respected senior Thai advertising creative and strategic thinker, recognized for shaping brand narratives that resonated deeply within Southeast Asia while maintaining relevance on a global stage. With a career spanning multiple leading agencies in Thailand, he has contributed to the evolution of modern Thai advertising—where cultural nuance, emotional storytelling, and commercial effectiveness intersect.Sompat built his reputation on delivering work that goes beyond aesthetics, focusing instead on ideas that drive measurable brand impact. His approach was rooted in a strong understanding of local insight—leveraging everyday human truths, social behavior, and cultural context to create campaigns that feel authentic and engaging.
Throughout his career, he worked across a diverse portfolio of industries, including FMCG, telecommunications, finance, and consumer lifestyle brands. His work typically translated complex brand messages into clear, human-centered narratives that resonate easily with audiences.In addition to his agency work, Sompat was an active contributor to the regional creative community, participating in industry forums including ADFEST, where he shared his perspectives on the evolving role of creativity in an increasingly data-driven and technology-enabled landscape. His voice reflected a broader shift within the industry—toward ideas that are not only innovative, but also meaningful and culturally grounded.
P’Kae was a true advertising legend and a dear friend to so many. A titan of the industry, a mentor, a collaborator, and an inspiration to generations of creatives. He is remembered for his fearless creativity, generosity, big smile, and even bigger heart. A legend in every sense of the word.
ADFEST is honoured to recognize his important and valued contribution to the creative industry in Asia Pacific.
By the end of the ADFEST, more than 840 delegates from 62 cities had attended the three-day event from Thursday, 19th March to Saturday, 21st March 2026 at PEACH, The Royal Cliff Beach Hotels Group, Pattaya, Thailand. The festival featured 27 sessions with 61 speakers, along with 7 interactive workshops led by 9 speakers. Additionally, delegates had the opportunity to explore exhibitions, screenings, and parties throughout the three-day event.
The event organisers invited 56 jury members to judge the ADFEST 2026 Lotus Awards. They were led by Yasuharu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer for dentsu, Tokyo and Grand Jury President. The juries viewed 1,405 entries to select the winners, which were announced at two evening awards presentations.
We look forward to welcoming you again next year for our thirtieth year as we continue to celebrate the creativity, ideas and innovation that flourish when humanity and technology work together.
Follow all the latest news and events via #ADFEST2026 #HumanPlus on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@adfestofficial). To view the full program, visit www.ADFEST.com