ABBY Awards 2026 day 2: Leo India sweeps the night as Zee claims broadcaster crown

GOA: Leo India did not so much win the second night of the ABBY Awards 2026 as colonise it. Powered by The One Club | The One Show for the fifth consecutive year, the evening handed out 255 awards across digital, technology, design, direct, public relations, health and broadcaster categories, and one agency kept turning up to collect them.

A total of 19 Gold, 73 Silver, 99 Bronze, 62 Merit trophies and two Grand Prix honours were presented across the specialist categories, reflecting the scale and fierce competitiveness of this year’s entries, which drew around 4,000 submissions from roughly 300 companies.

Leo India rules the digital floor

In the Digital Specialist Agency of the Year category, Leo India was simply in a class of its own. The agency amassed 24 metals and 120 points, including one Grand Prix, one Gold, eight Silver, 12 Bronze and two Merit metals. Enormous followed with ten metals and 42 points, including four Silver, three Bronze and three Merit wins. McCann India secured nine metals and 28 points through five Bronze and four Merit wins. White Rivers Media took seven metals and 26 points via two Silver, two Bronze and three Merit awards. BBH Communication India rounded out the top five with four metals and 20 points.

The Grand Prix in Digital went to Leo India for Mountain Dew’s campaign ‘Darescore’, created for PepsiCo India, in the Technology Utility and Tool category. The work was cited for its convergence of utility-led innovation and branded storytelling in digital advertising.

In Technology, Leo India again topped the table with ten metals and 54 points, claiming one Gold, five Silver and four Bronze. Mindshare Mumbai finished second with six metals and 30 points, comprising three Silver and three Bronze. Interactive Avenues secured 14 points through one Gold and one Silver. Perfetti Van Melle India claimed 12 points via a solitary but decisive Grand Prix.

That second Grand Prix of the evening went to Perfetti Van Melle India for Centerfruit’s campaign ‘Centerfruit Kaisi Jeebh Laplapayee’ in the Technology category for Best Use of Voice Service in a Digital Platform or Using Digital Technology, recognising the growing role of voice-enabled experiences in consumer engagement.

Direct, design and PR: the specialists shine

In the Direct Specialist Agency of the Year category, Leo India claimed the title with five metals and 32 points, including one Gold and four Silver. McCann India followed with four metals and 12 points, while Tribes Communications matched that points total with three metals, comprising one Silver, one Bronze and one Merit. VML stood out by converting a single Gold into eight points.

The Design Specialist Agency of the Year category was tightly fought. BMEG Private Limited topped the table with seven metals and 18 points, driven by two Bronze and five Merit wins. VML matched BMEG’s 18-point tally with one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze, while 22Feet Tribal Worldwide secured 14 points through one Gold and one Silver. Maitri Advertising Works followed with two Silver metals and 12 points.

In public relations, Tribes Communications was named PR Specialist Agency of the Year with 11 metals and 50 points, including one Gold, three Silver, five Bronze and two Merit awards. Leo India followed with seven metals and 42 points including two Gold and four Silver wins, while Enormous finished third with three metals and 14 points.

Health and broadcasting

In the Health Specialist Agency of the Year category, Leo India once again topped the standings with eight metals and 38 points, comprising three Silver and five Bronze. McCann India secured second with eight metals and 28 points via one Silver, four Bronze and three Merit. BBH Communication India delivered the highest Gold tally in the category with two Gold metals and 16 points overall.

The night’s broadcaster honours were equally emphatic. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited was named Broadcaster of the Year with a commanding 82 points and 15 total metals, including three Gold, six Silver, five Bronze and one Merit. JioStar India secured three metals and 20 points through two Silver and one Bronze win.

The complete winners list

Grand Prix Leo India for Mountain Dew’s ‘Darescore’ (PepsiCo India) in Digital Technology Utility and Tool; Perfetti Van Melle India for Centerfruit’s ‘Centerfruit Kaisi Jeebh Laplapayee’ in Technology Best Use of Voice Service.

Gold 22Feet Tribal Worldwide for Battlegrounds Mobile India’s ‘The Great-InGame Wedding’ (Digital Social Media); Leo India for BGMI’s ‘Career Mode’ (Digital Technology Utility) and for Mountain Dew’s ‘Darescore’ (Technology Community Management); Interactive Avenues for Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Launched an Election on your Phone for PanchayatS4’ (Technology Innovation); VML for Kalapuri’s ‘The Kolhapuri’ (Design Direct Mail and Design Packaging); 22Feet Tribal Worldwide for Godawan Single Malt’s ‘Where craft meets conservation’ (Design Packaging); Leo India for P&G Whisper’s ‘Project Early Periods’ (Direct Social Awareness) and for HDFC Mutual Fund’s ‘Mutually Funded’ (PR Financial); Leo India for Lay’s ‘Project Mitti’ and Mountain Dew’s ‘Darescore’ (PR Corporate); BBH Communication India for HDFC Ergo Playable (Health Wellness Tech and Health Brand Education); Leo India for Shrestha Das’s ‘Gamers On Duty’ for Lenovo (Young Maverick Digital); Famous Innovations for Abhyuday Sen and Rueben Varghese Puthoor’s ‘Dekhna hai to Khul Dekho’ for Mia by Tanishq (Young Maverick Film); Zee Entertainment for Zee Cinema’s ‘World TV Premiere Pushpa 2’ and Zee Kannada’s ‘Sri Raghavendra Mahathme’ (Broadcaster programme launch); Creative Communications JioHotstar for ‘Humare Chhore Chhoriyon Se Kam Hain Kya?’ (Broadcaster sports); Zee Entertainment for Zee Cinema’s ‘World TV Premiere Pushpa 2’ (Broadcaster movie promo).

Silver (selected highlights across categories) Digital: White Rivers Media for Jio Studios’ ‘Dhurandhar’ (Social Media); Leo India for Flipkart’s ‘Namibia x Flipkart WC 2026’, ‘Oreo Dream For The Team’, and multiple Flipkart and Lay’s campaigns; Enormous for three Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) ‘Everybody Loves A Good Fight’ entries across video formats; BBH Communication India for HDFC Ergo Playable and Garnier Men; HAKUHODO LYNC for Toyota Experiential Museum; Wisteria for Goel TMT’s ‘Band Baaja Bitiya’; Medulla Communications for ‘STROKe Anthem’; Interactive Avenues for Amazon Prime Video Panchayat S4; Mindshare Mumbai for Closeup LoveTune with AI and UltraTech campaigns; ITC Candyman’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ by Interactive Avenues; Leo India for Myntra Vogueabulary 2.0 and multiple Krafton and Lenovo campaigns.

Technology Silver: Leo India for Krafton BGMI Career Mode and Lenovo Gamers on Duty; Mindshare Mumbai for Closeup LoveTune AI and UltraTech 1.9bn logos; BBH for HDFC Ergo; Interactive Avenues for Amazon Prime Video.

Design Silver: VML for Kalapuri ‘The Kolhapuri’ (Publications); Maitri Advertising Works for Mathrubhumi ‘The Kerala CULTR Shock’ (Integrated Design and Mixed Media); 22Feet Tribal Worldwide for Godawan Single Malt illustration.

Direct Silver: Tribes Communications for HDFC Mutual Fund ‘DivyaDeep’ (Dimensional Mail); McCann India for Johnson’s Baby ‘Project Golden Minute’; Leo India for Flipkart Flippin Amazin, Krafton BGMI Career Mode, Myntra Vogueabulary 2.0 and Mountain Dew Darescore.

PR Silver: Tribes Communications for HDFC Mutual Fund ‘Barni Se Azadi’ and ‘Mutually Funded’; Enormous for Signature Packaged Drinking Water ‘Mangrove Regeneration Pledge’; Leo India for P&G Whisper ‘Project Early Periods’, Kraft India BGMI Career Mode, and Durex ‘The Other G Spot’; Axis Bank’s ‘MotherTonguelish’ by Pitchverse; Tata Power ‘Lab on a Bike’ by BC Web Wise; Titan’s ‘Aage Badhegi’ by Superfly Films; Enormous for The Photographic Society of India ‘If Only’; HDFC Ergo by BBH; Nivea’s ‘Carbon Economy for Advertising’ by Tribes Communications.

Health Silver: McCann India for Dettol ‘Shaadi Ka Ghar’; Leo India for Sebamed ‘Seba Womb’ and P&G Whisper ‘Project Early Periods’ across two categories; Maitri Advertising Works for Mathrubhumi ‘Got Stuff?’; Medulla Communications for STROKe Anthem.

SDG Silver: Mantra4Change for ‘Mothers of Courage’; Leo India for P&G Whisper ‘Project Early Periods’; BBH for HDFC Ergo; Tribes Communications for Nivea ‘Carbon Economy for Advertising’; Enormous for The Photographic Society of India ‘If Only’; Pitchverse for Axis Bank ‘MotherTonguelish’; BC Web Wise for Tata Power ‘Lab on a Bike’; Superfly Films for Titan ‘Aage Badhegi’.

Broadcaster Silver: Zee Kannada for Krishna Rukku (programme launch), Mahanati Season 2 (reality promo), SaReGaMaPa Little Champs (reality promo), Krishna Rukku (fiction promo), and Dance Karnataka Dance 2025 (regional promo); JioStar for Nickelodeon’s ‘Bittu Bahanebaaz’ (kids programme and original music score).

Young Maverick Silver: Leo India’s Atharva Sanjay Mhaskar for Flipkart ‘We Are Namibia’ (Digital); Enormous’ Swarangi Joshi for BGMI ‘Save Your Hands for Something Epic’ (Film); Leo India’s Mohit Rao for Spotify ‘Commute – Metro’ (Film).

The kicker

Two Grand Prix, 19 Gold, 255 awards total and one agency’s name on the podium more often than anyone could count. Leo India did not just have a good night in Goa. It had the night. The industry will be talking about this haul long after the trophies have been polished and put away.