The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
South African student Selected as Inaugural 2026 Effie LIONS Foundation Voices of the Future Fellow
The ACA and Effie South Africa have announced that Owame Mapedi, a third and final year BCom Marketing Management student at University of Johannesburg (UJ), has been selected as a Effie LIONS Foundation 2026 Voices of the Future fellow and is one of 12 fellows chosen from 10 countries around the world, selected from hundreds of applicants for the program’s inaugural year.
Voices of the Future is an eight-month global fellowship program created by the Effie LIONS Foundation to identify, train, and place a global cohort of culturally fluent, AI-native marketing students. Voices of the Future provides access and experience as entry-level talent pathways shrink- and culturally connected marketing talent becomes essential to the industry’s future.
The programme’s 2026 presenting sponsor is Adobe, and the fellowship aims to expand access to careers in marketing by equipping globally diverse, high-potential students with the skills, networks, and real-world experience needed to succeed in the industry.
As part of the fellowship, Owame will join the 2026 cohort at the Cannes LIONS Festival of Creativity in France this June, one of the most prestigious events in the global marketing and creative industries.
Ogilvy South Africa named ME & Africa Agency of the Year in 2026 One Show Global Creative Rankings
Based on point totals for wins in The One Show 2026 announced last week during Creative Week in New York, Ogilvy South Africa Cape Town has been named Middle East & Africa Agency of the Year in The One Show Global Creative Rankings.
Ogilvy South Africa Cape Town’s top ranking in the region was powered by its secondary credit on “Vaseline Verified” for Vaseline, a big winner this year from Ogilvy Singapore with Ogilvy UK London and Ogilvy New York.
The work picked up three Best of Discipline wins (Creator Content, Direct Marketing, and Public Relations), the inaugural Best Use of TikTok award, the Creative Marketer Pencil, 10 Golds, two Silver, and one Merit. Ogilvy South Africa Cape Town won two additional Merits for work on behalf of Volkswagen South Africa and Audi South Africa.
The One Show 2026 Top 10 ME & Africa Agency Rankings
1. Ogilvy South Africa Cape Town
2. Accenture Song South Africa Cape Town
3. Promise Johannesburg
4. Impact BBDO Dubai, Joe Public Sandton (tie)
6. VML South Africa Johannesburg
7. Leo UAE Dubai, Memac Ogilvy UAE Dubai, TBWA\Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg, VML Riyadh (tie)
The One Show 2026 Top 5 ME & Africa Independent Agency Rankings
1. Promise Johannesburg
2. Joe Public Sandton
3. M+C Saatchi Abel Johannesburg, The Odd Number Johannesburg (tie)
5. Bananas Johannesburg, Edelman Dubai, Edelman Johannesburg (tie)
Trutalent finale delivers unforgettable celebration of youth talent
The highly anticipated truTalent 2026 campaign has come to a successful close following an exciting finale and handover process that celebrated the creativity, passion, and resilience of young talent from across the province.
Presented by trufm, this year’s competition once again demonstrated the power of youth participation and talent development through radio, digital engagement, live experiences, and community support.
After weeks of intense competition, public voting, digital participation, and live audience engagement, the campaign culminated in a thrilling finale that saw Azole Jezile from Butterworth, who auditioned in Mthatha and Tsholofelo Bozo, from Mdantsane were crowned as the official truTalent 2026 winners, who will take reign on trufm from 1 June 2026.
The competition journey began with just over 1 800 entries of aspiring radio heads submitting their talents in hopes of securing a coveted place in the Top 16, from towns that included Gqeberha, KuGompo City, Mthatha and Komani.
Throughout the competition period, contestants showcased exceptional talent, growth, confidence, and professionalism while audiences rallied behind their favourite participants both on-air and online.
AB InBev holds eught of the Top 10 Most Valuable Beer Brands globally
Corona global has been recognized as the most valuable beer brand in the world for the third consecutive year in Kantar’s BrandZ 2026 Most Valuable Global Brands report, released today. Eight out of the top ten most valuable global beer brands belong to AB InBev, according to the report ranking the best brands in the world.
In 2025, Corona led AB InBev’s performance, increasing revenue by 8.3% outside of its home market with double-digit volume growth in 30 markets, while Corona Cero delivered strong double-digit volume growth. As the brand celebrated its 100th anniversary, Corona launched its global “Corona 100” platform, including a multi-year sponsorship of a renowned concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Strong momentum continued in Q1 2026, with AB InBev delivering all-time high revenues and volume growth, led by Corona, which grew 16% outside its home market following a successful debut as the world’s first global beer sponsor of The Winter Olympics.
In Kantar’s BrandZ 2026 rankings, Corona is followed by Budweiser as the second most valuable beer brand in the world, with Modelo, Michelob ULTRA, Brahma, Bud Light, Skol and Stella Artois helping AB InBev secure 8 of the world’s top 10 most valuable beer brands.
Wonga awarded Technology Company of the Year at Africa Tech Awards 2026
Wonga has been named Technology Company of the Year at the 2026 Sentech Africa Tech Week Awards held at the CTICC on 13 May. The award recognises the company’s commitment to delivering an outstanding and innovative tech service.
The award was presented as part of this year’s Africa Tech Week celebrations, which honours companies and individuals driving digital transformation and technological advancement across the continent.
The recognition reflects Wonga’s commitment to developing accessible, customer-centric digital financial solutions, while continuing to evolve its technology capabilities in support of responsible lending and financial inclusion.
“We are honoured to receive this recognition from Africa Tech Week. The award reflects the passion and commitment of our team, and our ongoing focus on using technology to create seamless, accessible financial solutions for South Africans,” says Wonga CEO, Brett van Aswegen.
Apply for the 2026 Isu Elihle Awards
Launched in 2016 by Moxii Africa (then known as Media Monitoring Africa), the Isu Elihle Awards celebrate 10 years this year. For 10 years now, the Isu Elihle Awards have encouraged an elevation of journalism which puts children at the centre of storytelling.
Across a decade, we have seen powerful reporting from different African countries that amplifies children’s voices, challenges harmful narratives, and shines a light on issues affecting children often left unseen.
Journalists have to submit their story ideas before or on the deadline (04 June 2026 at 23:59PM CAT). These ideas will go through an adjudication process, undertaken by a panel of judges made up of children, child rights experts, and independent media practitioners. Following the adjudication process, the top six finalists will be announced online and across social media platforms and where possible on mainstream media.
The top six journalists will be given financial support of up to R10 000 each to research and develop their concepts into publishable news items, which will then be published or broadcast, by a mainstream news media house of their choosing.
Apply here.
Transformation pays off as Brave Group recognised as a top employer
Brave Group has been identified as one of South Africa’s top independent creative agencies to work for, according to a recent report published by Scopen.
The study, the Best Agency to Work For South Africa 2025/26, draws on feedback from more than 230 agency professionals across creative and media disciplines. The Scopen report ranks the most attractive agencies in the country to work for based on a range of indicators, including professional pride, respect, organisational credibility, work-life balance, and employee benefits.
The findings place Brave Group alongside a select group of advertising agencies in which workplace sentiment is not merely positive but structurally sound. In releasing its rankings, Scopen said that satisfaction levels across the sector remain high, with only a small proportion of professionals indicating they are considering a move.
SU website earns global recognition with Gold Quill Award
Stellenbosch University (SU) has received an international Gold Quill Award of Merit from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for its newly redesigned website—an endorsement of the institution’s strategic approach to digital communication.
Awarded in the Digital Communication category within the Communication Skills Division, the Gold Quill Awards are regarded as a global benchmark for excellence. They recognise not only creative execution, but also strategic alignment, measurable results and the ability to deliver meaningful outcomes for diverse audiences.
For SU, the recognition affirms that its website is more than a functional platform. “In an increasingly competitive higher education environment, our website is often the first and most important point of connection with students, alumni, donors, partners and the broader public, and international recognition of this calibre matters,” said Karen Bruns, Chief Director: Advancement, Stakeholder Engagement and Communications (ASEC).
Motsepe Advertising Attends IMM Institute Excellence Awards as nominated Ffnalists
Motsepe Advertising attended the IMM Institute Excellence Awards as a nominated finalist, joining industry peers at one of South Africa’s key marketing and communications recognition events.
The annual awards, hosted by the IMM Institute, celebrate excellence and achievement across the marketing, branding, and communications sectors, recognising agencies, brands, and professionals for their contribution to the industry.
Absa executives recognised for shaping Africa’s future leadership
Two Absa executives have been named among South Africa’s most influential leaders shaping the future of work, receiving the 2026 Future of Leadership Awards – an honour presented as part of the upcoming Future of Jobs Summit.
KG Bako, Managing Executive: Talent Management & Transitions at Absa Group, has been named Talent Development Leader of the Year, while Tshepo Ncube, Managing Executive: Sector Coverage at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), has been honoured as Strategy Leader of the Year.
The awards recognise leaders who are redefining leadership through impact, innovation, and their ability to develop others in an era of rapid economic and workplace transformation.
Nominees announced: 2025/2026 NSTF-South32 Awards
The National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) is pleased to announce the group of nominees contending for the 28th prestigious NSTF-South32 Awards.
The NSTF-South32 Awards: The NSTF Awards were established in 1998 as a collaborative effort with its members and partners to recognise and promote outstanding contributions to science, engineering, technology (SET) and innovation by related professionals, practitioners, teams, partnerships and organisations in South Africa (SA). This includes experienced researchers, engineers, innovators, science communicators, managers/leaders, data curators, and now also software developers, including in human languages.
The 28th annual Awards Gala Event taking place on 16 July 2026 in Cape Town and Johannesburg simultaneously.
Click here for the full list of nominees.
