2026 World Media Awards: finalists announced

The World Media Group has unveiled the shortlist for the 2026 World Media Awards, celebrating excellence in international content marketing and cross-border advertising. Now celebrating 11 years, the organisation says the World Media Awards continues to draw high-calibre submissions from all over the world with entries from across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the US.

The 2026 shortlist reflects continued growth in strategic content collaborations, The World Media Group continued, with a notable rise in Brand and Media Owner Partnership entries this year. The increase suggests that brands are tapping into the strong editorial and subject matter expertise that trusted media brands are known for, adding credibility and depth to the storytelling. This holds true across all budgets, with entries split between campaigns of under €1m and over €1m.

The independent jury, comprising senior leaders from brands, agencies and media owners, is now tasked with selecting the winners for each category. This year's co-chairs are Georgina Benjamin, head, CIB Marketing (Europe) at Standard Chartered, and Adam Nunn, business operations director, EMEA at Omnicom Media.

Nunn commented: "Thank you to everyone who submitted entries. The standard across every category I’ve had the pleasure of judging has been very high, making the judging genuinely difficult. It just goes to show that creativity and great content are alive and well within the industry.

“The quality of entries also shows how incredibly important it is to ensure that a brand's message is fully communicated and understood, even more so in a world under pressure from misinformation. I look forward to debating the merits of the shortlist with the wider judging panel and hope I won't be called on to break the deadlock too frequently!"

Benjamin added: "What struck me most this year was that the standout campaigns weren't necessarily those with the biggest budgets, but those with the clearest strategic thinking and boldest creative ambition. It was encouraging to see brands embracing media partnerships in new and unexpected ways, often for the first time, and achieving impressive results through collaboration.

“Judging the entries was genuinely inspiring and, in many cases, educational, with several campaigns challenging my own thinking and reinforcing marketing's role as a powerful driver of commercial success. I'm looking forward to debating the shortlisted work, hearing different perspectives and celebrating the campaigns that truly set the benchmark for excellence."

Winners will be announced at a live ceremony, supported by Brand Metrics, at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Thursday 24th September 2026, where the Grand Prix Award will also be presented.

Previous winners of the top prize include Cartier, Cymru Wales, Infosys, Johnnie Walker, Malaria No More, Shell and Tata Motors.

In addition to global recognition and a trophy, winners receive an exclusive international media campaign worth €750k+, run across the World Media Group's media brands: The Atlantic, BBC News, Business Insider, CNBC, CNN International, The Economist, Forbes, Fortune, National Geographic, Reuters, The New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

The 2026 shortlist is as follows:

Brand / Campaign: Afreximbank – Afreximbank: Impact Stories. Entered by: CNN

Brand / Campaign: Polish Investment & Trade Agency – Poland: Your Place to Grow. Entered by: BBC StoryWorks

Brand / Campaign: KPMG – AI Frontiers. Entered by: Reuters

Brand / Campaign: TotalEnergies – The Roads to Carbon Neutral. Entered by: CNBC

Brand / Campaign: Siemens Energy – Unlocking the Grid – Siemens Energy x New York Times Advertising. Entered by: New York Times Advertising

Brand / Campaign: UBS – The Craft of Sport – UBS & New York Times Advertising. Entered by: New York Times Advertising

Brand / Campaign: UBS – Crafting Capital. Entered by: The Trust, Wall Street Journal

Brand / Campaign: Julius Baer – Make the Most of Tomorrow: Redefining the Meaning of Wealth. Entered by: Financial Times

Brand / Campaign: EY – On the Road. Entered by: Reuters

Brand / Campaign: Lombard Odier – rethink stability. Entered by: Banque Lombard Odier & Cie SA

Brand / Campaign: Deutsche Telekom – OWN YOUR WORLD. Entered by: Mindshare/ /WPP Media

Brand / Campaign: Samsung – Samsung’s Journey to AI Brand Visibility. Entered by: Starcom Worldwide

Brand / Campaign: IDA Ireland –Supercharged Ireland. Entered by: Reuters

Brand / Campaign: NTT Holdings – Human Centred Innovation. Entered by: The Trust, Wall Street Journal

Brand / Campaign: Infosys – Enterprise AI in Action. Entered by: Economist Enterprise

Brand / Campaign: Visit Britain – Starring GREAT Britain. Entered by: OMD Germany

Brand / Campaign: Destination Canada – Life in Canada is…. Entered by: National Geographic/The Walt Disney Company Ltd.

Brand / Campaign: Türkiye Tourism – Detour Türkiye. Entered by: BBC StoryWorks

Brand / Campaign: Seoul Tourism – Absolutely in SEOUL. Entered by: CNBC

Brand / Campaign: Visit Saudi – Visit Saudi/Bloomberg: Living Tradition. Entered by: Bloomberg

Brand / Campaign: Philips OneBlade – Body Royale. Entered by: OMD EMEA

Brand / Campaign: Belmond – Life on a Train – Belmond & New York Times Advertising. Entered by: New York Times Advertising

Brand / Campaign: The House of Suntory – Hibiki Whisky - 24 Moments of Harmony. Entered by: Starcom Worldwide

Brand / Campaign: Ferragamo – How to Ski Italian Style with Alberto Tomba. Entered by: CNBC

Brand / Campaign: Prada – SEA BEYOND: Future Stewards of Our Ocean. Entered by: National Geographic/The Walt Disney Company Ltd.

Specialist Categories:

Brand / Campaign: Bupa – Bupa: Living without Limits. Entered by: National Geographic/The Walt Disney Company Ltd.

Brand / Campaign: L’Oréal Groupe – Meeting the Moment – L’Oréal Groupe & New York Times Advertising. Entered by: New York Times Advertising

Brand / Campaign: Shell – Shell x Havas Partner of Choice Global Content Partnership. Entered by: Shell x Havas Media Network

Brand / Campaign: Kraken – Empowering Energy Consumers. Entered by: Economist Enterprise

Brand / Campaign: EY – Before You Shape the Future. Entered by: Bloomberg Media

Brand / Campaign: The House of Suntory – Hibiki Whiskey – 24 Moments of Harmony. Entered by: Business Insider

Brand / Campaign: IDA Ireland – Supercharged Ireland. Entered by: IDA Ireland

Brand / Campaign: Equinor – People Power: Humanising the Energy Transition. Entered by: Financial Times

Brand / Campaign: Brand Scotland – Where Innovation Thrives. Entered by: BBC StoryWorks

Brand / Campaign: EY – Shape the Future with Confidence. Entered by: Economist Enterprise

Name: Ferragamo – How to Ski Italian Style with Alberto Tomba. Company: CNBC

Name: Scottish Development International Think Capital Investment. Think Scotland. Company: Reuters

Name: ViiV Healthcare – Making HIV History: Reaching an HIV-free Generation. Company: CNN

Name: McDonald’s – Local Leaders, Global Impact. Company: Forbes

Name: The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation. Company: BBC StoryWorks

Brand / Campaign: Cargill – The Resilient Food Systems Index. Entered by: Economist Enterprise

Brand / Campaign: European Commission – Vox Media x ICF Next | Global Gateway. Entered by: Vox Media

Brand / Campaign: Reuters – Pure News, Straight from the Source. Entered by: Reuters

Brand / Campaign: ViiV Healthcare – Making HIV History: Reaching an HIV-free Generation. Entered by: CNN

Brand / Campaign: Iberdrola – Staying Power. Entered by: Fortune

Brand / Campaign: LEGO – LEGO SMART Play – OOH That Plays Back. Entered by: Starcom Worldwide

Brand / Campaign: The Wall Street Journal – Journal House by The Wall Street Journal. Entered by: The Wall Street Journal

Brand / Campaign: Reuters NEXT – Reuters NEXT. Entered by: Reuters

Brand / Campaign: Singapore Economic Development Board CONVERGE LIVE. Entered by: CNBC

Brand / Campaign: Hitachi – Powering the age of electricity: energy security, AI and the future grid. Entered by: Economist Enterprise

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