BENGALURU: Bengaluru is set to turn up the creative volume as the 41st edition of the Big Bang Awards takes centre stage on 9 February 2026 at The Ritz-Carlton. Organised by the Advertising Club Bangalore, the awards remain one of India’s most respected celebrations of excellence across advertising, media, design, digital and marketing.

This year, the Big Bang Awards arrive with a fresh rhythm. For the first time, the event expands into a full-day industry experience. The afternoon will open with thoughtfully curated workshops, a Founders Circle fireside conversation and The Bang on Music, before rolling into the much-anticipated evening awards ceremony. The idea is simple and ambitious at once to spark learning, encourage honest conversations and bring the creative community closer together.

Now in its 41st year, the Big Bang Awards continue to reflect the changing face of creativity in India. With more than 130 categories, the awards honour standout work across print, broadcast, digital, mobile, experiential and emerging platforms, capturing the breadth and ambition of today’s communications landscape.

Laeeq Ali, President of the Advertising Club Bangalore, said the awards go beyond trophies and titles. They celebrate ideas that influence culture, drive business and help define where the industry is headed next.

Backing the 2026 edition is a strong line-up of partners from across the media and digital ecosystem. Gold Partners include Snapchat, Sony Network Pvt. Ltd., Truecaller and Times Group. Silver Partners are Mob Avenue, Deccan Herald and Team Pumpkin. Community and Media Partners such as afaqs, Adgully, MediaNews4U and Indian television dot com further strengthen the platform’s reach and relevance.

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Together, they reinforce the Big Bang Awards’ standing as a meeting point for ideas, ambition and creative leadership. Even for those who do not live and breathe advertising, the message is clear. When creativity comes together at scale, it tends to make a rather big bang.

NEW YORK: Diljit Dosanjh’s Emmy dream ended in heartbreak on Monday night as Spain’s Oriol Pla walked away with the best performance by an actor trophy at the 53rd International Emmy Awards in New York City. The Punjabi superstar, nominated for his turn as folk legend Amar Singh Chamkila in Imtiaz Ali’s Netflix biopic, couldn’t crack a competitive field that included Britain’s David Mitchell for Ludwig and Colombia’s Diego Vasquez for One Hundred Years of Solitude.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences handed out 16 Emmy statuettes to winners from nine countries, with Britain’s television industry dominating the night. Rivals, the 1980s-set drama about corporate warfare in television, took the drama series prize, whilst Anna Maxwell Martin won best performance by an actress for Until I Kill You. British productions also swept comedy (Ludwig), current affairs (Dispatches: Kill Zone: Inside Gaza), documentary (Hell Jumper), and the TV movie/mini-series category—Lost Boys & Fairies, which beat Dosanjh’s Chamkila biopic.

Pla’s win came for his raw portrayal of a man battling addictions to drugs, alcohol and sex in Yo, Adicto, a Spanish drama about a voluntary stint in a Barcelona detox centre. His performance edged out Dosanjh’s widely praised embodiment of Chamkila, the Punjabi folk singer whose meteoric rise ended in assassination.
The ceremony, hosted by Live with Kelly and Mark presenters Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, saw wins spread across Australia (Bluey for kids’ animation), Turkey (Deha for telenovela), Japan (Ryuichi Sakamoto: Last Days for arts programming), and Qatar (Gaza, Search for Life for news). Denmark’s Shaolin Heroes claimed non-scripted entertainment, whilst Canada’s La Médiatrice took short-form series.

Special awards went to Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, who received the Founders Emmy for championing hits including 24, Glee and Grey’s Anatomy, and João Roberto Marinho, chairman and president of Grupo Globo, who was handed the Directorate Award.

Bruce Paisner, president and chief executive of the International Academy, called television “a powerful force for connection across cultures and borders” as he surveyed winners spanning continents from Turkey to Australia. Dosanjh, dressed in a glittering jacket and black turban, made his mark on the red carpet even without the trophy—a bittersweet consolation for Indian viewers who’d hoped to see him make Emmy history.

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MUMBAI: When it comes to big ideas, Raj Kamble now has the best seat in the house. The founder & CCO of Famous Innovations has been named the Asia Chair for the 2026 ANDYs Regionals, a first for India in the award show’s history.

Joining Kamble on the global roster of Regional Chairs are Yaa Boateng (Africa), Youri Guerassimov (Europe), Josefina Casellas (LATAM), Emma Robbins (Pacific) and Federico Fanti (SWANA), forming a jury line-up that spans every creative corner of the globe.

Far from a run-of-the-mill awards programme, the ANDYs Regionals flip the script: entry is free, with fees kicking in only if the work is shortlisted for the global show. And the track record is enviable 90 per cent of ANDYs-winning ideas later go on to win at Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, Clios and other heavyweight festivals.

“I’m thrilled to be chairing the Asia Jury at this year’s ANDY Awards Regionals. The ANDYs have always stood for fearless creativity and bold ideas. With 90 per cent of this jury having served as Jury Presidents at shows like Cannes Lions, D&AD and The One Show, we have the chance to not only recognise but also advocate for groundbreaking work from Asia. Let’s push creative boundaries together and make waves on the global stage,” said Famous Innovations founder & CCO Raj Kamble.

By design, the ANDYs are more than a gong show, they’re an advocacy platform for creativity, ensuring winning work doesn’t just get applauded regionally but also gains momentum globally. With Kamble at the helm for Asia, expect some bold ideas from the region to earn their rightful place on advertising’s world stage.

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