Droga5 ANZ wins Silver Statue in Ambient & Activation as first LIA winners are revealed
Droga5 ANZ has won Australia’s first Statue at the 2026 London International Awards, taking Silver in Ambient & Activation for ‘No Place to Grow’ for We Are Mobilise.
After days of live, on-site judging in Las Vegas, LIA has revealed its first batch of Winners & Finalists across four jury groups: Ambient & Activation, Billboard, Print and Poster; Music & Sound; and Creative Strategy. Every entry was evaluated by the full jury from the first round, with no off-site pre-judging and no quotas on how many Statues could be awarded.
Ambient & Activation, Billboard, Print and Poster
This jury was led by Jury President Aaron Starkman, Global Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Rethink Communications. Cocogun’s Ant Melder represented Australia on the panel.
Ambient & Activation recognises brands using relevant spaces through experiential design, activation and immersive engagement. The jury awarded a Grand LIA, seven Gold, 10 Silver and five Bronze Statues.
Droga5 ANZ won Silver for ‘No Place to Grow‘ for We Are Mobilise.
The Grand LIA went to BETC Paris and AKQA for ‘Unsponsored‘ for Levi Strauss & Company.
Billboard celebrates creative large-format outdoor work, whether static or interactive. The jury awarded a Grand LIA, four Gold, five Silver and four Bronze Statues. Rethink, Toronto took the Grand LIA for its Heinz Ketchup campaign, made up of the executions ‘Look Familiar?’, ‘Coincidence?’ and ‘Remind You of Something?’.
Print recognises work created and released for printed publications, including magazines and newspapers. The jury awarded two Gold, four Silver and two Bronze Statues.
Poster recognises static and interactive posters placed indoors or outdoors. The jury awarded three Gold, two Silver and one Bronze Statue.
Music & Sound
Led by Jury President Lucas Mayer, Founder & Global Music Director at DaHouse Audio, the Music & Sound jury celebrates creative excellence and craft in curating, mixing, producing or adapting music and sound for brands across different media and platforms. The jury awarded a Grand LIA, nine Gold, 14 Silver and 17 Bronze Statues.
The Grand LIA went to LLYC, Madrid for ‘Sosegá‘ for Cervezas Alhambra.
Creative Strategy
Led by Jury President Monica Radulescu, Senior Strategy Manager at OLA – Our LEGO Agency, Billund, the Creative Strategy jury rewards the investigation, problem-solving and fresh insight that unlock the creative idea and drive meaningful impact. The jury awarded a Grand LIA, 10 Gold, nine Silver and 15 Bronze Statues.
LePub, Milan earned the Grand LIA for ‘The Pub That Refused To Die‘ for Heineken.
Across the Tasman New Zealand collected four Statues in the first round:
Gold, Ambient & Activation: McCann New Zealand, ‘Expensive Sh*t’ for Huggies
Gold, Creative Strategy: Colenso BBDO, Auckland, ‘Lump Lottery’ for Testicular Cancer NZ
Silver, Creative Strategy: Colenso BBDO, Auckland, ‘Lump Lottery’ for Testicular Cancer NZ
Bronze, Music & Sound: Liquid Studios NZ, Auckland, ‘One Shot at Life’ for Fantl Sport
What’s next
Two more juries take their seats today: Sports and Non-Traditional. New for 2026, the Sports category recognises original, culturally aware creativity that harnesses the drama, emotion and unity of sport to drive both brand and cultural impact. More results will follow as judging continues.
VIEW THE PRINT MAGAZINE + PAST ISSUES ONLINE. SUBSCRIBE NOW.
Register for FREE HERE and receive the Campaign Brief Daily Bulletin and/or the global Best Ads Best of the Week Bulletin. Subscribe to Campaign Brief Magazine.
#More Creative News #No paywalls #No annual membership fees
Subscribe to Portfolio & Reel for current listings of Australian and NZ ad agency and production company leadership and key personnel
