MAD STARS 2026 Reveals 42 Final Jurors Ahead of June 15 Entry Deadline 42 Final Jurors named as part of a global jury of more than 350 industry professionals MAD STARS, now in its 19th edition as one of Asia’s leading international marketing and advertising festivals, has announced 42 Final Jurors to date from 28 locations for its 2026 awards. They are part of a global judging body comprising more than 350 industry professionals from 83 locations, spanning every major region worldwide. A Restructured Framework for Evaluating Creative Work For 2026, MAD STARS has reorganized its entry categories around two Groups that reflect how creative work is developed and assessed today. The SOLUTION Group covers campaigns that combine strategy and execution to address real business and communication challenges. The POSITIVE IMPACT Group recognizes creative work that generates meaningful change across society, with entries evaluated against values including sustainability, diversity, health, and public responsibility. Within this framework, the 42 Final Jurors announced to date are organized into five specialized panels: Traditional, Experience, Entertainment, Strategy, and Digital. Each panel is aligned with a specific cluster of the 25 Stars. The Final Jurors Announced to Date The jurors represent leading agencies, brands, and creative organizations across AsiaPacific, MENA, Europe, and the Americas. Together, they bring handson experience across the full range of disciplines covered in the awards, from craftled traditional advertising and brand experience to datadriven strategy, digital innovation, and purposedriven work. This breadth of expertise reflects the scope of MAD STARS 2026’s twoGroup framework, ensuring that entries in both the SOLUTION Group and the POSITIVE IMPACT Group are evaluated by jurors with firsthand experience in the relevant field. The finalstage judging process is led by five Executive Jury members, who bring seniorlevel expertise in brand leadership, technologydriven creativity, creative strategy, and marketing effectiveness. How Judging Works All entries first undergo online Preliminary Judging, with selected works advancing to the First Round of Final Judging, also conducted online. The Second and Last Rounds of Final Judging take place in person in Busan, where the Executive Jury and Final Jury determine winners through discussion and voting. Winners will be announced at the Awards Show on August 28. The Grand Prix of the Year, the festival’s highest honor, is awarded to two entries: one selected from among the Grand Prix winners of the SOLUTION Group, and one from the POSITIVE IMPACT Group. Final Deadline: June 15—No Further Extension MAD STARS 2026 is open for entries across 2 Groups, 25 Stars, and 442 Categories. With its Final Jury taking shape, MAD STARS invites creative teams worldwide to submit their work before the June 15 deadline at madstars.org. MAD STARS 2026 will take place from August 26 to 28 at SIGNIEL BUSAN and across the Haeundae area in Busan, under the theme “AMPLIFY.” About the Final Jury The Final Jury is organized into five specialized panels, each aligned with a specific cluster of Stars within the awards. Group 1. Traditional (Film, Outdoor, Print, Radio & Audio)Traditional covers work created for established media channels, highlighting the craft, storytelling, and creative execution that form the foundation of advertising communication. Sandipan Bhattacharyya (Executive Jury), Chief Creative Officer, Monks Kanit Mingmuang, Executive Creative Director, Wolf BKK Mukund Olety, Chief Creative Officer, VML Noël Bunting, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis London Paulo Mariano, Senior Art Director, O Escritório Rick Kwan, Executive Creative Director, Grey Hong Kong Rory McKechnie, Executive Creative Director, McCann New Zealand Shumpei Murata, Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc. Sunghyuk Hong, Executive Creative Director, Innocean Group 2. Experience (Brand Experience & Activation, Direct, Commerce, PR, Health)Experience focuses on work that builds meaningful relationships between brands and audiences through participation, engagement, realworld experience, and measurable response. Raja Rajamannar (Executive Jury), Senior Fellow, Former Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Mastercard Federico Fanti, Regional Chief Creative Officer – MENAT, FP7 McCANN Ilya Andreyev, Executive Creative Director, Cheil CIS Karan Novas, Partner & Chief Creative Officer, Tulom Mark Verhagen, Executive Creative Director, VML Brisbane & Perth Roman Carlo Olivarez, Executive Creative Director, TREYNA Group Philippines Satoshi Chikayama, Executive Creative Director, HAKUHODO Wendy Chan, Creative Partner, EXE Group WonSook Kang, Group Creative Director, HSAD Group 3. Entertainment (Branded Entertainment, Entertainment for Music, Entertainment for Game, Entertainment for Sports, Design, Diverse Insights)Entertainment recognizes contentled creative work that connects with audiences through entertainment, culture, music, games, sports, design, and shared experiences. Anny Havercroft (Executive Jury), Global Head of Product MarComs, TikTok Alex Pineda, Chief Creative Officer, Horizon FCB Dubai Diego Medvedocky, Global Creative Partner, GREY Michael Ahmadzadeh, CoFounder, electriclimeº Mo Chen, Executive Creative Director, TBWA\China Shane Geffen, National Executive Creative Director, HERO McCann Yeong Eun Kook, Creative Director, DAEHONG Group 4. Strategy (Strategy, Integrated, Media, Data Insights, SDGs, Place Brand)Strategy evaluates work driven by strategic thinking, media planning, data insights, and integrated execution, including campaigns that create business, social, or placebrand value. Tara McKenty (Executive Jury), Chief Creative Officer, AKQA Australia & New Zealand Babak Madandar, Chief Executive Officer, BOOM Marcom Chow Kok Keong, Creative Partner, k2x Enkhbayasgalan Tungalag, Chief Executive Officer, KMG Group Lissette Guzman, Chief Creative Officer, McCann Santo Domingo Martin Tsai, Business & Creative Partner, SAATCHI & SAATCHI Taiwan Mohammad Akrum Hossain, Chief Creative Officer, POP5 Sulin Lau, Regional Head of Marketing, Brand and Creative, Grab Takahiro Hosoda, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\HAKUHODO Group 5. Digital (Mobile, Interactive, Social & Influencer, Innovation)Digital covers work shaped by digital environments, including mobile, social, interactive, influencerled, and technologydriven ideas that create new forms of audience experience. Aurora Straton (Executive Jury), Creative Lead, Google Chandu Rajapreyar, Group Executive Creative Director, Hakuhodo International Vietnam Fabio Seidl, Global Head of Creative and Brand, X (Twitter & X AI) Hyounwoo Nam, Executive Creative Director, TBWA KOREA Kazuki Tsuburaku, Managing Director & Executive Creative Partner, Dentsu Digital Nikki Sunga, Group Creative Director, BBDO Guerrero Nkanyezi Masango, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy South Africa Titipun Tubthong, Head of Creative, Brilliant & Million

Finalists Announcement for MAD STARS 2026 (General Public) MAD STARS is delighted to announce that your entry has been selected as a Finalist. Please refer to the webpage below for the relevant information. ※ MAD STARS 2026 FinalistLink: Click HERE ■ MAD STARS 2026 1) Dates: 26 28 August 2026 2) Venue: SIGNIEL BUSAN 3) Program: Conference, Exhibition, Networking Party, Opening Ceremony & Gala, Awards Show, and more 4) Registration: Details regarding pass purchases will be available on our website. ※ Registration Link: Click HERE Should you have any further inquiries, please feel free to contact us. Email│info@madstars.org MAD STARS

MAD STARS 2026 Opens Final Call for Entries Ahead of June 15 DeadlineFinal submissions close June 15, with regular entry rates for Professional entries ending May 29 MAD STARS, the international marketing and advertising festival held annually in Busan, South Korea, has opened the final call for entries for its 2026 awards, with June 15 as the firm closing date for submissions worldwide. Professional entrants can submit at regular entry rates until May 29, before finalperiod fees apply. Now in its 19th edition, MAD STARS is one of Asia’s most established platforms for creative work that spans advertising, marketing, technology, and social impact, open to agencies, brands, production companies, media companies, startups, public institutions, nonprofits, independent creators, and the general public. A Platform Shaped Around How Creative Work Is Made and Evaluated Today For 2026, MAD STARS has reclassified its entry categories to make the awards more intuitive for entrants and to reflect how creative work is developed, executed, and evaluated across today’s marketing and communications landscape. The revised structure is built around two pillars: the SOLUTION Group and the POSITIVE IMPACT Group. The SOLUTION Group brings together categories focused on campaigns that combine strategy and execution, evaluating how effectively creative ideas address real business and communications challenges. The POSITIVE IMPACT Group recognizes creative work that generates positive change across society, with entries evaluated based on values such as sustainability, diversity, health, public relevance, and responsibility. Health Stars has been newly established within the POSITIVE IMPACT Group, reflecting the growing importance of healthrelated products, services, and communication. AIEnabled Work: New Standards for Entry and Evaluation As generative AI becomes an established part of the creative process, MAD STARS has updated its entry and judging framework to reflect that shift. A new Use of AI subcategory has been added to the Craft section, recognizing AI as a functional tool that can enhance the quality and craft of marketing and communication. All entrants are required to confirm whether AI was used in production and, where applicable, disclose the specific methods and scope of AI use. This disclosure framework is designed to ensure transparency and fairness in how AIassisted work is assessed across categories. Global Jury and Judging Process MAD STARS 2026 will be judged by a global jury of more than 350 professionals from 83 locations, spanning marketing, advertising, digital content, media, PR, and related creative communications disciplines. All submissions first undergo online preliminary judging, with selected entries announced as Finalists before advancing to the First Final Judging Round, conducted online. The Second and Last Rounds of Final Judging are then held in person in Busan, where winners are determined through discussion and voting by the Executive Jury and Final Jury. Entry Schedule and Fees Key deadlines for MAD STARS 2026 are as follows. All dates are based on Korea Standard Time. 2nd Deadline (Regular): May 29 Final Deadline: June 15Professional entry fees are tiered by submission period, category, and entry type. Regular entry fees range from USD 350 to USD 500, while finalperiod entry fees range from USD 400 to USD 550. Entries to the General Public division remain free and open to anyone worldwide until June 15. Entries can be submitted at madstars.org. MAD STARS 2026 will take place from August 26 to 28, 2026, at SIGNIEL BUSAN and across the Haeundae area in Busan, South Korea, under the theme “AMPLIFY.”

Finalist Announcement for MAD STARS 2026 (Professional) MAD STARS is delighted to announce that your entry has been selected as aFinalist. Please refer to the webpage below for the relevant information. ※MAD STARS 2026 Flinalist Link:Click HERE To ensure smooth participation for all Finalists, MAD STARS 2026 requests that you review and acknowledge the information below. 1. Introduction of MAD STARS 1) Dates:26 Aug (Wed) 28 Aug (Fri), 2026 2) Venue: SIGNIEL BUSAN 3) Program: Conference, Exhibition, Networking Party, Opening Ceremony & Gala, Awards Show, and more 4) Registration: Details regarding pass purchases will be available on our website 2. Awards Show Video 1) Purpose: To be played during the Awards Show ※Videos will be played during the awards ceremony for Bronze winners and above. This is subject to change. 2) Eligibility: Finalists whose entries were submitted in video format must upload the corresponding video file for use during the Awards Show. 3) Video Submission Guideline Edit and upload the video within 45 seconds Format:.mp4 | Maximum file size: 50MB ※If the same entry is selected in multiple categories, you must upload a separately edited video for each category. 4) How to upload MAD STARS Homepage→ Sign in → My Page → My Entries →UPLOAD FINALIST VIDEO 5) Deadline:5 Aug (Wed), 2026 ※Please note thatif the edited video is not uploaded by the deadline, the Committee will proceed with editing the video without further notice. 3. Physical Material Submission 1) Purpose: For Judging and Exhibition ※Physical Material refers to interactive installations and tangible products that have been produced in physical form 2) Requirement: Completed Products and Installations Finalists must submit the [MAD STARS 2026_Physical Material Information Form] along with their physical materials. 3) Due Date & Address Due Date:5 Aug (Wed), 2026 Address: #411, 99, Centum dongro, Haeundaegu, Busan, Republic of Korea, 48059 Recipient: MAD STARS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Contact: +82 (0)516235539 Email: info@madstars.org ※Please note that if materials are not received by the due date, they will not be eligible for exhibition. 4.Important Notes 1) Submission of Physical Material is optional. 2) There is no limit to the number of deliveries. Submitted samples cannot be returned. 3) Any materials attached to lightweight Styrofoam will not be accepted. 4) Insurance coverage that includes damage to materials and liability is recommended.MAD STARS assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage to submitted materials. 5) Advance notification is required for large products or materials that require assembly. 6)The applicant is responsible for all costs and taxes related to postage and delivery. 7) Include the following description: "Sample material, no commercial value included." 8) If materials are shipped from overseas, declare the package value as “1 USD”. 9) MAD STARS assumes no responsibility for any costs or fines resulting from the applicant's failure to comply with requirements. In such cases, all responsibility and liability fall solely on the applicant. Should you have any further inquiries, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, MAD STARS