Pencils with a point: India’s creative edge sharpens

India’s creative industry had more than a few reasons to celebrate this week, with six agencies clinching a total of 10 prestigious Pencils—two Silver and eight Bronze—at The One Show 2025. These wins were part of a global field of nearly 20,000 entries, underscoring the continued relevance of Indian work on the international awards circuit.

Announced ahead of The One Show’s grand gala on 15 May in New York, the Pencils reflect the strength of both collaborative creativity and strategic storytelling from Indian agencies. The final ceremony will unveil ‘Best of Show’, ‘Best of Discipline’, and various ‘of the Year’ honours, but the pre-announced Pencils already speak volumes.

Dentsu Creative Gurugram, in partnership with Dentsu Creative Lisbon, Morphedo Technologies Noida, and Useful Garbage Creations Mumbai, bagged a Silver Pencil for ‘Motorola Deep Connect’ in the Creative Use of Technology, Experiential—In-person category. The same campaign also brought home a Bronze for Interactive, Online & Mobile—Physical Product & Mobile Integration.

McCann Worldgroup India’s ‘Fit My Feet’ for Buckaroo Footwear stood out with a Silver in IP & Product Design—Products for Good, alongside a Bronze in Health & Wellness—Products. Both wins highlight how product innovation, when backed by a strong narrative, resonates beyond borders.

Havas Creative India Mumbai, collaborating with Bennett Coleman Mumbai, Mr Pink Music São Paulo, and Galloping Horse Production Mumbai, swept up three Bronzes for its ‘Ink of Democracy’ campaign for The Times of India. The campaign won in Direct Marketing—Print, Print and Promotional—Newspaper (Single), and Print and Promotional for Good. It exemplifies how purpose-driven storytelling can still thrive in a heavily digitised era—especially when the execution is bold and multi-dimensional.

Leo India Mumbai’s ‘Turf Finder’ for Gatorade picked up a Bronze in Out of Home—Brand Installations, using physical space to reinforce brand engagement in an offline context. Meanwhile, Ogilvy Bengaluru won Bronze for Titan Eye+’s ‘Eye Test Menua’ in Out of Home—Innovation (New Ideas in OOH), reinforcing how function and innovation can coexist in public-facing brand touchpoints.

Ogilvy Mumbai’s ‘Handwash Legend’ for Savlon also made the list with a Bronze in Health & Wellness—Social Media, a reminder that hygiene communication still has creative legs in a post-pandemic world, especially when treated with narrative flair.

Indian agencies also scored well on Merits, The One Show’s commendation for outstanding work that didn’t quite reach Pencil level but was judged exemplary by the global jury. McCann Worldgroup India led with five, followed by Leo India with four. Ogilvy Mumbai and Dentsu Creative Gurugram earned three each, and Havas Creative India bagged two. DDB Mudra Group Mumbai, Early Man Film Mumbai, and Ogilvy Bengaluru each earned one.

McCann Worldgroup India won a silver, bronze and give Merit Awards at Oneshow Awards 2025.

The global backdrop

On the global stage, FCB New York dominated with 35 Gold Pencils—28 of them for a single campaign, ‘Spreadbeats’ for Spotify. That campaign, The One Show’s most-awarded entry this year, also received 10 Silvers, five Bronzes and 10 Merits, underlining the consistent dominance of music-streaming brands in the creative effectiveness arena.

This year’s show was particularly competitive, with 19,860 pieces from 62 countries vying for honours. The jury awarded 156 Gold Pencils, 197 Silver, 270 Bronze and 1,027 Merits across disciplines, which again positions The One Show as one of the most globally diverse creative competitions.

The One Show 2025 is part of Creative Week, which has grown into a formidable global calendar event over its 16 years. Apart from the headline awards, this year’s programme included the Young Ones Student Awards, the Type Directors Club TDC71 exhibition, the ADC 104th Annual Awards, and two inaugural events: the Executive AI Creative Summit and the Creative Week AI Creative Challenge.

With comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Leslie Jones hosting the final awards night, the show aims to blend creative gravitas with cultural relevance.

Beyond the awards

While trophies and titles matter, the broader narrative lies in how Indian agencies are evolving. The wins reflect a noticeable pivot in the kinds of stories being told: product design is no longer just functional, but emotional; purpose is being retooled with edge; and tech-enabled narratives are becoming accessible without being dumbed down.

Equally, these campaigns illustrate how Indian creativity is rarely working in silos anymore. Many of the winning pieces are the result of multi-agency, often multi-country, collaborations. From Lisbon to São Paulo, Mumbai to Noida, these partnerships suggest that Indian agencies are playing confidently on the world stage, not just as participants, but as creative leaders.

The global rankings from The One Show 2025 will be released on 19 May, and they’ll offer deeper insight into how Indian agencies stack up against the world’s best. For now, though, the message is clear: whether it’s a chappal design that adapts to your foot or a newspaper ad that fights for democracy, Indian creativity is travelling—on its own terms and with sharp ideas to boot.

The One Club for Creativity, which runs The One Show and several other award platforms, uses revenues to support industry programmes around education, diversity, gender equality and creative development. So, while awards are being handed out, the long game remains focused on shaping a more inclusive and expansive global creative economy.

For India’s agencies, that long game is already underway—and they’ve brought the pencils to prove it.