PHD, digitXplus, All Seasons Zenith, Mozambique, Others Shine At Pitcher Awards 2026

Nigerian agencies delivered a commanding performance at the 2026 Pitcher Awards, with PHD Nigeria, digitXplus and All Seasons Zenith emerging among the standout winners as one of Africa’s premier creative festival celebrated excellence in advertising, media and marketing communications across the continent.

The awards, announced during a live-streamed ceremony yesterday, recognised groundbreaking campaigns and agencies that have pushed the boundaries of creativity, effectiveness and cultural relevance. This year’s edition also marked a significant milestone for the festival, welcoming entries from Mozambique and the United States for the first time, a development that reflects the growing international stature of the Pitcher Awards.

Leading Nigeria’s charge was PHD Nigeria, which was named Media Agency of the Year, reinforcing its position as one of Africa’s most influential media agencies. The agency also secured Gold in the Heritage category for Outdoor Ambient & Installations with its campaign, “Martell on the Move,” executed for Pernod Ricard Nigeria. The work was celebrated for its innovative use of outdoor experiences to elevate brand engagement and cultural connection.

Another major Nigerian winner was digitXplus, which claimed the coveted Digital Agency of the Year title, recognising the agency’s excellence in digital innovation, creativity and impact across campaigns during the year under review.

All Seasons Zenith also earned continental recognition, winning Gold in the Culture category for Use of Cultural Insights with its campaign, “Maggi Tales of Ramadan,” developed for Maggi, Nestlé Nigeria. The campaign stood out for its authentic use of cultural storytelling and its ability to connect meaningfully with audiences during the Ramadan season.

Beyond the Nigerian successes, Mozambique emerged as one of the biggest stories of the night. The country’s creative industry made a remarkable debut at the Pitcher Awards, with Create Mozambique taking home multiple honours, including Advertising Agency of the Year.

Create Mozambique’s campaign, “MozaMbique Has 2M,” for 2M Beer, proved particularly dominant. The work won Gold in the Channel category for Use of Media and also secured Gold in Culture for Use of Cultural Insights. Another campaign from the agency, “Portrait of a Nation,” created for Millennium BIM, captured Gold in Culture for Corporate Image & Reputation Management.

The campaign’s success culminated in one of the festival’s highest honours as “MozaMbique Has 2M” won the Grand Prix in the Heritage category for Outdoor Ambient & Installations, underscoring the creative excellence emerging from the country’s advertising sector.

The second Grand Prix of the night went to The Bar Africa in Kenya for “NoVita,” created for NuVita Biscuits. The campaign won the top prize in Culture for Corporate Image & Reputation Management, highlighting the growing sophistication of reputation-driven storytelling across Africa.

Other Gold winners included Dentsu Creative South Africa for The Sun Powered Print Ad for Corona Africa in Heritage Print, Dentsu Creative Kenya for The Origin of Wonder for the Kenya Tourism Board in Heritage Film, Dentsu Creative South Africa for First Beach for Corona Africa in Entertainment Film, The Quollective for BUSiness UNUSUAL for Kiira Motors Corporation in Heritage Outdoor Activations, and L’Agence X of Côte d’Ivoire for La caravane d’excision The FGM Caravan in the Care category.

Special Awards further reflected the diversity of excellence across the continent. OMD was named Media Network of the Year, Dentsu Africa won Advertising Agency Network of the Year, while The Quollective Africa was recognised as Independent Network of the Year. Omnicom Media Group received the title of Regional Holding Company of the Year.

Among brands and marketers, 2M Beer Mozambique was named Brand of the Year (National), while Martell claimed Brand of the Year (Multinational). Kiira Motors Corporation won Marketing Company of the Year (National), and AB InBev secured the multinational equivalent.

Commenting on the results, Dr. Nnamdi Ndu, Chairman of the Pitcher Festival, said the 2026 edition reflected the growing strength of African creativity.

“The 2026 Pitcher Awards showcase the extraordinary evolution of African creativity. This year’s winners demonstrate a boldness, cultural depth, and technical mastery that continue to elevate our region on the global stage. Welcoming new countries into the competition and seeing them excel reinforces our belief that creativity truly has no borders. We celebrate every winner and look forward to an unforgettable 10th edition in 2027.”

The festival also paid tribute to its international jury, whose members represented diverse markets across Africa and beyond. Category juries were led by respected industry leaders, including Kerstin Trikalitis, Dozie Okafor, Yash Deb, Anand Badami, Karim Yermeche, Dawn Rowlands, Steve Babaeko and Maxwell Ngari.