The final night of ADFEST 2026 reached its peak at PEACH, Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand, as the industry gathered for the Lotus Special Awards.
Celebrating the region’s most outstanding creative talent, the ceremony honoured the networks, agencies and brands setting the benchmark across APAC.
This year also marked the introduction of a Independent Network of the Year category.
ADFEST 2026 SPECIAL AWARDS
NETWORK OF THE YEAR
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
Runners up
2. Leo
3. Hakuhodo
4. Ogilvy
INDEPENDENT NETWORK OF THE YEAR
Innocean was awarded Independent Network of the Year 2026.
Runners up:
2. Gigil
3. Good People Network
4. Edelman
4. Special Group
5. FSN
AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo was awarded Agency of the Year 2026.
Runners up:
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.
Runners up:
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.
Runners up:
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
Runners up:
3. Hakuhodo DY One Inc., Tokyo
4. Innocean, Seoul
5. H+, Jakarta
5. Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc., Tokyo
5. Initiative Thailand, Bangkok
5. Starcom Taiwan, Taipei
PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR
PR Agency of the Year, was MSL Philippines, Manila.
Runners up:
2. Brilliant & Million, Bangkok
3. Material Inc., Tokyo
4. Ogilvy Singapore, Singapore
5. PR Consulting Dentsu Inc., Tokyo
5. SOUR Bangkok, Bangkok
5. Verve Bangkok
PRODUCTION COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Production Company of the Year was shared by Chrome Pictures, Mumbai and Crastos Studios, Mumbai.
Runners up:
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.
Runners up:
2. Unilever
3. Suncorp Group
4. WhatsApp
5. Centre for Pastoralism
5. 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.
Runners up:
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.
Runners up:
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.
Runners up:
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 recognises creative excellence in the Public Services and 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 recognises 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, ADFEST juries 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, recognised 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.
By the end of ADFEST, more than 840 delegates from 62 cities had attended the three-day event from Thursday, 19 March to Saturday, 21 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.
