The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
Penquin named Medium Agency of the Year at 2026 WesBank New Generation Awards
Brand and communications agency Penquin has been named The New Generation Medium Agency of the Year for the second consecutive year at the 2026 WesBank New Generation Awards, adding to an impressive night for the agency.
The awards took place on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, at the NH Sandton in Johannesburg, bringing together some of the country’s leading agencies, brands and marketing professionals to celebrate innovation and excellence in digital marketing and communications.
For Penquin, the Agency of the Year win follows its 2025 recognition in the same category, marking the second consecutive year the agency has taken the title. The agency also walked away with five awards for its work with Suzuki Auto South Africa, developed in partnership with Spitfire Inbound.
- Gold: Best Marketing Automation Campaign – Always-On Intelligence: Automating Suzuki Auto South Africa’s Customer Journey from Interest to Action
- Silver: Best CRM Strategy Campaign by an Agency – Driving Customer Intelligence: Suzuki’s AI-Ready CRM Transformation
- Bronze: Blogging Excellence by a Corporate – Beyond the Blog: From Search to Suzuki
- Bronze: Best CRM Strategy by a Corporate – Driving Customer Intelligence: Suzuki’s AI-Ready CRM Transformation
- Bronze: Blogging Excellence by an Agency – Beyond the Blog: From Search to Suzuki
For Penquin CEO Veronica Moleele, being named Medium Agency of the Year for a second consecutive year is particularly meaningful because it reflects both the consistency of the agency’s work and the strength of its people.
Top female wealth manager recognised at Africa Gender Mainstreaming Awards
Wealth Manager Nicola Langridge CFP(r) has been named the Overall Winner of the Positive Role Model Award for the Cape Regional Finals of the 2026 Africa Gender Mainstreaming Awards.
The Positive Role Model Award recognises women who inspire and uplift others through their actions, character and leadership. According to the awards programme, recipients are selected for their ability to motivate positive change, demonstrate integrity, lead by example and make a meaningful impact in their workplaces and communities. The award celebrates individuals who not only achieve personal excellence, but also empower others to do the same.
Langridge is a wealth manager at multi-family office Private Client Holdings (PCH) and is recognised for her commitment to helping individuals and families navigate complex financial decisions with confidence and clarity. She is particularly passionate about encouraging women to take an active role in managing their financial futures and building long-term financial security.
“This award is incredibly meaningful because it recognises the importance of encouraging and supporting others,” says Langridge. “Throughout my career, I have seen how transformative financial confidence can be. Whether working with clients, colleagues or the broader community, my goal has always been to help people, especially women, make informed decisions that enable them to achieve their aspirations.”
Nicola Langridge
South African conservation documentary ‘SPOILED’ wins top Sustainability Award at International Film Festival in Spain
The South African short feature documentary ‘SPOILED’ has won the ‘Terres de l’Ebre’ Award for Best Film Promoting Sustainability at the 10th edition of the Terres Travel Festival, a tourism and travel film festival with a specific focus on sustainability, held in Tortosa, Spain, from 12 to 18 September 2026.
Recognised as one of the festival’s two Great Awards, the accolade celebrates films that champion sustainability and inspire more responsible ways of engaging with the world.
The award marks the biggest international recognition yet for the film, which profiles the coastal communities, fishers, scientists and activists standing up to the threat of offshore oil and gas exploration along South Africa’s coastline.
“We are deeply honoured to receive this award for ‘SPOILED’. This film amplifies the voices of coastal communities who are too often ignored or sidelined in government-level decisions about their ocean. I feel incredibly privileged to produce films that help give marginalized communities – and nature itself – a voice and a meaningful say in decisions that affect their ocean, their livelihoods and, ultimately, our collective future,” said Lauren van Nijkerk, campaigns and communications director at WILDTRUST.
The film was produced by WILDTRUST and Love Africa Marketing, in collaboration with The Green Connection.
Four African screenwriters selected for AuthenticA Series Lab
Four African screenwriters have been selected for the 2026 AuthenticA Series Lab, a development programme run by the Realness Institute in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective and supported by the Canada Media Fund and Series Mania Forum.
The fifth edition of the lab brings together Lagos-based writer, director and cinematographer Lateefah Mayaki; Ghanaian-Canadian writer and filmmaker Lindsey Addawoo; South African writer/director Phumi Morare; and Cameroonian-born writer, filmmaker and cultural entrepreneur Sahndra Fon Dufe.
The programme received 144 applications from more than 27 countries, spanning more than 20 television genres.
The six-month programme began with an eight-day residency in Ethiopia from 17 to 25 September 2026, followed by online sessions until 14 January 2027. A second residency will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 January to 21 March 2027, followed by a final residency in Lille, France, from 22 to 26 March.
The fellows will pitch their projects at the African Series Pitch during Series Mania Forum in Lille, giving them access to an international market of broadcasters, distributors, investors, sales agents and talent scouts.
The StoryBoard Collective founder David Rimer says AuthenticA aims to support African storytellers and bring their work to international audiences.
D&AD awards four Black Pencils as Uncommon tops advertising rankings
D&AD has awarded four Black Pencils across three projects and named Uncommon Creative Studio London its Advertising Agency of the Year at its 2026 Awards Ceremony in London.
Isle of Any’s Your Way Out for Coinbase won two Black Pencils, for Visual Effects and Production Design. Uncommon’s The Periodic Fable for DECIEM received a Black Pencil for Art Direction, while Publicis Conseil’s Three Words for AXA won one for Impact.
Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom received the 2026 D&AD President’s Award, presented by D&AD President Lisa Smith.
Smith said Boom’s work demonstrated the value of craft and individual creative thinking at a time when the industry is increasingly focused on automation and AI. “At a moment when our industry focuses so much on speed, automation and AI, Irma represents something incredibly important: curiosity, conviction and a point of view,” Smith said.
- Uncommon topped the Advertising Agency ranking, followed by Ogilvy Singapore and Isle of Any. The Top 10 included agencies from seven countries.
- Japan’s DENTSU INC. was named Design Agency of the Year, with Pentagram New York second and SMLXL and Mallandrich joint third. Pentagram also ranked seventh through its London studio.
- SMLXL and Mallandrich jointly received the Small Independent Design Agency of the Year award.
- Isle of Any was named Independent Agency of the Year, with Mother second and Serviceplan Germany third. It also ranked third in the overall Advertising Agency category.
- Ogilvy took the Agency Network of the Year title, followed by TBWA\ and Havas Creative Network.
- Apple topped the Brand of the Year ranking, ahead of Coinbase and Vaseline. Apple Marcom also led the Brand-Side Agency ranking, followed by The New York Times and BBC Creative.
- Unilever was named Client of the Year, with Apple second and Coinbase third.
The US led the country rankings, followed by the UK and France. Brazil and Germany completed the top five.
