ABBY Awards 2026: Leo India sweeps Day 2; ZEEL named Broadcaster of the Year

On the second day of Goafest 2026 turned the spotlight on specialist excellence as the ABBY Awards honoured agencies, broadcasters and brands across digital, technology, public relations, design, direct and health categories. The evening saw dominant performances from Leo India, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and Tribes Communications, while campaigns from Mountain Dew and Centerfruit secured the top Grand Prix honours in technology driven categories.

A total of 255 awards were presented during the ceremony, comprising 19 Gold, 73 Silver, 99 Bronze, 62 Merit trophies and 2 Grand Prix honours, reflecting the scale and competitiveness of this year’s specialist categories.

Leo India emerged as the biggest winner of the night with commanding performances across multiple specialist categories. The agency was named Digital Specialist Agency of the Year after securing 24 metals and an impressive 120 points. Its tally included one Grand Prix, one Gold, eight Silver, 12 Bronze and two Merit metals, giving it one of the strongest showings of the awards. Enormous followed with 10 metals and 42 points, including four Silver, three Bronze and three Merit metals, while McCann India secured nine metals and 28 points through five Bronze and four Merit wins.

Leo India also topped the Technology Specialist Agency of the Year category with 10 metals and 54 points. The agency picked up one Gold, five Silver and four Bronze metals. Mindshare Mumbai finished second with six metals and 30 points, comprising three Silver and three Bronze wins. Interactive Avenues secured 14 points through one Gold and one Silver metal.

The agency further strengthened its dominance by winning Direct Specialist Agency of the Year with five metals and 32 points. Leo India’s tally included one Gold and four Silver awards. McCann India followed with four metals and 12 points, while Tribes Communications matched the same points total with three metals--one Silver, one Bronze and one Merit. VML stood out in the category by converting a single Gold metal into eight points.

In the Health Specialist Agency of the Year category, Leo India once again finished on top with eight metals and 38 points, comprising three Silver and five Bronze awards. McCann India secured the second position with eight metals and 28 points through one Silver, four Bronze and three Merit wins. BBH Communication India delivered the highest Gold tally in the category with two Gold metals and 16 points overall.

The night also belonged to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, which emerged as Broadcaster of the Year with a commanding 82 points and 15 total metals. Zeel’s haul included three Gold, six Silver, five Bronze and one Merit award. JioStar India Pvt. Ltd secured three metals and 20 points through two Silver and one Bronze win.

In public relations, Tribes Communications Pvt. Ltd. was named Public Relations Specialist Agency of the Year with 11 metals and 50 points. The agency secured one Gold, three Silver, five Bronze and two Merit awards. Leo India followed closely with seven metals and 42 points, including two Gold and four Silver wins, while Enormous finished with three metals and 14 points. Despite Tribes leading in total points and medal count, Leo India recorded the highest number of Gold wins in the category.

The Design Specialist Agency of the Year category witnessed a closely fought contest. BMEG Private Limited topped the table with seven metals and 18 points, driven largely by two Bronze and five Merit wins. VML matched BMEG’s 18 point tally with one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze metal, while 22Feet Tribal Worldwide secured 14 points through one Gold and one Silver win. Maitri Advertising Works followed with two Silver metals and 12 points. The category reflected how Gold wins continued to carry decisive weight despite differences in overall medal counts.

Two campaigns emerged as the standout Grand Prix winners of the evening. Leo India won a Grand Prix in the Technology Utility and Tool category under Digital for Mountain Dew’s campaign “Darescore” created for PepsiCo India. The work highlighted the growing convergence of utility led innovation and branded storytelling in digital advertising.

The second Grand Prix was awarded in the Technology category for Best Use of Voice Service in a Digital Platform or Using Digital Technology. The honour went to Perfetti Van Melle India for Centerfruit’s campaign “Centerfruit Kaisi Jeebh Laplapayee”, recognising the increasing role of voice-enabled experiences and interactive technology in consumer engagement.

The Day Two results reinforced how specialist capabilities are becoming central to agency performance and brand effectiveness. From data-driven digital work and voice-led technology innovation to PR, health and broadcaster excellence, this year’s ABBYs reflected an industry increasingly rewarding integrated creativity backed by measurable impact.