- Veuve Clicquot Bold Women revealed: Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award 2026
- Bookmark Awards finalists: 2026 Bookmark Awards finalists
- Standard Bank wins 17 Euromoney awards: Standard Bank Euromoney Awards 2026
- ADC Young Guns 24 competition: ADC Young Guns 24
- Trialogue Strategic CSI Award reminder: Trialogue Strategic CSI Award 2026
The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
Veuve Clicquot Bold Women revealed
This year, the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award marks its fifth year in South Africa with the announcement of Lindiwe Nkuna-Kgopa and Pretty Kubyane as the 2026 Bold Woman Award and Bold Future Award winners, respectively.
Now in its 54th year globally, the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award honours visionary women who, in the spirit of Madame Clicquot, lead with courage, innovation and a commitment to empowering others.
Celebrating their leadership and tenacity, the Bold Woman Award provides entrepreneurs like Lindiwe and Pretty with a platform and access to an inspiring global community of women who are building decade-defining legacies.
The 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award winner is Lindiwe Nkuna-Kgopa, founder of Lindiwe Sanitary Pads. She leads Africa’s first large-scale sanitary pad manufacturing facility owned and operated entirely by women. From humble beginnings in a home kitchen, Lindiwe Sanitary Pads (LSP) has grown into a 4,000sqm factory in Centurion, producing 800 SABS-compliant pads every minute. The company has expanded into 11 countries through a partnership with Young Women of Africa.
The 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Future Award winner is Pretty Kubyane, co-founder and tech lead of eFama App. She is transforming agricultural supply chains across Africa through technology, AI and data-driven infrastructure. Since 2023, eFama has connected thousands of farmers and buyers across South Africa through a digital marketplace that enables more informed production decisions based on market demand. Alongside her husband, Shadrack Kubyane, she has built eFama into a platform that supports more than 40,000 farmers, has secured millions in funding, and is backed by global organisations including Google, Meta and Amazon.
KFC, Spotify and Volkswagen among 2026 Bookmark Awards finalists
The Interactive Advertising Bureau South Africa (IAB SA) has announced the finalists for the 2026 Bookmark Awards, with this year’s shortlist showcasing some of the country’s most innovative digital campaigns, from KFC’s AI-powered taste experience and NikNaks’ WhatsApp mentor to The Salvation Army’s homelessness awareness campaign.
The finalists were selected from hundreds of entries submitted between 1 March 2025 and 28 February 2026 by a panel of nearly 88 specialist judges following a remote judging process.
The shortlisted work spans seven digital ecosystems – Build, Communicate, Connect, Innovate, Impact, Publish and Special Honours – with leading agencies including Ogilvy, MakeReign, Clockwork, Accenture Song, Machine_ and Joe Public featuring across multiple categories. Brands with multiple finalist entries include Volkswagen, Spotify, KFC South Africa, The Salvation Army and Khula.
“The 2026 shortlist is one of the strongest we have seen,” said Chris Borain, executive director of IAB South Africa. “Across every category, the work that made it through judging is ideas-led, craft-driven and results-backed. That is exactly what the Bookmark Awards were built to recognise, and exactly what South African digital is capable of when the bar is set high enough.”
The full list of finalists is available on the Bookmark Awards website.
Jacaranda FM’s newest millionaire shares R100 000 of her prize in feel-good Goldrush finale
What began as a life-changing moment for one Jacaranda FM listener became an unforgettable act of generosity when newly crowned millionaire Kamogelo Qolosha chose to share R100 000 of her R1 million prize with fellow finalist Hendrik Lubbe during the dramatic conclusion of Jacaranda FM and Goldrush’s Make Me A Millionaire campaign.
The emotional gesture came moments after Kamogelo was revealed as the winner of the R1 million grand prize, following six weeks of on-air excitement that captivated listeners across Gauteng and beyond.
Hundreds of thousands of listeners entered the Goldrush Make Me A Millionaire campaign by registering as Goldrush members, visiting participating Goldrush branches or entering via WhatsApp. Throughout the campaign, contestants won substantial cash prizes during the on-air Cash Calls, while registered Goldrush members who answered the phone with the correct campaign phrase qualified for a coveted Golden Ticket and a place in the Amazing Rush.
The grand finale played out live on Breakfast with Martin Bester on 20 July 2026, where each finalist was assigned a sealed Goldrush box linked to a unique code. On the count of three, all three boxes were unlocked simultaneously before Kamogelo’s box revealed the coveted R1 million prize.
AI company Ruka wins Nedbank Business Ignite 2026 on 702
Ruka Pty Ltd, the Johannesburg company building AI-powered operating layers for African business, was named the overall 702 winner of Nedbank Business Ignite 2026 at the competition’s gala awards evening in Johannesburg.
Run by Nedbank in collaboration with 702 and CapeTalk, the 2026 edition of Business Ignite carried the theme My Pain. My Purpose. My Solution, honouring founders whose businesses were born from a real pain point and whose solutions create community impact. Fifteen finalists per station were shortlisted from entries across the country, profiled on air, and judged in person at 702 Studios in Johannesburg by a panel led by business expert Thuli Magubane.
As the overall 702 winner, Ruka receives R200 000 in cash and R200 000 in radio advertising on 702, along with ongoing mentorship, exposure across the Primedia network and access to Nedbank’s SimplyBiz platform.
“Every business owner knows the pain of a message answered too late and a customer lost. We built Echo so that never has to happen again. Winning Business Ignite belongs to our team and to every client who trusted us early. It is proof that world-class AI can be built in Johannesburg, for African business first, and we are only getting started,” said Ronald Magondo, CEO and co-founder, Ruka.
Standard Bank wins 17 awards at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence
Standard Bank Group has been recognised with 17 awards at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026. The group was recognised for excellence across securities services, corporate and investment banking, and SME banking in Africa’s key markets, affirming its position as the continent’s leading financial services provider.
The accolades include Africa’s Best SME Banking Ecosystem, Africa’s Best for Securities Services and Africa’s Best Investment Bank for Equity Capital Markets.
Sim Tshabalala, Standard Bank Group CEO, said: “The awards recognise Standard Bank’s ability to serve clients across the full spectrum of the economy, from entrepreneurs and SMEs to multinational corporates, institutional investors and governments.”
The One Club opens call for global ADC Young Guns 24 competition
The global Art Directors Club, part of The One Club for Creativity, has opened the call for entries for ADC Young Guns 24, the leading global competition celebrating creative professionals aged 30 or younger.
ADC Young Guns is the industry’s only global, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates today’s vanguard of young creatives. The programme is open to creatives aged 30 and under who have been working for at least two years, either full-time or freelance. Eligible entrants can submit a combination of professional and personal work.
The online entry system is now open, with the reduced-fee regular deadline on 27 August 2026 and the final deadline on 24 September 2026. Winners will be announced in January 2027.
The competition regularly attracts entries from more than 45 countries, with more than half coming from outside the US. Winners will be selected by a jury comprising past ADC Young Guns winners and other creative leaders, to be announced shortly.
For more information or to enter, visit the ADC Young Guns 24 website.
Trialogue Strategic CSI Award 2026: Reminder to enter
There are just a few weeks left before the entry deadline for the 2026 Trialogue Strategic CSI Award. If your company has a CSI project that delivers real developmental impact and business value, Trialogue would like to hear from you.
Not sure whether your project qualifies? Take a look at previous winners for inspiration:
- 2025: Sanlam’s Youth4Tourism programme
- 2024: BritelinkMCT’s Head Start
- 2023: Sappi Khulisa
The winning entry receives a complimentary double-page feature in the 2026 Trialogue Business in Society Handbook, worth R110,000, plus extensive media coverage.
Don’t miss the 31 July 2026 deadline. Download an entry form or contact lerato@trialogue.co.za for more information.
