ABBY Awards 2026 Adds More Creative Minds to Jury Panel

The ABBY Awards 2026 are getting their judging panel into shape, and let’s just say the creative heavyweights are arriving one by one like an Avengers lineup for advertising. The Ad Club has officially announced three more jury chairs for the upcoming edition of the ABBY Awards, continuing its steady rollout of leadership names ahead of one of India’s most anticipated advertising celebrations.

Joining the prestigious panel this time are Senthil Kumar, Raj Kamble, and Niraj Ruparel, each taking charge of major categories that represent some of the most dynamic corners of the modern advertising industry.

Senthil Kumar, creative consultant and film director, has been appointed as the jury chair for the Integrated category, bringing with him decades of storytelling experience and creative excellence. Raj Kamble, founder and chief creative officer of Famous Innovations, will oversee the Outdoor category, while Niraj Ruparel, creative technology lead at WPP and WPP Media India, has been named the jury chair for Technology.

The announcement adds further depth to the awards’ already growing jury lineup and follows the previously announced appointments across film and direct advertising categories. Earlier this month, the Ad Club had revealed that Rajdeepak Das would chair the AV Film TV category, Ashish Khazanchi would lead AV Film Digital and OTT, and Anupama Ramaswamy would head the Direct category.

In short, ABBY Awards 2026 is not playing around when it comes to building its judging bench.

For the advertising and marketing world, the jury chair announcements matter far beyond simple event formalities. These names set the tone for what kind of work gets celebrated, what standards are upheld, and what creative benchmarks the industry will chase in the coming year. After all, in advertising, awards season is part celebration, part validation, and part annual reminder that someone somewhere made a campaign so brilliant it made the rest of the industry collectively rethink their PowerPoint decks.

Each of the newly announced jury chairs brings a distinct flavour of expertise.

Senthil Kumar’s appointment to Integrated feels especially fitting given his long-standing reputation for crafting compelling narratives across mediums. Integrated advertising has become one of the most significant categories in recent years as brands increasingly move toward campaigns that span multiple touchpoints rather than relying on one-dimensional communication.

Raj Kamble’s leadership in Outdoor also comes at a time when the category is evolving beyond static billboards into more experiential and disruptive storytelling formats. Outdoor advertising has transformed dramatically over the years, and Kamble’s reputation for pushing creative boundaries makes him a strong fit for judging the work that literally towers over city skylines.

Then there is Niraj Ruparel heading Technology, perhaps one of the fastest-growing and most exciting categories in modern advertising. As artificial intelligence, immersive experiences, and digital innovation continue reshaping how campaigns are conceptualised and consumed, the Technology category is expected to attract some of the most forward-thinking entries of the year.

The ABBY Awards, powered by The One Club and The One Show, remain one of India’s most prestigious honours in the advertising and marketing ecosystem. Year after year, they serve as both recognition and reflection, celebrating the campaigns, creators, and innovations shaping the future of brand storytelling.

This year’s awards will take place during Goafest 2026, scheduled from May 20 to May 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon. As always, the festival is expected to bring together top minds from agencies, brands, media, and digital spaces for three packed days of networking, panels, celebrations, and enough creative jargon to fill an entire dictionary.

With the jury roster steadily expanding, anticipation around ABBY Awards 2026 continues to build. More jury announcements are expected in the coming weeks, and if the current lineup is any indication, the industry can expect a judging panel packed with credibility, experience, and sharp creative eyes.

Because if you are going to judge the best ideas in advertising, you might as well bring in the people who have spent years creating them.

And for agencies already polishing their case studies and rehearsing their acceptance speeches in the mirror, the countdown to awards season has officially begun.