The Day 2 winners have been announced, covering 9 categories - Creative Strategy, Effective, Outdoor, Sustainable, Press, Radio & Audio, Film, INNOVA Lotus and Lotus Roots.

A total of 1,641 entries were received for the Lotus Awards and 63 jury members from 19 cities were organised into 7 groups, chaired by Susan Credle, Global Creative Advisor, for Interpublic & former Chair & Global CCO for FCB New York to decide the winners of the ADFEST 2025 Lotus Awards.

GRAND JURY PRESIDENT INSIGHTS: ADFEST 2025: COLLiDE

Susan Credle commented, “I was thrilled to see the work that made it to the shortlist. We were very tough and thoughtful about the work that medaled. From strategy to creative to results, we were able to select the best of entries. Our jury was a master class in why great work works. What most excited me about the work we were judging this year was the depth of the thinking. Unforgettable ideas that I am sure led to strong economic outcomes for the brands.

“We kept the COLLiDE theme at the centre of our discussions. One winner collided with a cultural responsibility. Another was a collision of a long-term strategy with a new insight. Our sustainable standout collided with the understanding of what an agency’s role could be when partnering with a client. And our strategy stand out was birthed from a product with two different uses.”

PRESS LOTUS / RADIO & AUDIO LOTUS / OUTDOOR LOTUS / FILM LOTUS

Reed Collins, Chief Creative Officer for Ogilvy Asia Pacific, Hong Kong was Jury President for Film, Outdoor, Press and Radio & Audio.

PRESS LOTUS:

17 entries were received in Press Lotus. The jury gave out 1 Silver and 1 Bronze award.

Reed commented, "While the limited number of press entries highlights the industry's shift, it also leaves me yearning for the impactful, self-explanatory press ads of the past. Where's the work that doesn't require a case study to justify its brilliance?"

RADIO & AUDIO LOTUS

There were 32 entries in Radio & Audio Lotus. 2 Silver awards and 6 Bronze awards were hand out.

"Judging the Radio & Audio category highlighted the incredible evolution of this space. It's clear the very definition of a 'great idea' has expanded, and the best work pushed boundaries, redefining what audio advertising can be," Reed stated.

OUTDOOR LOTUS AWARD

84 pieces of work were entered in Outdoor Lotus. The Jury awarding 3 Bronze, 2 Silver and 1 Gold.

The Gold award was won by Star Reacher Advertising / Leo Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur for Heineken, Heineken Heidden in Plain Sight.

Reed noted, “The larger volume of entries in Outdoor made judging more thorough, but the most impactful campaigns were those that displayed genuine cultural insight. They weren't just visually striking; they were culturally relevant and meaningful."

FILM LOTUS:

Film Lotus was category with the largest number of entries at ADFEST 2025 – a total of 174 entries. The jury awarded 9 Bronze, 5 Silver, 2 Gold and 1 Grande award.

Leo Thailand, Bangkok won the Grande award for work on Krungsri First Choice titled, What the Fast!.

Reed stated, "The sheer volume of entries and winners in the Film category is a testament to the vibrant creative energy in this region. The prevailing use of humour in the winning work reflected a shared sense of optimism and a belief in the power of laughter."

The 2 Gold awards for Film were won by:

·       Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, Sydney for Toyota Hilux, In a Pickle

·       Wolf BKK, Bangkok for KFC Crispy Chicken Rice Bowl, Uncle KFC’s Rice Bowl

JURY INSIGHTS: CREATIVE STRATEGY/EFFECTIVE LOTUS / SUSTAINABLE LOTUS

Susan Credle, Global Creative Advisor, for Interpublic & Former Chair & Global CCO for FCB New York was Grand Jury President for Creative Strategy, Effective and Sustainable Lotus Awards.

CREATIVE STRATEGY LOTUS:

Creative Strategy was new to the Lotus awards this year. The Creative Strategy Lotus awards creative problem solving with perceptive insights to devise a creative strategy that enhances that brand. 

The jury decision for the Creative Strategy Lotus winners were based on 4 criteria and weighted with Insight and Creative Strategy each accounting for 30% of the score and Creative Idea and Results accounting for 20% each.

99 pieces of work were entered into Creative Strategy, with the Jury awarding 7 Bronze, 6 Silver, 7 Gold and 1 Grande.

The Grande was awarded to Havas Creative India, Mumbai for The Times of India, The Ink of Democracy.

Susan Credle commented, “Creative Strategy was a new category this year at ADFEST. Judging by the number of entries and strong work we saw, it is here to stay. It was important to the jury that the insight and strategy led to outstanding creative. We also put ourselves in the shoes of the creatives receiving the brief. Would they be excited to get to work? Would they think of the brief as a gift? While it is hard to know exactly how an idea gets its start, when we saw the thinking behind The Ink of Democracy, the collision of the fact that so much marking ink was left over from last year’s vote and the fact that the Times of India was losing some relevancy in the market, we felt we had a winner. How do you turn ‘I don’t care’ into ‘you must care’ for both an election and a paper? What a gift of a question. What a gift of a creative strategy.”

There were also 7 Golds given out in Creative Strategy.

·       McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai/Gurgaon won two Gold Awards for ESAF Small Finance Bank, Dabba Savings Account (x2)

·       Havas Creative India, Mumbai for The Times of India, Ink of Democracy

·       Ogilvy Singapore, Singapore for Vaseline, Vaseline Transition Body Lotion

·       Leo India, Mumbai for Lay’s, Drops of Joy

·       BBDO India, Mumbai for Ariel India, HomeTeams #ShareTheLoad

·       Dentsu East Japan Inc., Tokyo for Hajime Kensetsu (Construction), Hajime, Ken and Setsu

EFFECTIVE LOTUS

39 pieces of work were entered in Effective Lotus. The Jury awarded 2 Bronze, 3 Silver, 3 Gold and 1 Grande.

The Grande Award was given to BBDO India, Mumbai for Ariel India, HomeTeams #ShareTheLoad.

“Too often we grow weary of ideas in our industry. We throw equity away because we think we’ve run out of ways to express it. Or worse, we selfishly want to create our own ideas rather than continue to support what has come before. And those same sentiments follow ideas into jury rooms. They shouldn’t. Share The Load was created nine years ago for Ariel. For nine years, professionals have realised the compound economic effect of building on the idea year after year. People asking, how will culture collide with this beloved idea today? This year’s HomeTeam campaign is the latest chapter in a wonderful story titled Share The Load. When we sustain big ideas over time, the economic outcomes are palpable,” Susan Credle commented.

3 Gold Awards were awarded to:

·       Dentsu East Japan Inc., Tokyo for Hajime Kensetsu (Construction), Hajime, Ken and Setsu

·       Grey Thailand, Bangkok for Bar B Q Plaza, Sad Kama-chan

·       Gigil Manila, for TNT Telco, Sim Registration Drive

SUSTAINABLE LOTUS

Sustainable Lotus recognises the importance of Sustainable Development Goals and how striving for these Global Goals can drive transformational change and positively impact the world and its people.

55 entries were received in the inaugural year of this category. The jury awarded 4 Bronze, 4 Silver, 2 Gold and 1 Grande award.

The Grande award was given to Leo India, Mumbai for Lay’s Drops of Joy.

Susan Credle commented, “There was an energetic discussion over several days around this Grande. Did the agency really come up with an idea around restructuring a factory to make the production of Lay’s potato chips more sustainable? If so, what does that say about the incredible possibilities if we intentionally rethink how we partner with our clients. Wasted water leaving the factory as steam, a potato that is 80% water, these two observations collide and the outcome is ‘what if?’ What if we could recycle potato water to help produce potato chips? Two factories reconfigured and two more in progress is the result of asking ‘what if?’ Where else can we apply creative thinking that leads to big and better outcomes for all?”

The 2 Gold Awards were won by:

·       Ogilvy Singapore, Singapore for Vaseline, Vaseline Transition Body Lotion

·       McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai/Gurgaon for ESAF Small Finance Bank, Dabba Savings Account.

JURY PRESIDENTS: INNOVA LOTUS / LOTUS ROOTS

Susan Credle, Global Creative Advisor, for Interpublic & former Chair & Global CCO for FCB New York was Grand Jury President for INNOVA Lotus and Lotus Roots. The jury comprised of all the Jury Presidents at ADFEST, including:

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

Sulin Lau, Regional Head of Brand and Marketing – Mobility, Deliveries, Fintech, B2B for Grab, Singapore 

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

Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe and Chairman of Leo Burnett South Asia

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

Noriaki Onoe, Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo

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

Anny Havercroft, Head of Global Business Marketing, SEA & Global Marketing Solutions, APAC for TikTok, Singapore

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

Wuthisak Anarnkaporn, Founder & Director, FACTORY 01, Bangkok

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

Reed Collins, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy Asia Pacific, Hong Kong

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

INNOVA LOTUS AWARD

There were 28 entries for INNOVA Lotus, which applauds world-class concepts that have made a dramatic impact on the marketplace.

The Grande INNOVA Lotus was awarded to McCannWorldgroup India, Mumbai for Buckaroo Footwear, Fit My Feet.

Susan Credle explained the decision, “The Grande INNOVA Lotus was awarded to McCannWorldgroup India, Mumbai for Buckaroo Footwear, “Fit My Feet”.

Susan Credle, Grand Jury President explained the decision: “According to Wikipedia, innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services. In this space, technology can be seductive. But this year’s Grande replaced tech with ingenuity – can we make flip flops adaptable? A new product assembled and distributed by cobblers on the streets of India for a community that is under-served and usually unseen. This product brought dignity and comfort to the customer and a new economic stream of business to the local shoe mender.”

The jury awarded 4 Innova Lotus in different sub-categories. 2 Innova Lotus Awards were presented to:

·       BLKJ Havas, Singapore, one for JBL Quantum, JBL Quantum Guide Play and the other for U Mobile, Project iContact

The third and fourth Innova Lotus awards were awarded to:

·       Leo India, Mumbai for Lay’s, Drops of Joy

·       ADK Marketing Solutions Inc., Tokyo / Atha, Tokyo Toppan Printing Co. Ltd., Tokyo for Electric Salt, Electric Salt

LOTUS ROOTS AWARD

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

There were 79 entries for the Lotus Roots category. 3 Lotus Roots awards and a Grande Lotus Roots were awarded.

The Lotus Roots Grande went to BBDO Bangkok Limited, Bangkok for Mercedes-Benz, The Meaning of Benz.

“Lotus Roots is a beautiful category at ADFEST. As Vinit says, it was created to celebrate unique cultures that might be misunderstood or even missed in global conversations. Our top priority when deciding which piece would be honoured with the Grande was to ask the question - would this work work anywhere else in the world? And the resounding answer to The Meaning of Benz was an emphatic ‘NO!’. In our Thailand jury room, we asked how many people from Thailand knew someone named Benz. Everyone’s hands shot up with murmurs of ‘I know three people,’ ‘Four for me,’ ‘My nickname is Benz.’ This film captured the authentic stories of the brand love for Mercedes Benz in this region. Love so strong, people co-opted the name for the people they love most,” said Susan, who chaired the group of Jury Presidents who voted for the work,” 

Susan Credle commented.

Three Lotus Roots awards were additionally presented to:

·       McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai/Gurgaon for ESAF Small Finance Bank, Dabba Savings Account

·       Hakuhodo Inc., Toyko / Signing Ltd., Tokyo / Daiko, Osaka for SakYou, Mini Me Hina Doll

·       VML Manila, Manila for KitKat, Kitkat Break Bar