Publicis Groupe Africa has earned 65 finalists at the Loeries 2026, ahead of the awards nights in Cape Town on 8 and 9 October. The shortlists span six agencies and cover everything from film, radio and print craft to live events, AI and the festival's new Creative Strategy category.
Koo Govender, CEO of Publicis Groupe Africa
Pete Little, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe Africa
The Groupe also has three of the nine Young Creatives shortlisted this year, a strong sign of the talent coming through its agencies.
LePub Johannesburg and Machine lead the Groupe with 22 finalists each. The finalists are across multiple clients, including Heineken, Mondelez and RocoMamas.
Machine's Spotify trilogy earned finalists across OOH, print, art direction and photography, Audio Experiences, Live Events and Data Driven Campaign and Industrial & Product Design.
Koo Govender, CEO of Publicis Groupe Africa, says: “Sixty-five finalists is a true reflection of the tremendous talent and ambition across our Groupe. Behind every shortlist is a team that pushed a brilliant idea further and a great client who trusted them to bring it to life. Seeing that work recognised is incredibly rewarding.”
Publicis West Africa earned seven finalists for Nestlé and PepsiCo, while The Partnership Agency earned six, led by Too Good's Paid Sick Leave for Cows and Leo Singapore's Vaseline & the Real Nigerian Prince for Unilever earned five, including Creative Strategy, Comedic Impact and Social Impact Campaign.
The Loeries Young Creatives programme recognises the region's most promising emerging talent. This year, three of the nine shortlisted creatives come from Publicis Groupe Africa:
- Sebastian Dupper, LePub Johannesburg
- Hamzah Limalia, Machine
- Valentino Fernandez, Nestlé One
Pete Little, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe Africa, says: “Having three of the nine Young Creative finalists come from across our Groupe is something worth celebrating. It speaks to the strength and diversity of the young talent coming through our creative teams and to the space we’re creating for new voices to challenge convention and push the work forward. Sebastian, Hamzah and Valentino have already shown they have something to say and, more importantly, the creative courage to say it.”
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