Team ‘Heinz Doesn't Judge - The Oven’ Wins edcom and EACA Ad Venture Student Competition

The European Institute for Commercial Communications Education (edcom) and the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) have revealed that Team ‘Heinz Doesn't Judge - The Oven’ from Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium, has won the 2025–26 Ad Venture Student Competition. This year's competition was conducted in partnership with Kraft Heinz, one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies.

Following collaborations with leading brands such as Lipton, Coca-Cola and LEGO, this year’s competition challenged over 80 student teams from across Europe to respond to a comprehensive brief from Kraft Heinz. The teams conducted market research, identified target consumer groups, positioned the brand, and developed creative executions along with media plans for a full communications campaign.

The final round took place in Lisbon, Portugal, where three finalist teams presented their campaigns live to a jury comprising representatives from Kraft Heinz, academic and industry professionals.

Julie Veryser, senior director brand building EPDM shared, "We loved every second of working with edcom. The students were courageous, offering a raw and authentic lens on advertising that you just can't replicate. They’ve helped us bridge the gap between our heritage and the next generation, proving that the future of Heinz is in very capable, very creative hands."

Mafalda Quintela, independent creative director at Mafalda&Francisco
and chair of the jury, commented on the quality of submissions said, "This was a very good experience, and the most interesting part was seeing the level of the students. They are creating truly amazing work, and it’s very promising for the industry to know that these young people will be joining it in the next few years. They bring very distinctive ideas, sharp and impactful insights, and strong, well-structured work to support them.”

The winning team ‘Heinz Doesn't Judge - The Oven’, from Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, added, "When we first joined the group, we already saw ourselves as the winning team. One of the first things we said was, ‘We’re going to win this and go all the way.’ We stuck to that mindset, and we made it all the way, just like we wanted.”

The runners-up in this year's competition were:

- 2nd place: Team 13, ESP - Ecole Supérieure de Publicité, Communication et Marketing, France

- 3rd place: Team ‘Every Chaos Needs a Starting Point’, Pantheon-Assas University, France

A special acknowledgement goes to Richard Robinson, executive director at Ingenuity+, whose behind-the-scenes efforts were crucial in facilitating the partnership with Kraft Heinz.

The success of this year's Ad Venture competition underscores edcom's mission to promote excellence in commercial communications education and foster meaningful collaboration between academia and the industry across Europe.