Publicis Groupe is Creative Network of the Year, Leo India is Creative Agency of the Year

Day 3 of Goafest 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on specialist capabilities as the ABBY Awards honoured agencies, production houses, networks and brands across a wide spectrum of creative disciplines including branded content, activation, video craft, independent creative work and network performance. The final day saw a strong showing from Leo India, Enormous, Publicis Groupe and PepsiCo India, each emerging as a dominant force in their respective category, while Grand Prix honours added further prestige to the evening’s biggest winners.

Across categories, a total of 367 entries received awards including merits, with the jury handing out 27 Gold, 80 Silver, 122 Bronze and 138 Merit metals alongside four Grand Prix honours. The results highlighted how agencies are increasingly building expertise across specialist verticals while brands continue to push for integrated storytelling, experiential campaigns and craft-led executions.

Leo India emerged as one of the standout winners of the evening. The agency dominated the Creative Agency of the Year category with 640 points and a staggering 134 total awards, while also securing the category’s Grand Prix honour. Its tally included 12 Gold, 44 Silver, 57 Bronze and 20 Merit awards, cementing its position as the most awarded creative agency on Day 3. Leo India’s dominance extended beyond mainstream creative categories into specialist work as well. In the Branded Content and Entertainment Specialist Agency of the Year category, the agency secured 38 points and eight overall awards, including one Gold, two Silver, four Bronze and one Merit. It also emerged as the clear leader in Brand Experience and Activation Specialist Agency of the Year with 70 points and 15 total awards, driven by eight Silver, four Bronze and three Merit wins.

Sharing his joy on the agency's performance, Amitesh Rao, CEO, South Asia – Leo said, “The Creative Agency of the Year win comes on the back of 6 specialist agency awards including Technology, Health, Direct, Digital, Brand Activation and Brand Experiences. That's an incredible body of work across brands, categories, teams and geographies. And another big win for us this evening, is our client PepsiCo being named ‘Client of the Year’ - it truly reiterates our belief that the best work is born out of strong of partnerships. Congratulations to all our client partners and the talented teams at Leo.”

Independent agency Enormous also delivered a commanding performance during the awards. The agency topped the Creative Independent Agency of the Year category with 372 points and an industry leading 96 awards. Its medal haul included five Gold, 22 Silver, 31 Bronze and 38 Merit awards, underlining the scale and consistency of its creative output across categories. Enormous also performed strongly in Branded Content and Entertainment Specialist Agency of the Year, where it earned 32 points and six awards including one Gold, three Silver, one Bronze and one Merit. The results reinforced the growing influence of independent agencies competing head-to-head with large network players on both scale and quality of work.

Publicis Groupe emerged as the undisputed leader in the Creative Network Agency of the Year category. The network secured the only Grand Prix in the category while amassing a remarkable 796 points and 172 total awards. Its tally comprised 14 Gold, 51 Silver, 77 Bronze and 29 Merit awards, making it the single largest medal winner among creative networks. The scale of Publicis Groupe’s performance reflected its expansive presence across categories and agencies under the network umbrella. Omnicom Media followed with 300 points and 74 awards including seven Gold, 13 Silver, 29 Bronze and 25 Merit metals. WPP rounded out the top network rankings with 74 points and 16 awards comprising two Gold, five Silver, five Bronze and four Merit honours.

Commenting on the win, Anupriya Acharya, CEO Publicis Groupe South Asia, said, “Winning the inaugural Creative Network of the Year is a powerful recognition of the breadth, consistency and impact of our creative work. Alongside Leo India’s continued Agency of the Year momentum, this win reflects more than a strong awards season - it signals the scale of ideas being built across our agencies for a wide repertoire of clients, with work that delivers both creative excellence and business impact. What is especially exciting is that India is no longer just creating for local markets; our teams are helping shape global solutions and setting new benchmarks for creative effectiveness worldwide. This recognition belongs to the incredible teams who continue to push the boundaries of modern creativity every day, and to the clients who place their trust in us.” 

Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe - South Asia and Chairman, Leo South Asia adds “Winning the Creative Network of the Year’ is deeply gratifying because it reflects the culture of excellence we have incubated throughout our creative agencies. Across categories and clients, our focus has been on solving real problems, shaping culture, and building work that drives business value. This is a proud moment for every team, partner, and client who has believed in the power of ambitious, transformative ideas. Kudos to all the amazing teams at Leo, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH and Publicis Production.”

Among clients, PepsiCo India emerged as Client of the Year with 150 points and 31 total awards while also securing the category’s Grand Prix. The brand’s tally included four Gold, nine Silver, nine Bronze and eight Merit awards, highlighting its broad strength across campaigns and creative formats. Flipkart Internet followed closely with 134 points and the highest award count among brands at 34 total honours, including two Gold, seven Silver, 13 Bronze and 12 Merit awards. Krafton matched Flipkart on points with 134 while earning 25 awards including three Gold, 14 Silver, five Bronze and three Merit metals. Kenvue also posted a strong performance with 92 points and 28 awards including three Silver, 12 Bronze and 13 Merit wins.

The specialist categories further reflected the industry’s growing focus on craft and execution. In Video Craft Specialist Agency of the Year, Good Morning Films emerged as the top performer with 68 points and 14 awards. The production house secured eight Silver, four Bronze and two Merit honours, demonstrating consistent recognition across craft disciplines. Mothership Productions followed with 54 points and nine awards while recording the highest Gold tally in the category with three Gold, three Silver and three Bronze wins. Vanilla Films earned 14 points and four awards including one Silver, one Bronze and two Merit honours.

The Brand Experience and Activation Specialist Agency of the Year category saw strong competition among experiential agencies. While Leo India emerged on top with 70 points, McCann India followed with 16 points and four Bronze awards. Tribes Communications secured 12 points and three awards including one Silver, one Bronze and one Merit. Tribes also delivered a notable performance in Creative Independent Agency of the Year, where it earned 134 points and 33 awards including two Gold, nine Silver, 10 Bronze and 12 Merit metals.

White Rivers Media too strengthened its presence across specialist and independent creative categories. The agency secured 10 points and three awards in Branded Content and Entertainment Specialist Agency of the Year, driven by two Bronze and one Merit. In Creative Independent Agency of the Year, it accumulated 60 points and 17 awards including one Gold, two Silver, six Bronze and eight Merit honours. Wisteria also finished with 60 points in the independent agency rankings, though it stood out for its strong Gold count with four Gold, three Silver, two Bronze and one Merit award across 10 wins.

Among the Grand Prix winners, Publicis Groupe won the top honour in Creative Network Agency of the Year, Leo India claimed the Grand Prix in Creative Agency of the Year, and PepsiCo India secured the Grand Prix in Client of the Year. Perfetti Van Melle India also emerged as a Grand Prix winner in the Creative Independent Agency of the Year category, contributing to its tally of two awards and 14 points.

As Goafest 2026 drew to a close, Day 3 of the ABBYs reflected an industry increasingly rewarding specialised expertise, integrated creativity and consistent craft excellence. From network giants and independent agencies to production houses and brands, the winners showcased how creative effectiveness today is being measured not only by scale but also by versatility across formats, platforms and consumer experiences.