Creativity and effectiveness belong together at the inaugural adobo Creative Awards: The Awards for Creativity and Marketing Excellence in Asia

For decades, the creative industry has measured creativity and effectiveness through separate frameworks. One celebrated ideas while the other recognized business results. And yet, the present realities of modern communications have made that distinction increasingly irrelevant.

Truly effective work requires creativity, and meaningful creativity must prove its effectiveness.

Building on adobo Magazine’s two-decade legacy as the word on creativity, the inaugural adobo Creative Awards: The Awards for Creativity and Marketing Excellence in Asia honors excellence across advertising, marketing, design, and communications.

It is grounded in the belief that creativity and effectiveness are fundamentally inseparable.

Eligible countries, entrants, and works

The adobo Creative Awards welcomes entries from across Asia, celebrating creative excellence regardless of country of origin. Eligible countries span five regions: Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and Central Asia, reflecting the diversity, ambition, and growing influence of Asian creativity on the global stage.

The awards are open to a broad range of entrants, including those from advertising, creative, digital, media, PR, design, branding, and activation agencies; brands and in-house marketing and creative teams; production companies; platforms and networks; independent creatives and collectives; filmmakers, photographers, designers, and content creators; as well as start-ups, non-profit organizations, cultural institutions, and advocacy groups.

To be considered eligible, work must have been launched or officially implemented between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, and should be submitted exactly as it was released. Entries should reflect real work created for genuine audiences and demonstrate the standards of creative and marketing excellence the awards seek to recognize.

Seven categories, one holistic framework

Recognizing that creativity today transcends traditional disciplines, the awards are organized into seven category groups that reflect the breadth of modern creative practice.

• Excellence in Classic honors mastery across established advertising formats, celebrating enduring ideas brought to life through audio, film, outdoor, and print.
• Excellence in Craft recognizes the creative and technical disciplines that elevate ideas through exceptional execution, rewarding the people whose expertise shapes how stories are told.
• Excellence in Design” celebrates design as a strategic discipline, recognizing work that creates meaningful identities, products, environments, and visual experiences.
• Excellence in Digital & Social acknowledges creativity built for connected audiences, where technology, digital platforms, creators, and communities become integral to how ideas are experienced and shared.
• Excellence in Experience Marketing recognizes work that moves beyond communication to create participation, celebrating immersive brand experiences across activation, commerce, media, and public relations.
• Excellence in Effectiveness & Strategy honors ideas where strategic thinking and creativity work together to deliver measurable business, brand, behavioral, or cultural results.
• Excellence in Purpose & Impact celebrates creativity that creates meaningful change for people, communities, culture, and the environment, demonstrating that ideas can become a powerful force for progress.

Judging philosophy

The philosophy behind the adobo Creative Awards extends directly to its judging process.

Every entry will be reviewed by a diverse panel of respected creative leaders, practitioners, marketers, and industry experts from across Asia and beyond. Work will be evaluated with care, rigor, and integrity to ensure every entry is judged fairly, contextually, and on its own merit.

Jurors will consider the originality and clarity of the creative idea, the relevance of the insight and problem-solving approach, the quality and craft of execution, and the overall impact achieved across business, brand, behavioral, or cultural objectives.

Rather than viewing creativity and effectiveness as separate metrics, the adobo Creative Awards recognizes work where the idea itself becomes the driving force behind the outcome. The strongest entries will demonstrate how creativity, strategy, execution, and effectiveness work seamlessly together to create lasting impact.

The jury

Just as the awards bring creativity and effectiveness together, the jury has been intentionally assembled to reflect the collaborative nature of today’s industry.

Leading the inaugural adobo Creative Awards alongside Founder, President, and Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero is Awards Director Joe Dy, one of the Philippines’ most respected creative leaders and a Philippine Creative Guild Hall of Fame inductee. With more than 25 years of experience leading globally recognized work and serving on international juries, Dy has played a key role in shaping the awards philosophy, category framework, and judging process.

The inaugural jury brings together creative leaders, marketers, media practitioners, strategists, designers, and business leaders from across Asia, ensuring every entry is evaluated with diverse expertise and perspectives.

Excellence in Classic

• Peter Khoury, Chief Creative Officer at Omnicom Advertising Asia — Jury President
• Maan Bautista, Executive Creative Director at Publicis JimenezBasic
• Abi Aquino, Chief Creative Officer at TREYNA
• Raymund Sison, Founder & Creative Chief at Lennon Group
• Chino Jayme, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy
• Teeny Gonzales, Chief Executive Officer at Seven A.D.

Excellence in Craft

• Park Wannasiri, Chief Creative Officer at VML Bangkok – Jury President
• Jerry Hizon, Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Creative Philippines
• Vic Icasas, Managing Partner at HIT Productions
• Jayel Ladioray, Vice President and Head of Communications and Content Excellence at Nestlé Philippines 
• Angie Tijam-Tohid, Executive Creative Director at Havas Ortega Philippines

Excellence in Design

• Yasuharu Sasaki, Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Tokyo — Jury President
• Javey Villones, Head of Art & Executive Creative Director at VML Manila
• Dan Matutina, Co-Founder at Plus63

Excellence in Digital & Social

• Mary Buenaventura, Chief Executive Officer at Omnicom Media Group Philippines
• Joey David-Tiempo, Chief Executive Officer at Octopus & Whale
• Jao Bautista, Executive Creative Director at Propel Manila
• Merlee Jayme, Chairmom at Jayme Headquarters and The Misfits Camp
• Badong Abesamis, Founding Partner at GIGIL

Excellence in Experience Marketing

• Margot Torres, Managing Director at McDonald’s Philippines – Jury President
• Adi Timbol-Hernandez, Head of Institutional Brand & Corporate Relations at Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) 
• David Guerrero, Chief Creative Officer at BBDO Guerrero 
• Third Domingo, APAC Chief Creative Officer at Hakuhodo International 
• Russ Molina, Chief Digital Officer at Seven A.D.
• Jonjon San Agustin, Vice President for Marketing at SM Supermalls 
• Emman Ordinanza, Vice President and Head of Integrated Media at Nestlé Philippines

Excellence in Effectiveness & Strategy

• Stephan Czypionka, Chief Marketing Officer at CJ CheilJedang Global
• Peach Mariano, Chief Strategy Officer at BBDO Guerrero 
• Wence Wenceslao, Senior Global Digital Lead at Unilever Philippines 

Additional Jury Presidents and jurors from across Asia will be announced in the coming weeks.

The adobo Creative Awards trophy

Every great awards program is remembered not only for the work it celebrates, but also for the trophy that comes to symbolize creative excellence. Over time, it becomes more than an object—it becomes an aspiration, representing the ideas that moved industries forward and the people behind them.

For the inaugural adobo Creative Awards, the trophy embodies the philosophy behind the awards themselves. Designed by British-Filipino graphic designer Melvin Galapon, it draws inspiration from growth, with ascending geometric forms representing the evolution of an idea—from insight, to creative excellence, to measurable impact. Together, these elements form a distinctive silhouette that reflects progress, momentum, and the many disciplines that shape modern creativity.

How to enter the adobo Creative Awards

The inaugural adobo Creative Awards: The Awards for Creativity and Marketing Excellence in Asia is now officially open for entries, with the regular submission period running until October 25, 2026. Winners will be celebrated at the inaugural adobo Creative Awards ceremony on January 29, 2027.

Visit the official adobo Creative Awards website to create an entrant account, explore the complete category structure, and begin your submission. Download the entry kit here. Submit your entries for only USD 165 per Single entry and USD 200 for Campaign entries.

For inquiries on categories, eligibility, or the submission process, email the adobo Creative Awards team at adobocreativeawards@adobomagazine.com, or text or call +63 917 702 7258

The inaugural adobo Creative Awards would not be possible without the help of its partners, namely

• Official Creative Partner: TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno
• Official PR Partner: Ripple8
• Official Auditor: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Stay updated on the adobo Creative Awards on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.

The next defining idea in Asian creativity could be yours. Submit it today.

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