At the ABBY Awards, craft takes centre stage, and the jury chairs leading the charge are no strangers to the pursuit of excellence. Heading categories such as Audio & Radio, Branded Content & Entertainment, and AV Film (Digital & OTT), these storytellers and creative leaders have built careers around ideas that resonate, provoke and endure. Sitting on a jury has a way of sharpening one’s perspective on the industry, and this year was no different. Team IMPACT asked the jury chairs what separated the good from the truly exceptional, what surprised them most, and what they hope to see more of in the years ahead.
Ashish Chakravarty
Managing Partner & CCO, Garage Worldwide; Jury chair for Audio and Radio Category
“These are exciting times for the Audio category, especially as Radio has expanded into Audio over the last few years. Globally, we’ve seen some very interesting, tech-enabled ideas that stretch what the medium can do, and even in India, there have been standout entries that have deservedly earned recognition at Goafest and international award shows.
This year saw a decent mix of traditional radio craft and newer work, though there was still room for more ideas that truly explored the evolving possibilities of audio as a medium. At times, some entries felt more track- or sound design-led rather than conceived as strong standalone audio communication pieces.”
Minakshi Achan
Head – Brand, JioStar; Jury Chair of Branded Content and Entertainment category
“The finest branded content is where the brand turns invisible yet captures the very soul of what it stands for. It doesn’t interrupt—it immerses. The work that truly moved me and my fellow jury members was the content that made us feel something deeply, and only in hindsight did we realise a brand had orchestrated that emotion. That’s the magic we were looking to celebrate at ABBY this year, and we did find a few pieces that achieved exactly that.”
Ashish Khazanchi
Managing Partner of Enormous; Jury Chair of AV Film (Digital and OTT) category
“It’s been a mixed experience—I do wish there were more entries. That said, the judging process has been extremely interesting, with campaigns coming in across categories and agencies, and the overall level of craft has definitely gone up. What stood out most was the freshness in storytelling and the way brands approached solving a problem. The stronger entries weren’t just visually compelling but also brought a unique perspective to familiar brand challenges, making the work feel far more engaging and memorable.”
- Compiled by Isha Khatu
