ADFEST 2026 unveils Lotus winners
From culturally rooted storytelling to craft-led filmmaking, ADFEST’s 2026 Lotus Awards saw Dentsu named Agency and Network of the Year, while Chrome Pictures and Crastos Studios shared Production Company of the Year.
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The 2026 edition of ADFEST has concluded in Pattaya, Thailand, with Dentsu retaining Network of the Year and Dentsu Inc., Tokyo also named Agency of the Year.
Innocean picked up the newly introduced Independent Network of the Year, while Chrome Pictures and Crastos Studios shared Production Company of the Year and DSP Mutual Fund was awarded Advertiser of the Year, as the festival’s Lotus Awards and Special Awards recognised work across film, craft and a range of disciplines.
Across two nights of awards, 1,405 entries were judged by 56 jurors, with more than 840 delegates attending the three-day event. The programme also featured 27 sessions, 61 speakers and a series of workshops, screenings and exhibitions, with Sompat Trisadikun honoured as this year’s Lotus Legend.
Above: Sompat Trisadikun, former Chief Creative Officer of Grey Thailand, who was posthumously honoured as ADFEST 2026’s Lotus Legend
Film Lotus
Film Lotus attracted 115 entries, with Jury President Ajay Vikram describing it as one of the strongest categories judged.
The Grande award went to Choojai and Friends, Bangkok for Snack Jack Ring’s Mother Strike, recognised for combining a culturally rooted insight with a visually distinctive narrative and clear message. The jury highlighted its ability to stand out in a crowded category.
The Gold was awarded to Leo Thailand, Bangkok for Krung Sri First Choice’s Patient, with the wider winners reflecting a range of storytelling styles from across the region.
Vikram noted the diversity of work, describing it as a reflection of different cultural perspectives across APAC.
Above: Snack Jack Ring’s Mother Strike (left), which picked up the Film Lotus Grande, and Krung Sri First Choice’s Patient (right), awarded Film Lotus Gold.
Film Craft Lotus
Film Craft Lotus received 118 entries, with the jury awarding a wide spread of metals across disciplines.
The Grande was awarded to Studio Eeksaurus Productions, Mumbai for Centre for Pastoralism’s Desi Oon, a film recognised for its detailed execution and human-centred storytelling. The jury highlighted the level of craft and dedication evident in the work.
Other Gold winners included work for WhatsApp, Allianz and Steadfast Stationery, demonstrating a range of approaches from visual effects through to narrative-led filmmaking.
Credits
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- Production Company Studio Eeksaurus
- Director Suresh Eriyat
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Credits
View on- Production Company Studio Eeksaurus
- Director Suresh Eriyat
- Production Designer Studio Eeksaurus
- Animation Company Studio Eeksaurus
- Color Company After Studio
- Sound Design Canaries Post Sound
- Foley Studio Foley Walkers
- Executive Producer Nilima Eriyat
- Art Director Aman Gupta
- Concept/Storyboard Suresh Eriyat
- DP Arun Kumar Roongta
- DP Bilu Tom Matthew
- DP Aman Gupta
- Post Production Lead Toash Bhat
- Animation Director/Visual Design/Project Lead Aman Gupta
- Animatics/Character Design Adithi Krishnadas
- Color Layouts/Title Design Nijin Nazeem
- Animator Maithili Desai
- Animator Utkarsh Bankar
- Animator Sanjay Patkar
- Visual Design/Lead Prop Designer Isha Gupta
- Set Design Nikhil Patil
- Set Designer Neel Ranadive
- Technical Director/Animator/Set Designer Aman Gupta
- Senior Colorist Avinash Shukla
- Colorist Sourav Negi
- Sound Design/Supervising Sound Editor/Mixer Resul Pookutty
- Sound Design/Sound Editor/Mixer Vijay Kumar
- Music Director Rajat Dholakia
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Production Company Studio Eeksaurus
- Director Suresh Eriyat
- Production Designer Studio Eeksaurus
- Animation Company Studio Eeksaurus
- Color Company After Studio
- Sound Design Canaries Post Sound
- Foley Studio Foley Walkers
- Executive Producer Nilima Eriyat
- Art Director Aman Gupta
- Concept/Storyboard Suresh Eriyat
- DP Arun Kumar Roongta
- DP Bilu Tom Matthew
- DP Aman Gupta
- Post Production Lead Toash Bhat
- Animation Director/Visual Design/Project Lead Aman Gupta
- Animatics/Character Design Adithi Krishnadas
- Color Layouts/Title Design Nijin Nazeem
- Animator Maithili Desai
- Animator Utkarsh Bankar
- Animator Sanjay Patkar
- Visual Design/Lead Prop Designer Isha Gupta
- Set Design Nikhil Patil
- Set Designer Neel Ranadive
- Technical Director/Animator/Set Designer Aman Gupta
- Senior Colorist Avinash Shukla
- Colorist Sourav Negi
- Sound Design/Supervising Sound Editor/Mixer Resul Pookutty
- Sound Design/Sound Editor/Mixer Vijay Kumar
- Music Director Rajat Dholakia
Above: Centre for Pastoralism’s Desi Oon, which picked up the Film Craft Lotus Grande for its detailed, human-centred storytelling.
Entertainment
Entertainment Lotus awarded three Golds, including Apple’s Shot on iPhone - Last Scene, PlayStation’s Project: Memory Card and Battlegrounds Mobile India’s The Great In-Game Wedding, reflecting continued investment in longer-form and content-driven work.
The jury noted that the strongest entries functioned as content audiences would choose to engage with, rather than traditional advertising.
Craft, technology and the Human+ theme
Across categories, the Human+ theme was reflected in work that used technology to support human insight rather than dominate it.
Projects such as Suncorp’s Haven and Vaseline’s Vaseline Verified demonstrated how data, platforms and social behaviours can be integrated into ideas that deliver practical and engaging outcomes.
Grand Jury President Yasuharu Sasaki described the winning work as examples of creativity that enhance human capability and address real-world challenges.
Other key winners
- Digital & Social Grande: Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline Vaseline Verified
- PR Grande: BLKJ Havas Singapore for Haraku Ramen One Noodle
- Media Gold: DMINUSONE Seoul for The Life-Saving Receipt
- Outdoor Grande: Publicis Groupe Hong Kong for Cathay Back to Kai Tak
- INNOVA Grande: Dentsu Creative Gurugram for DSP Mutual Fund Garuda Rakshak
- Lotus Roots Grande: Fundamental Mumbai for WhatsApp Love in a Few Words
With entries slightly down year-on-year but increases in select categories, ADFEST 2026 reinforced the strength of APAC creativity, particularly in film and craft disciplines.
