As Goafest 2025 gears up to host the advertising and media industry’s biggest annual celebration, the spotlight shines on the ABBY Awards, now in its 56th year. In an exclusive conversation, Rana Barua and Ajay Kakar, two industry veterans deeply involved in shaping the awards, laid out the evolution, significance, and scale of the platform with an emphasis on its growing stature and enduring relevance.
Ajay Kakar, Chairman, Awards Governing Council, The Abby Awards, and Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club, shared, “We are talking about the ABBY Awards, which are powered by The One Show. It’s an iconic award show, the gold standard not just in India but arguably across South Asia. Most importantly, it is by the industry, for the industry and of the industry,” he said. This sentiment was echoed by Barua too, positioning ABBYs as a reflection of the advertising community's own commitment to excellence.
2025 has seen the highest-ever participation in the history of the awards, the duo said. A total of 233 organisations have entered the awards, 164 in creative and 69 in media, resulting in 4,076 individual entries, another all-time high.
“The numbers speak for themselves. Despite economic conditions or market sentiment, the passion and belief in the ABBYs has only grown,” said Kakar. The awards have attracted entries not only from traditional agencies, but also digital firms, tech outfits, content creators, and client brands, demonstrating a widening footprint of relevance.
Shortlists this year stand at 1,756, with 1,265 from creative categories and 491 from media. To ensure fair and high-caliber judgment, 401 jury members were involved, including 25 jury chairs. “The credibility of any award lies in the jury,” noted Kakar, adding that the gender ratio among jury chairs was 65:35 in favour of men, but still was above international averages. The jury also featured global names like Youri Guerassimov (CEO and CCO, Marcel Paris), Bjorn Stahl (CCO, Uncommon Creative Studio) and Francesco Poletti (CCO at Le Pub Publicis Italy), each bringing international insight and creative acumen.
Rana Barua, President of The Advertising Club and Group CEO of Havas India, South East and North Asia, highlighted the logistical and creative scale of the event. “It’s not a quick two-hour ceremony. We host the awards over three evenings, and even then, sometimes we can’t accommodate announcing all the silvers on stage because of the sheer volume,” he said. He further emphasized the collaborative effort and scale, saying, “Managing over 4,000 entries, a 400-member jury, and a multi-day show is a mammoth effort, and the industry has rallied behind it year after year.”
This year’s ABBYs have also introduced new categories that reflect the changing face of media and creativity. Under media, three new segments have been added as per Kakar– small budget-big impact, sports marketing, and micro marketing. On the creative front, the scope has been widened to include emerging technologies like AI, VR, and AR, while the traditional radio category has been evolved into a broader ‘audio’ category to encompass podcasts and other formats. “The world has changed and so have the ABBYs,” said Kakar.
The strategic partnership with The One Show has now entered its fourth year, lending the ABBYs an added layer of international benchmarking. “In many cases, work that does well at the ABBYs often finds recognition at Cannes or other global award shows. So in some ways, it’s a testing ground for what’s to come,” Kakar explained, pointing out that the timing of the event, just ahead of Cannes, makes the ABBYs a crucial indicator of global creative potential.
Kakar underscored the fundamental ethos of the award. “We’re not in the business of awards. We’re in the business of promoting our industry. That’s why this is an award by the industry, for the industry, and of the industry,” he said. Barua also emphasized that, unlike other award shows that may be wrapped up in a couple of hours, the ABBYs involve rigorous deliberations over days, making it a truly immersive and credible experience.
With participation from marquee agencies like McCann, DDB Mudra, BBH, Lowe Lintas, BBDO and with stakeholders contributing not just entries but also jury time, the ABBYs continue to stand tall in a crowded landscape of media and marketing awards.
As Kakar aptly put it, “If you have a great product, the best will come forward to be part of it.”
.jpg)
