The Philippines will be represented by ten mentees in the London International Awards’ Creative LIAisons Program 2026, the global mentorship program that brings together emerging creative talent from around the world. The cohort is headlined by the Gold winners of the adobo LIA Young Creative Competition 2026, organized by adobo Magazine in partnership with the London International Awards and the Design Center of the Philippines.
Now in its 14th year, the adobo-LIA partnership remains the only collaboration of its kind in Asia, giving Filipino creatives direct access to one of advertising’s most prestigious global development programs.
Gold: Basura Gurls, EON The Stakeholder Relations Group
Arthel Tagnipez and Ginoe Ojoy of EON Group claimed Gold at the adobo LIA Young Creative Competition 2026 with their entry “Pinoy Life Strategy,” responding to this year’s brief “You Can What AI Can’t.” The work also received the Client’s Choice Award from the Design Center of the Philippines. As Gold winners, the pair will attend the Creative LIAisons onsite program in Las Vegas, with flights and accommodation covered by LIA.
“Trusting our guts, stepping away from the usual formula and staying true to what we want to say as artists, was the best decision we made. And after all that hard work, I’m finally headed to Vegas,” Arthel said.
“Having the chance to be a mentee in this year’s LIA Creative LIAisons gives me the chance to further sharpen the focus of that lens while learning from a diverse set of perspectives. I’m grateful to be given this chance to learn from the industry’s best and meet my peers from around the world,” Ginoe added.
Silver and Bronze: Joining the LIAisons Virtual Program
In recognition of the overall quality of entries this year, the London International Awards extended invitations to both the Silver and Bronze-winning teams to join the LIAisons Virtual Program — a global one-on-one coaching initiative connecting emerging talent with established industry leaders.
Donovan Adams Aguilos and John Howard Platon ofJSR Group took Silver with “Generated Ideas Never Got Chewed Over.” Notably, Donovan and John Howard come from the brand side rather than a traditional agency setup, working across JSR Group’s portfolio of brands including Dear Face, Skin Potions, and NewMoon — a reminder that the 2026 competition’s expanded eligibility was not just a gesture but a genuine opening.
“Grateful to share that Howie Platon and I have been selected as 2026 LIA Creative LIAisons Mentees. I’m stepping into this from the brand side — not from an agency setup, but as someone building and marketing brands day to day. And honestly, I carried a lot of doubt along the way,” Donovan shared on LinkedIn.
“Forever grateful for the opportunity of exploring creativity and learning from the global bests. I am excited to get global creative insights and tailor fit them to our day-to-day at work and life as a creative,” John Howard said.
Mary Stephanie Luisse Cases and Cielo Erikah Mae Cinco ofNuWorks Interactive Labs claimed Bronze with “The Malasakit Receipt.”
“I’m proud to share that this girlie is officially a LIA Mentee. Thank you, adobo Magazine and NuWorks Interactive Labs for giving me the opportunity to learn from the industry’s best,” Cielo shared.
“The math is finally mathing, and the resibo has officially entered the chat! I am still on cloud nine and beyond hyped,” Steph added.
Additional Creative LIAisons mentees
Rounding out the Philippine cohort are mentees from Dentsu Creative Philippines and Hakuhodo BCi.
Representing Dentsu Creative Philippines, Karl Malik Bernardo (Associate Creative Director), was selected by dentsu Global to participate in the onsite face-to-face session in Las Vegas. Joining him as Virtual LIAisons mentees are Kayla Marcelo (Associate Creative Director), and Vince Villena (Art Director).
Karl also took part in this year’s adobo LIA Young Creative Competition, where his team’s entry “Manu-Mano Banana” earned a shortlist placement. Kayla likewise joined the competition with her entry “H2Only Human.”
“It’s an honor to be part of the Creative LIAisons program, not just for the wealth of knowledge I could take home from it, but because it is considered a place where creative guidance can be expressed sincerely. I’m excited to find invaluable inspiration talking to exceptional creative leaders from around the world,” Karl shared.
Ernest Snyder (Senior Copywriter) of Hakuhodo BCI likewise joins as a virtual mentee, having participated in the competition with his team’s entry “The Itch.”
“Very grateful to keep on learning from leaders in an industry that I love and to gain perspective from some of the world’s most amazing creative talents,” Ernest said.
About Creative LIAisons
Funded entirely by the London International Awards, Creative LIAisons has been developing emerging talent since 2012. The onsite program brings approximately 125 young creatives to Las Vegas annually for a five-day program running concurrently with LIA judging — offering seminars, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and direct observation of jury deliberations. The virtual program complements this with one-on-one coaching sessions with three global industry leaders per mentee, customized between coach and mentee. All participants must be between the ages of 21 and 30 and currently working in the industry.
“The LIAisons program is a true launchpad unlike any other for young talent in this industry, offering rare access to some of the best creative leaders in the world and career-shaping perspective: even bringing them into the judging room where they gain first-hand knowledge of what it takes to make great work. At IMPACT BBDO, we’ve seen how sending our own talent has accelerated their growth and brought fresh energy back to the agency,” IMPACT BBDO Dubai Chief Creative Officer Ali Rez said. “Personally, being involved in teaching and mentoring through the program has been equally impactful: thankful to have had the opportunity to sharpen my own perspective while giving back to the next generation of creative leaders.”
