The Advertising Club announced the winners of the EMVIES Awards 2026 at a ceremony held on October 23 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. Recognising excellence in media strategy, planning, research, innovation and effectiveness, the awards brought together professionals from the media, marketing, advertising and research industries to celebrate impactful work and strategic thinking. This year’s edition was supported by Tata Communications and UltraTech Cement Limited.
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) was named Best Media Client of the Year, while Mindshare won Best Media Agency of the Year. WPP Media was recognised as Best Media Agency Network of the Year. The ceremony presented a total of 223 trophies, comprising one Grand EMVIE, 57 Gold, 74 Silver and 91 Bronze awards, honouring campaigns that demonstrated innovation, strategic excellence and effective media solutions.
The Grand EMVIE went to Wavemaker India and Colgate (Palmolive) Pvt. Ltd. for Colgate India – Colgate Oral Health Movement in the Best Digital Strategy category. The recognition highlighted the campaign’s strategic approach to digital media. Meanwhile, the Young EMVIE of the Year was awarded to Chitwan Sharma of Zenith and Aditi Salian of EssenceMediacom, recognising emerging talent in the media industry.
Dheeraj Sinha, President of The Advertising Club, said the EMVIES continue to recognise the ideas and innovations pushing the boundaries of media. He added that this year’s winners reflected the industry’s ambition, strategic rigour and creativity, setting new benchmarks for what media can achieve. Punitha Arumugam, Chairperson of the EMVIES Committee, said the winning work demonstrated how insights, innovation and effectiveness can come together to deliver meaningful outcomes for brands, with strategy, data, technology and execution continuing to evolve across the industry.
Presented by The Advertising Club, the EMVIES Awards recognise outstanding contributions across media strategy, planning, research, innovation and execution. The 2026 edition celebrated both established industry leaders and emerging talent, highlighting the growing role of strategic thinking and innovative media solutions in shaping brand outcomes.