Awards Wrap: Sunday Times GenNext turns 21, South Africa in third place at International Emmys, Penquin shines at the 2025 New Gen Awards

The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.

ENGIE’s Libby Hirshon recognised for the Birdlife South Africa Owl Award

ENGIE South Africa has announced that Libby Hirshon, head of ESG and sustainability, has been recognised with BirdLife South Africa’s Owl Award, a prestigious accolade celebrating individuals who make significant contributions to bird conservation.

Hirshon’s work has helped redefine how renewable energy projects across Africa coexist with nature. She pioneered the Observer-led Shutdown on Demand (OSDoD) programme that was first implemented at Kipeto Wind Farm in Kenya and subsequently at South Africa’s Excelsior and Golden Valley Wind Energy Facilities. The innovative OSDoD is a conservation programme that enables real-time turbine shutdowns to protect vulnerable bird species in flight.

The OSDoD programme is built on trust, training and teamwork, empowering local observers to act in real time to prevent harm to birds. This approach has become an industry benchmark for biodiversity protection and was recently formalised in the Shutdown on Demand Handbook, to which Hirshon contributed extensively. The Owl Award recognises Hirshon’s ongoing efforts to ensure renewable energy remains a force for good – not just for people and communities, but for the planet and its wildlife.

Sunday Times GenNext turns 21 & celebrates the coolest brands of the past 10 years

The Sunday Times GenNext Awards, South Africa’s leading youth brand preference and consumer behaviour survey, marks a major milestone: 21 years of tracking the pulse of South African youth. This year’s event will celebrate the coolest brands across more than 60 categories over the past decade.

The 2025 Sunday Times GenNext event will take place in Johannesburg on 23 October 2025, and will include an Interactive Showcase, Insights Sessions, Awards ceremony, and the publication of the Sunday Times GenNext Supplement, to provide brands and marketers with valuable insights into the evolving preferences of South African youth aged 8 to 30.

This year’s results have been compiled using data from the annual Sunday Times GenNext Coolest Brands reports published between 2015 and 2024. The research focuses on the top five brands in each category, offering a comprehensive view of youth sentiment over the past ten years.

Lyndon Barends, managing director: strategic partnerships at Arena Holdings, says: “As we celebrate 21 years of the Sunday Times GenNext Awards, we reflect on the incredible journey of understanding and engaging with South Africa’s youth. Their changing preferences have consistently guided marketers, brand managers, and product developers in shaping strategies that resonate with the next generation. GenNext has become more than just a campaign – it’s a movement that empowers brands to stay relevant. Arena Holdings and the Sunday Times are proud to continue championing this initiative, and we look forward to the next chapter in this dynamic story.”

The Sunday Times GenNext supplement will be published in the Sunday Times on 26 October, reaching more than 2.7 million readers.

South Africa in third place at International Emmys, with four MultiChoice nominations

MultiChoice has made history by earning four nominations for South Africa at the 2025 International Emmy Awards.

The nominated titles include Rugby World Cup documentary Chasing the Sun 2 (SuperSport); the Afrikaans crime drama Koek (Showmax); the powerful documentary School Ties (M-Net); and the gripping thriller Catch Me a Killer (Showmax), which earned a nomination in the Best Performance by an Actress category for Charlotte Hope. In addition, Play Room Live,on the Play Room children’s channel on DStv Channel 300, has been nominated in the Kids: Factual and Entertainment category.

“We are incredibly proud of our content teams and producing partners, whose creativity, passion and commitment have earned MultiChoice a record four International Emmy nominations,” says Nomsa Philiso, Director of Content: General Entertainment, English and Portuguese-speaking Africa at MultiChoice. “These nominations mark a significant milestone for our industry – a moment where local stories, crafted with care and cultural depth, are being recognised on a global stage like never before.”

These five nominations are the most ever for an African country in a single year, and put South Africa in third place overall, behind only the UK and Brazil.

The nominations come as MultiChoice expands its global footprint under new parent company CANAL+, signalling a bold new chapter in African content reaching audiences worldwide.

Penquin shines at the 2025 New Gen Awards with six wins and Medium Agency of the Year Title

Penquin has emerged as one of the biggest winners at the 2025 New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards, taking home six awards, including the industry-defining Medium Agency of the Year title, in recognition of its strategic excellence, creativity, and innovation.

The agency’s strategic and creative excellence was recognised across multiple categories, including top honours as a leading agency within the South African marketing landscape and for its work with Suzuki Auto South Africa.

Penquin was celebrated for its innovative campaigns and market-leading strategies and took home awards in the following categories:

Black Onyx: Medium Agency of the Year
Black Onyx: Penquin’s Nicole Glover won Digital Marketer of the Year
Black Onyx: Best Online Strategy (with Spitfire Inbound for Suzuki Auto South Africa)
Silver: Best CRM Strategy Campaign by Corporate (with Spitfire Inbound for Suzuki Auto South Africa)
Silver: Best Marketing Automation Campaign (with Spitfire Inbound for Suzuki Auto South Africa)
Bronze: Blogging Excellence (with Spitfire Inbound for Suzuki Auto South Africa)

Lucky Hustle shines at Next Generation Awards with four wins

Independent creative agency Lucky Hustle made a dazzling mark at the Next Generation Awards last night, clinching four major accolades for its campaign “Ringside Fitness: The Legacy of Ludumo Lamati.

The wins included:
🥈 Silver – Best Use of Technical Innovation
🥇 Gold – Best Use of AI
🥇 Gold – Best Low Budget Campaign
* Black Onyx – New Generation Awards Small Agency of the Year

The 2025 Wesbank Next Generation Awards celebrate bold, future-facing creativity in advertising and marketing across Africa. Lucky Hustle’s wins highlight the agency’s ability to harness technology, creativity, and resourcefulness to deliver powerful campaigns that punch above their weight.

The celebrated campaign, “Ringside Fitness: The Legacy of Ludumo Lamati,” paid tribute to the South African boxer’s enduring legacy, blending storytelling with innovative digital tools to inspire audiences and connect them with the Ringside Fitness brand in fresh, dynamic ways.

Effie College Launches in South Africa

Effie South Africa has announced the official launch of Effie College – a pioneering initiative designed to nurture the next generation of marketing leaders by bridging academic learning with real-world application.

Effie is a globally recognised authority on marketing effectiveness, best known for its prestigious Effie Awards, which honour the most impactful and results-driven marketing campaigns across the globe. Effie College is an initiative of the Effie LIONS Foundation. Working with students, universities and leading brands, the Foundation provides rising talent the real-world experience, network, and platform needed to shape the future of marketing through their unique lens.

With Nedbank as the inaugural brand sponsor, Effie College launches with the YouthX Challenge – a powerful collaboration that invites students to apply creativity, strategic thinking, and the principles of marketing effectiveness to a live client brief.

Four leading institutions – the University of Cape Town (UCT), University of Johannesburg (UJ), North-West University (NWU), and the AAA School – will participate in the 2025 YouthX Challenge, tackling real consumer needs through innovative, insight-led campaigns.

The programme sees student teams working under the mentorship of industry professionals. Each submission will be judged using the official Effie Awards judging process, applying the same rigorous standards used globally to assess marketing effectiveness.

1st for Women wins Best in Service at the Ask Africa Orange Index Awards

1st for Women has been named the top performer in the Short-Term Insurance (STI) industry at the prestigious Ask Africa Orange Index Awards. The award recognises 1st for Women for achieving the highest service satisfaction scores among its peers and solidifies the brand’s position as a leader in customer experience in South Africa.

“Being named the best in service is more than just an accolade, it’s a powerful validation of our long-standing commitment to putting women first,” said Alex Terblanche, CEO of Telesure Investment Holdings (TIH) Short-Term Insurance. “This award confirms that when you design a business around deep empathy and a genuine understanding of your customers, you create an experience that truly stands out. Our success is built on the trust and loyalty of thousands of women and for us, the message is simple: “We’re 1st for putting you first.”

The Ask Africa Orange Index is the longest-running and most comprehensive consumer experience benchmark in South Africa, celebrating service excellence since 2001.

Bonitas wins Ask Africa Orange Index Award for second year in a row

Bonitas Medical Fund has once again been recognised for excellence in customer experience, winning the ‘Medical Aid Category’ at the prestigious Ask Africa Orange Index Awards 2025. This marks our fifth win in eight years and importantly, our second consecutive win. It also underscores the Scheme’s reputation for trustworthiness, strong customer connections and service delivery.

The results of the 2025 Ask Africa Orange Index were based on 59,000 interviews across 26 categories and 200 brands, using audited data and independent sampling methods, with no member data shared. This makes it one of the most robust and credible benchmarks of customer experience in South Africa.

Lee Callakoppen, principal officer of Bonitas says, “Winning this Award for the second year in a row is a proud moment. It validates our focus on building meaningful connections with our members and reshaping the healthcare ecosystem to deliver affordable, quality healthcare. Trust, reputation and relevance have always been at the heart of our strategy and this recognition affirms that we are on the right track.”

Flow celebrates success at the 2025 New Generation Awards

Flow Communications walked away with seven awards at the 2025 WesBank New Generation Awards, held at the NH Johannesburg Sandton hotel on 23 September.

“These awards are all about celebrating social and digital brilliance, and we were so thrilled to be right there in the mix with some of the best and brightest agencies playing a role in positively influencing society through bold ideas and quality execution,” says Flow CEO Tara Turkington.

Flow was awarded for the following clients:

MPA Alliance

Gold – Best Social Media Reach from an Event/Activation by a Corporate – MPA Day 2024
Silver – Most Viral Campaign by a Corporate – MPA Day 2024

Good Work Foundation

Silver – Best Email Marketing Campaign by an Agency – Reimagining Rural Education campaign
Silver – Best Online Newsletter – Reimagining Rural Education campaign
Bronze – Best Email Marketing Campaign by a Corporate – Reimagining Rural Education campaign

African Union Sports Council

Bronze – Best Online PR Campaign by a Corporate – Keep Moving Campaign

Travelisa

Gold – Best Online Newsletter – Travelisa newsletter

“These awards celebrate the incredible team we work with. Every win at the New Generation Awards is the result of our Flowstars doing what they do best, which is helping our clients achieve growth and success,” says Flow managing director Tiffany Turkington-Palmer.

Remembering legends and celebrating change makers at the Siyabakhumbula Awards

The Siyabakhumbula Awards, now in their 15th year, continues its tradition of celebrating individuals who have made a lasting impact on their communities and fields of work. True to its name, Siyabakhumbula, meaning “we remember them”, the Awards honour both those who have passed on and living change makers whose dedication and achievements continue to inspire.

Founder of the Siyabakhumbula Awards, renowned poet and activist Mzwakhe Mbuli, reflected on the significance of the initiative.

“The Siyabakhumbula Awards exist to honour those who made remarkable contributions during their lifetimes and have passed, while also celebrating those who continue to make a meaningful impact today. Over the past 15 years, this platform has grown into a significant cultural institution, a space where we remember, recognise, and pay tribute to the individuals shaping our communities, our culture, and our nation,” said Mr. Mbuli.

The 2025 Siyabakhumbula Awards will posthumously recognise a remarkable group of icons whose contributions shaped South Africa’s cultural, sporting, and social landscape. Honourees include: