Golden Drum International Festival of Creativity concluded with the Awards Show, powered by Mastercard, on October 13, 2026, in Portorož, Slovenia.
LePub Milan took home both the prestigious Agency of the Year and Network of the Year titles, while Heineken was awarded the Brand Grand Prix. The Independent Agency of the Year title was awarded to hasan & partners, Helsinki. CARAT Italia secured the title of Media Agency of the Year, while PunkFilm from the Czech Republic was named Production Agency of the Year.
Celebrating Creative Excellence
Golden Drum 2026 celebrated the most outstanding creative work from 30 countries. Commenting on this year’s winners, Mojca Briščik, Golden Drum President, said, “Golden Drum brought together some of the most visionary minds and creative talents from across the region. From these inspiring exchanges emerged exceptional work defined by originality, bold thinking, and masterful execution — work that reflects the ideas, innovation, and creative excellence driving our industry forward. To all our Winners and Finalists, congratulations. Your talent, dedication, and passion for creativity are at the heart of what makes Golden Drum a celebration of creative excellence. Thank you for inspiring us, challenging the boundaries of what is possible, and continuing to raise the bar for our industry.”
The 2026 Golden Drum juries recognized exceptional creative work, bestowing a total of 43 Bronze Drums, 46 Silver Drums, 34 Golden Drums, and 14 Grand Prix awards, out of the 187 shortlisted entries.
The prestigious Agency of the Year was granted to LePub, Milan, while the honors for Network of the Year, went to LePub.
Heineken received the coveted Brand Grand Prix for their outstanding creative achievement. The prestigious Creative Director of the Year accolade was awarded to Silvia Oton, Valentino Borghesi, Peter Dobbyn and Geo Joseph, the creative directors from LePub behind the campaign “The Pub That Refused to Die”.
The Independent Agency of the Year title, supported by NLB, was awarded to hasan & partners, Helsinki.
CARAT Italia secured the title of Media Agency of the Year, while Punk Film from the Czech Republic was named Production Agency of the Year.
The prestigious UNFPA Inclusion Excellence Award, which aims to promote and recognise creative work that actively contributes to gender equality and social inclusion, and is supported by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was awarded to hasan & partners, Helsinki, for “How a non-profit fought the social media giants, armed with a bunch of t-shirts”, created for their client Naisten Linja.
In the All Juries section, Best of Social Good, an award that honours campaigns with high social relevance and creative brilliance addressing environmental, humanitarian, mental health, or charitable issues, was presented to Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine, for “The Healing Stage”, created for their client Armed Forces of Ukraine and Psychological center ‘4Help’ and to McCann Poland, Warsaw, for “Here to Stay”, for their client Mastercard.
The Game Changer award, powered by Telemach Slovenia, went to LePub, Milan, for their innovative initiative, Tocayos, created for Heineken.
The most successful agency from the Adriatic Region, receiving the special Adriatic Agency of the Year award, powered by Zavarovalnica Triglav, became McCann Skopje.
Adding to the evening’s celebration, Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Chief Creative Officer at LePub Network, was welcomed as the newest member of the Golden Drum Hall of Fame. He now joins an esteemed group of creative visionaries whose ideas, achievements, and influence have left a lasting mark on the world of creativity.
Recognizing young creatives
In the Young Drummers Competition, held in partnership with the Mastercard Slovenia, Ilona Zdravkova and Neli Kirova from HUMAN, Sofia, emerged victorious, with their winning poster series “Travel Like a Tourist. Pay Like a Local.”
The jury has additionally recognized the following entries with special mentions, honouring their remarkable quality and creativity: poster series “Seamlessly Different” by Olga Ricart from VML Czechia, Prague, and poster series “Trip happens” by Gesui Mirzo and Andrea Cabajova from Zaraguza CZ, Praha.
The full list of winners is here.
