Awards
Mirchi KAAN Awards, a Tribute to Creativity extends the date till 7 April
Mumbai, March 30, 2006 Following an overwhelming response for the ‘Mirchi KAAN Awards’ in the first and the second year, Radio Mirchi, India’s largest private FM radio, is now open for entries for the third ‘Mirchi KAAN Awards’, from the creative fraternity, till April 7, 2006.
Radio Mirchi has already received a phenomenal response for the third ‘Mirchi KAAN Awards’ from both the advertising agencies and the corporates. The radio station has invited entries for the work aired for the first time between January 2005 and February 28, 2006 and is confident of receiving over 450 entries this year vis-?-vis the 350 received last year. Judging is conducted by a broad segment of industry professionals, comprising of names known for presiding over a section of awards at the International Advertising Festival at Cannes, the most recognised awards for the advertising fraternity the world over.
Interestingly, in view of the growing pester power of radio; today acknowledged by national and local advertisers, both in India and internationally, last year the Advertising Festival at Cannes too had introduced the radio advertising category for the very first time.
With three ego sizes, namely Gold, Silver and Bronze, the ‘Mirchi KAAN Awards’ night is scheduled to be a glittering affair and will be held in Mumbai in early May 2006. Spread across 20 different categories, these are definitely India’s best looking radio advertising awards if not the most prestigious.
Work, which falls under the Outstanding Category, will be eligible for the Crystal award, to be awarded to the ‘Agency of the Year’. Radio Mirchi will sponsor two radio creative writers below the age of 30, to the Cannes Advertising festival. Furthermore, Radio Mirchi will refund the entry fees for the radio spots designated as the winner in the Gold category at the KAAN Awards, provided the entry has already made its way to Cannes 2006.
Sharing his thoughts on the initiative Prashant Panday, Deputy CEO, Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL) said, “Category building is an important aspect of Radio advertising. With a visible lack of any awards instituted to laud excellence in radio advertising, we decided to institute these awards two years back. Our objective is to provide a forum through which the advertising industry can showcase its creativity, reward individual accomplishment, and set new standards against which future advertising will be judged.”
The Jury for this prestigious event comprises of advertising stalwarts and top-notch names in the business including Abhijeet Choudhary, Agnello Dias, Elsie Nanjie, Gangadharan Menon, K.S. Chakravarthy, K.V.Sridhar, Mohammed Khan, Piyush Pandey, Prahlad Kakkar, Prasoon Joshi, R. Balakrishnan, Rajat Dholakia, Ram Madhvani, Ram Sampath, Ravi Deshpande and Rekha Nigam.
The award categories comprise of Foods; Beverages; Toiletries & household care; Business products & services; Health & cosmetic care; Clothing, footwear & accessories, Consumer durables; Homes, décor & leisure; Automotive & accessories; Services for the household sector; Sports, entertainment, travel & leisure; Media; Public service/charity – fund raising; Retail outlets, fast-food stores, restaurants and Unreleased works in the single/campaign entries. Moreover, there are special awards for the most outstanding voice of the year, radio writer of the year, excellence in production and client of the year.
Some of the winners for last year included McCann Erickson (agency of the yaer), Leo Burnett, Lowe, RMG David and Rediffusion.
About Mirchi KAAN Awards:
They say that radio is a writer’s medium. They lend their words to the voices, and in the bargain create magic in the air. Currently, the advertising fraternity only recognises television and print advertising and credits the good work done in these two mediums through the Abbys and the AAAI awards. Although both these do have a radio section, but adequate prominence has not been given to the category in the award shows. Realising the need and the importance of rewarding and recognising the excellent work done by advertising agencies on radio, Radio Mirchi launched the first-ever ‘Mirchi KAAN Awards’ in year 2004
About Radio Mirchi:
Radio Mirchi is India’s largest private radio network and is owned by Entertainment Network (India) Limited, a Times Group company. Over 11 million listeners daily hear radio Mirchi across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune and Indore. Recently, the station has also bagged the license for operating twenty five more radio stations in the country.
For Further Information Please Contact:
PR Pundit – Mumbai
Radha Vishwanath
Tel: 22871629 / 30
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
