Golden Award of Montreux 2026 Celebrates Global Creative Excellence

Established in 1989, the Golden Award of Montreux was honouring print, poster and design three years before Cannes expanded beyond Film and today celebrates creative excellence across advertising, media, digital, film, design and events. Gold is only awarded when it is truly earned.

This year's Ad of the Year goes to BETC for 'Tango' for CANAL+. Using the metaphor of a magnetic tango, the film captures the creative bond between CANAL+ and cinema with emotional precision. Created by BETC and directed by Pierre Dupaquier, the campaign elevates this relationship into something poetic and emotionally compelling. Across the competition, BETC was awarded four Gold medals.

​Serviceplan Group Germany was named Agency of the Year for the second consecutive year, winning five Gold medals. Among the standout campaigns was 'Sheep Happens', inspired by a real incident in which a herd of 50 sheep stormed a Penny store. The agency turned the moment into a rapid-response campaign generating over three million organic views within a day. fischerAppelt took three Golds and Cheil Germany two, while Havas was named Network of the Year.

Dentsu Lab Netherlands picked up two Gold medals for 'Waves of Will powered by NTT,' a project enabling people living with motor neuron diseases such as ALS to perform via brainwave-controlled digital avatars, demonstrating how technology can deliver meaningful human impact.

India delivered a strong performance, with five Gold medals awarded across Young & Hungry, Tree Design, Mathrubhumi, BC Web Wise and Tribes, spanning Packaging Design, Direct Marketing, Events, Creative Use of Media and Spatial Communication.

The 2026 jury brought together leading creatives from 17 countries.

"Judging this competition is always an inspiring experience," said Joseph Dubruque, creative director at McCann Paris. "The work submitted reflects a deep understanding of human connection, which is at the core of what advertising has always been about."

"The best advertising moves people, and this year's submissions reminded me why this craft still matters," added Eduardo Basque, vice president and creative director at FCB Health New York.

Alongside the main competition, the Montreux Talent Award attracted hundreds of students and young professionals, with winners from Germany, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Spain.

In total, 43 Gold medals were awarded — 38 in the main competition and five in the Talent Awards.

A full list of winners and finalists is available at goldenaward.com.