Inside the Jury Room: The voices shaping the ABBYs

Jury chairs across key ABBY Award categories share what stood out, what impressed them, and what this year’s entries reveal about the evolving creative landscape in India

by e4m Staff
Published: May 20, 2026 5:53 PM | 4 min read

The ABBY Awards jury at Goafest 2026 features prominent figures from various sectors of the advertising industry, focusing on categories such as Digital, Design, and Sustainable Development Goals.
Jury chairs expressed that the judging process revealed insights into biases and the evolving nature of advertising, emphasizing the importance of genuine engagement and cultural relevance in entries.
Notable themes included the need for emotional resonance, strategic sharpness, and the connection of brands to Indian identity and societal issues.
The Digital category saw a resurgence with diverse and entertaining entries, culminating in the awarding of a Grand Prix after a hiatus, highlighting the industry's growth and creativity.

As Goafest 2026 arrives in Goa, the ABBY Awards jury is once again a who’s who of India’s sharpest creative and strategic minds. This year’s Day 2 jury—spanning categories from Digital and Design to Direct, Broadcast, Sustainable Development Goals and the Young Maverick Abby—brought together leaders who are redefining what it means to create work that resonates. Ahead of the big reveal, IMPACT interacts with the jury to find out what they were looking for, what surprised them, and what the entries revealed about the current state of Indian advertising.

Josy Paul
CCO, BBDO Group, Chairman, BBDO India; Jury Chair for the Sustainable Development Goals category

“There’s something profound that happens when you judge the Sustainable Development Goals category. You don’t judge the work. But instead, the work judges you. You realise your own biases, prejudice and limitations. It was a mind-expanding experience. I am grateful to the amazingly diverse jury—folks who have done more in this area than I have. I am moved by their comments, insights and conversations, and inspired by the shortlisted work. One can feel the love that has gone into the work. I feel blessed to be in this industry.”

Anupama Ramaswamy
MD & Chief Creative Officer, Havas Creative India; Jury Chair for direct categories
goa
“Chairing the Direct Jury at the ABBYs this year was incredibly engaging because the biggest debate was always around what truly qualifies as direct today. We consciously looked beyond action, real engagement, and measurable change. The entries that stood out were the ones where the idea didn’t just create awareness but drove powerful case studies and focused on whether the work created a genuine call to authentic human response and tangible impact for the brand.”

Neha Tulsian
Founder and Executive Creative Director of NH1 Design; Jury Chair for Design category

“As Chair of the Design Jury at the ABBY Awards, we saw a mix of truly inspiring work and entries that felt disconnected from reality, with little evidence of having lived beyond the case study. Today, design goes far beyond aesthetics; the strongest entries redefined the problem itself, linking business challenges with cultural and societal insight, and connecting meaningfully with people. A clear theme was cultural belonging—brands embracing Indian identity, regional stories, crafts, and artisans. We looked for ideas that were strategically sharp, emotionally resonant, and beautifully crafted.”

Pallavi Chakravarti
Founder and CCO, Fundamental; Jury Chair for Young Maverick Abby category

“Young Maverick ABBY was particularly interesting because, unlike most contests for young people built around hypothetical ‘save the world’ briefs, this category recognises real work put out in the real world by young minds, and nothing tests your ability like a real brief. The process was smooth, with sharp and fair debates among jurors. While some entries stood out as clear winners, others had strong ideas that needed a stronger executional push. Importantly, the work was judged without leniency, making the wins even more meaningful.”

Sumona Sen
Senior Vice President for Network Marketing Strategy and Growth, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.; Jury Chair for Broadcaster category

“Serving as Jury Chair for the Broadcast category at the ABBY Awards 2026 has been an incredibly energising experience, especially as this is arguably one of the most exciting moments for Broadcast. Amidst exploding screens, formats and fragmentation, television continues to win hearts by fulfilling our enduring need for collective moments and shared experiences through storytelling. While impressions may be easy to buy, attention is not, which raises the bar significantly on creativity and storytelling. What truly stood out this year were sharp insights, simple yet powerful ideas, and emotional storytelling that created meaning, measurable impact and genuine consumer love.”

PG Aditiya
Co-Founder & CCO, Talented; Jury Chair for Digital category

“The digital jury represents the present and future of our industry. The entries were wonderful, diverse and thoroughly entertaining. They represented the breadth of the industry. We were also happy to award a well-deserved GP this year, after a few years of grand prix draught. We enjoyed assessing all the entries, and congratulations to the winners!”

- Compiled by Isha Khatu