Mumbai: The Advertising Club (Mumbai) revealed the winners of the EMVIES Awards 2026 on Friday, 23 October, at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. The annual awards celebrate India’s best media strategy, innovation, research and effectiveness work. This year, 223 trophies were handed out across the night, including one Grand EMVIE, 57 Golds, 74 Silvers and 91 Bronzes.
Top honours
Mindshare took Best Media Agency of the Year, WPP Media won Best Media Agency Network of the Year, and Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) was named Best Media Client of the Year. The awards were supported by Tata Communications and UltraTech Cement Limited.
The night’s biggest prize, the Grand EMVIE, went to Wavemaker India and Colgate (Palmolive) Pvt. Ltd. for the Colgate India – Colgate Oral Health Movement. The entry was recognised in the Best Digital Strategy category, signalling that the jury rewarded a long-running digital-led behaviour change programme.
Medal table
Wavemaker India had a standout night with 20 Gold EMVIEs, the highest agency tally. Mindshare followed with 15 Golds. Among media clients, Amazon secured nine Golds, HUL eight and Mondelez India Foods seven.
The complete trophy split is a useful barometer of how broad the competition has become:
- Grand EMVIE: 1
- Gold: 57
- Silver: 74
- Bronze: 91
The Young EMVIE of the Year was shared by Chitwan Sharma of Zenith and Aditi Salian of EssenceMediacom, with the industry using the category to highlight emerging media talent.
Why it matters for marketing professionals
Often called the Oscars of the Indian media industry, the EMVIES are a benchmark for what effective media planning looks like. For marketing and agency teams, the results are a shortcut to the work the jury believes combines audience understanding, strategic thinking, innovation and measurable impact.
The client leaderboard is also worth noting. Amazon, HUL and Mondelez India Foods appear repeatedly, which suggests large advertisers continue to invest in advanced media strategy and measurement.
Punitha Arumugam, Chairperson of the EMVIES Committee, said the recognised work “demonstrates the industry’s ability to combine strong insights with innovation and effectiveness to deliver meaningful outcomes for brands.”
Dheeraj Sinha, President of The Advertising Club, added that winners “reflect the ambition, strategic rigour and creativity of our industry, setting new benchmarks for what media can achieve.”
What to do with this
Marketers can use the EMVIES results as a live checklist. If your next plan cannot show audience insight, strategic rigour, tech or data use, and a measurable brand outcome, it is unlikely to match the work that won on Friday night.
The Grand EMVIE is also a reminder that digital strategy works best when it is built as a sustained movement rather than a one-off burst. The Colgate Oral Health Movement turned a brand objective into a clear, campaignable public-health platform, which is likely why it stood out.
For agencies, the competitive picture is now clear: Wavemaker, Mindshare and WPP Media have set the pace. Teams that study these case studies will have a better read on the level of craft required to compete at the top of Indian media.
Source: MediaNews4U
