India walked away with a significant haul of Grand Prix at the 2026 Spikes Asia Awards, the most for any single APAC country, at the ceremony at Singapore's Capitol Theatre.
India, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand maintained their creative prowess. The big story this year is Uzbekistan's smashing debut at Asia's highest creative awards with a Silver and Gold in Film Craft for ‘The Weight of Pain’ from the National Agency for Social Protection—a campaign that confronts the normalisation of violence in child-rearing and a reminder to society that children are not unfinished adults, but individuals deserving care, safety and respect.
Leo India was named APAC Creative Agency of the Year. It also won APAC Network Creative Agency of the Year, becoming the only agency to win top honours twice in 4 years.
Amitesh Rao, CEO, South Asia – Leo, Publicis Health and Publicis Business said, “Winning Creative Agency of the Year and Network Agency of the Year at Spikes Asia is an incredible moment for Leo South Asia and a reflection of the momentum our teams and client partners have built together. The fact that this win comes on the back of multiple pieces of work across several brands shows that we are an agency where doing great work is institutionalised and is core to our DNA. I am proud of our work more so because it is effective creativity, demonstrated across work that has impacted people, communities, the planet, and both - our clients and brands, at scale. This win belongs to the amazingly talented women and men at Leo and to our incredible client partners with whom we ask the toughest questions and build the boldest answers.”
Leo Mumbai spearheaded India’s metal haul and scooped multiple Grand Prix across key categories. ‘Darescore’ for Mountain Dew bagged the Brand Experience & Activation Grand Prix, introducing a data-driven index that ranked Himalayan peaks by difficulty and turned the brand’s 'dare' ethos into a platform for real-world exploration.
Leo Burnett's ‘Project Early Periods’ for Whisper P&G clinched the coveted Grand Prix in Glass: The Award for Change. The work is part of P&G’s ongoing #KeepGirlsInSchool initiative that addresses a reality many Indian families shy away from—earlier-than-expected first period for tweens, often without the knowledge or support to deal with it. In rural India, where access to period products is limited and sketchy, the ignorance around an early menstrual cycle can translate to school dropouts for girls. By introducing age-appropriate menstrual awareness and bringing caregivers into the conversation, the campaign replaces embarrassment with preparedness.
The winning streak for India continued with ‘Acko Tailor’ for Acko General Insurance, which pocketed the Direct Grand Prix. Here the language of bespoke tailoring is used to show how insurance, much like a well-cut suit, should fit the person buying it. A refreshing take for an otherwise dull category like insurance, known for paperwork and fine print. ‘Inglish Dictionary’ for Air India Express took home the Grand Prix in Print & Publishing.
Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe - South Asia and Chairman, Leo South Asia said, "Clinching the Creative Agency of the Year and Network Agency of the Year at Spikes Asia is an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Leo. It celebrates exactly the kind of belief we live by 'Impacting A Billion' lives capable of creating real change for brands and society. From purpose-led platforms like Whisper Early Periods, innovation-first brand ideas such as Mountain Dew and Lenovo to culture-forward work for ACKO and Sting, this body of creative work reflects the ambition and craft of our teams and the trust of our partners. Leo will always doff its hat to our clients who continue to believe in bold ideas and to our teams whose relentless pursuit of creative excellence keeps pushing the boundaries of what creativity can do.”
Ogilvy Singapore delivered a formidable showing and walked away with four Grand Prix for ‘Vaseline Verified’ across Creative Commerce, Healthcare, PR and Social & Creator. The work (watch below), a Grand Prix winner of the Health and Wellness category at Cannes in 2025, tests viral online Vaseline hacks circulating in the brand’s labs to separate fact from fiction. In turn, it positions Vaseline as a credible authority in the social media beauty ecosystem.
Australia added to the winners’ circle as well. VML Sydney’s ‘Commuter Camo’ for KitKat claimed the Outdoor Grand Prix, while Leo Sydney’s ‘Haven’ for Suncorp Insurance secured the Digital Craft Grand Prix.
New Zealand, meanwhile, landed the Grand Prix for Good with ‘The Māori Roll Call’ by Motion Sickness Auckland for Whānau Ora. In the powerful black and white film (below), activist Tāme Iti reads out the names of Māori who have “answered the call” and enrols them on the Māori electoral roll. The content directs people to a microsite where they can enroll or switch to the Māori roll, with the option to add their names to the campaign once the enrollment is complete.
The idea originated from data showing that out of the 695,000 potential Māori voters, 298,000 are on the Māori roll, while many others are either on the general roll or not enrolled at all. The film with the steady rhythm of names turns a bureaucratic act into a deeply human collective reminder that every enrollment adds to Māori representation in parliament and keeps Māori voices present in the decisions shaping Aotearoa’s future.
Beyond the trophies, the awards mirror the dynamics in how work entered the competition. Brand-submitted entries rose 18% year-on-year, a trend most visible in the inaugural Creative B2B Spike, where 46% of submissions came directly from brands.
VML Bangkok walked away with the Creative B2B Grand Prix for ‘Soil Stay’ for Tra Mongkut Fertiliser.
Awards for independents spiked 44%, including a Gold Film Spike for first time entrant Fundamental Mumbai - for their work ‘WhatsApp – Baatan Hi Baatan Mein (Love in a few words)’. Entries in the Creative Effectiveness Spikes increased by 34%.
Leo Mumbai’s Grand Prix run helped secure Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year, while Motion Sickness Auckland took Independent Agency of the Year, buoyed by its Grand Prix for Good win.
In the Special Awards, Leo took the crown as Network of the Year, driven largely by Leo Mumbai’s performance. Starcom topped the Media Networks ranking, while TBWA Hakuhodo Tokyo bagged Strategy & Effectiveness Agency of the Year.
McDonald's rounded out the night as 2026 Advertiser of the Year, the second time the restaurant chain has received this honour (the first was in 2018), lauded for its creative ambition and culturally resonant marketing across the APAC region.
Live judging for the Spikes Asia 2026 Awards took place in Singapore during Spikes Asia Week, with 93 jurors representing creative excellence across Asia-Pacific.
To see the full list of winners, visit the official Spikes Asia website.
The article first appeared in Campaign Asia and has been updated for India.
