Howatson+Company wins Gold at the 2026 Gerety Awards, leading Australian haul alongside FINCH, Special, Droga5 ANZ and 2045
Howatson+Company is the only Australian agency to win Gold at the 2026 Gerety Awards, with FINCH, Special, Droga5 ANZ and 2045 also picking up wins.
Howatson+Company scored Gold for Selleys ‘If You Can Take It, It’s Yours’ in the Communication CUT Print (Outdoor).
FINCH has won Silver for ‘Can’t Do That If You’re Driving’, created for Uber in collaboration with Special Australia, in the Craft CUT (Direction) category.
Bronze went to Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song for Australian Lamb’s ‘The Happiness List’ in the Entertainment Cut (Online Video) and to 2045 for Bupa ‘The No Board’ in the Health Cut (Alternative).
In New Zealand, McCann scored a Bronze for New Zealand Transport Agency – Waka Kotahi ‘Belted Jerseys’ in the Work for Good CUT (Alternative).
VML UK’s ‘The KitKat Heist‘ for KitKat won two Grand Prix this year – in the Communication CUT (PR) and the newly introduced Moments CUT (PR) category.
The jury also awarded a Grand Prix to HeimatTBWA\ Berlin for HORNBACH’s ‘No Project Without Drama‘ in the Craft CUT (Production Design), and to Soundtree Music for SickKids’ ‘The Count‘ in the Craft CUT (Music), created in collaboration with FCB Canada.
More than 250 judges from over 50 countries took part in the 2026 Gerety Awards, bringing together some of the most respected creative leaders across advertising, marketing, production, design and media. The complete list of winners includes 4 Grand Prix, 34 Gold, 69 Silver and 75 Bronze, with first-time recognition for Tunisia.
Members of the Gerety Awards Grand Jury shared what stood out in this year’s winning work:
Says Dipshika Ravi, National Creative Director, Schbang, India: “In a year where everyone is chasing attention, the work that stood out was work that earned it rather than demanded it. The KitKat Heist is a particularly compelling example of this…what began as a brand ‘accident’ was transformed into an idea. The act of stealing KitKats became the communication, the PR, the cultural conversation and, ultimately, the proof of the idea. For me, that is a defining quality of Grand Prix-level work, when an idea is so well constructed that it doesn’t feel like advertising, but something you willingly engage with until the very end. The work doesn’t interrupt culture; it creates a moment within it.”
Says Maria Milusheva, CCO, OM Group & MUCH BETTER, Bulgaria: “AI can manufacture content, but it cannot manufacture attention. KitKat did exactly that – they made a problem public and invited people to participate in solving it. That takes nerve. And audacity!”
Says Imen Gharbi, Managing Director, Doze Agency, Tunisia: “What stood out to me in this year’s winning work is how effortless the best ideas feel. Behind that apparent simplicity is an incredible level of craft, cultural understanding and precision.”
Says Alejandra Fehrmann, Global Communications Executive: “Great creative work doesn’t ask for attention—it earns it. The winners remind us that creativity has no single accent, market or formula. The best ideas travel because they surprise us, make us feel something and change the way we see.”
Christen Rochon, Ad Partnerships Director at NBCUniversal, summed up with the following: “These works are more than a celebration of creative excellence. The greatest Grand Prix winners reflect influence, are proactive in its evolution, and create a permanent thread in the fabric of culture, leaving an impact that extends far beyond the moment.”
Watch some of this year’s jury as they discuss trends and favourite campaigns from the 2026 Gerety Awards with the Gerety Grand Jury Insight panels taking place this week here.
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