The Advertising Club (TAC) has introduced new categories for Creative Abby 2026. The updated entry form is now available on The Ad Club website. The awards continue their partnership with The One Club and The One Show.
The deadline for submissions is April 6, 2026. Eligible work must have been released between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. The results will be announced and presented at Goafest 2026.
The Abby Awards Governing Council invited a group of senior creative professionals from the Indian industry to suggest changes aimed at aligning the awards more closely with global standards. Following discussions, revised categories and updates to the judging process were introduced.
Two new categories have been added:
Social Content and Influencer Marketing
This category covers digital creation, content collaboration and influencer-led community building.
Creative Commerce, Use of Data and B2B
This category focuses on online and offline commerce, payment solutions, data-driven innovation in channels, creative B2B and brand experience.
Both categories will reward craft and quality of impact rather than effectiveness metrics.
Seven sub-categories in the Digital category have been removed.
Three existing social good categories — Green Abby, Red Abby and Diversity Equality, Inclusivity (DEI) — have been merged into a single category titled Sustainability and Inclusion.
The Mobile category has been discontinued, with related work now included within Digital and other relevant categories.
A new Client of the Year category has been introduced to recognise the client whose brands win the highest number of points.
The criteria for Creative Agency of the Year have also been revised. Previously awarded to the agency with the highest points across eight creative categories — Print (2), Film (2), OOH, Integrated, Audio and Digital — it will now be given to the agency with the highest points across 18 creative categories, excluding Video Craft and Young Maverick Abby.
Highlighting the evolution of Goafest and the ABBY Awards Powered by One Club, Dheeraj Sinha, President, The Advertising Club, and CEO McCann India, mentioned, “Goafest has always been synonymous with creativity, collaboration, and industry excellence. The ABBY Awards Powered by One Club continue to push boundaries, setting new creative benchmarks year after year. Abby Awards being in its 57th year, continue to raise the bar, and this year’s edition will be even more inspiring, bringing together the brightest minds in the industry.”
“We have introduced two new categories and merged, rationalized and deleted some categories. For the very first time we have partnered and co-created with creative luminaries of the industry for categories. We are truly grateful to the continued support of One Club and One Show towards conducting our judging process for the last 5 years. Our thanks to the widespread participation of both agencies and client companies year after year,” said Ajay Kakar, Chairperson, ABBY Awards 2026.
