The Ad Club has announced the appointment of Ashish Chakravarty, Neha Tulsian, and Praful Akali as jury chairs for the ABBY Awards 2026 powered by The One Club for Creativity | The One Show. The appointments span the Audio and Radio, Design, and Health categories respectively, strengthening the awards’ focus on category expertise and industry relevance.
Chakravarty, managing partner and chief creative officer at Garage Worldwide, will chair the Audio and Radio jury. With over two decades of experience across Asia, Chakravarty has worked with regional and global brands and has won more than 500 awards at platforms including Cannes Lions, D&AD Awards, The One Show and Effies. In 2026, he was ranked the number one creative in India by Campaign Brief Asia and has been recognised by The Economic Times among India’s top 10 creative directors for three consecutive years. Chakravarty has also served on multiple global juries and previously led creative at McCann Worldgroup India.
Tulsian, founder and executive creative director of NH1 Design, will chair the Design jury. Her career spans brand strategy and design, with experience across global studios and institutions. She has contributed to the design ecosystem through jury roles at platforms such as the ADC Awards and D&AD, and served as jury president for D&AD Packaging Design in 2025. Under her leadership, NH1 Design has secured multiple recognitions including Kyoorius Design Awards and the Global Pentawards. Tulsian has also been a keynote speaker at Kyoorius Design Yatra and has been featured in ‘20under35’ at Alliance Française de Delhi.
Akali, founder and managing director at Medulla Communications, has been appointed jury chair for the Health category. Akali is among the most awarded healthcare creatives globally, with close to 50 shortlists and over 20 awards, including a Grand Prix at Lions Health and Clio. His work, including campaigns such as ‘Last Words’ and ‘Last Laugh’, has been recognised for both creativity and effectiveness, featuring in the Gunn Report. His experience spans client and agency roles, including a tenure at Pfizer, enabling a cross-functional perspective on integrated campaigns.
Akali has also led Medulla to global recognition, including Healthcare Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions, and has served on juries at major award shows such as Cannes Lions, LIA, Clio, and Effies. His work often integrates digital, PR-led, and traditional media formats, reflecting the evolving nature of healthcare communications.
The ABBY Awards 2026 powered by The One Club | The One Show will be held during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22, 2026 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon. The appointments underline the awards’ intent to bring together experienced industry leaders to evaluate work across evolving creative disciplines, ensuring relevance across formats including digital, design, audio, and healthcare communications.
