MAD STARS 2026 REVEALS FIRST THREE MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE JURY 350+ global experts from over 70 locations to participate in judging | Entries close 15 June 2026 MAD STARS has announced the first three members of its Executive Jury for 2026, reinforcing its position as a leading international platform recognizing marketing, advertising, and technologydriven creative excellence. The newly unveiled Executive Jury members are Raja Rajamannar, Senior Fellow, Former Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of Mastercard; Aurora Straton, Creative Lead at Google; and Tara McKenty, Chief Creative Officer of AKQA Australia & New Zealand. Collectively, they represent global brand leadership, platform innovation, and effectivenessdriven creativity. As members of the Executive Jury, they will oversee the final rounds of judging and determine the Grand Prix of the Year winners, defining the standard of excellence across the SOLUTION Group and POSITIVE IMPACT Group. Raja Rajamannar is widely recognized as one of the most influential global marketing leaders of the past decade. During his 12year tenure as Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Mastercard, he helped transform the company into one of the fastestgrowing global brands, evolving the iconic Priceless campaign into a truly experiential, multisensory platform, infusing emerging technologies and advanced data analytics, while pioneering new standards in inclusive design. His work at Mastercard has been developed into formal case studies at Harvard Business School and the Yale School of Management. He is also the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow’s Consumers, which inspired the Bloomberg Originals series Quantum Marketing with Raja Rajamannar. Raja has deep business management experience, leading large, revenuedriving organizations throughout his career. This has provided a critical foundation for ensuring marketing serves as a force multiplier for growth. His prior roles include founding president of the healthcare business at Mastercard, Chief Transformation Officer at Elevance (formerly Anthem), and Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer at Humana, in addition to senior leadership roles at Unilever and Citibank. He has been inducted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Fame, the Forbes CMO Hall of Fame, and the AMA Marketing Hall of Fame. He has been named one of Business Insider’s Most Innovative CMOs seven times and has received honors including WFA Global Marketer of the Year, Advertising Person of the Year by the Ad Club of New York, Adweek’s Brand Genius and Grand Brand Genius, Billboard’s Top Branding Power Player, among many other honors. Commenting on his appointment, Rajamannar said: “Happy to be joining the MAD STARS 2026 Executive Jury, a global platform that champions bold, cultureshaping creativity. I’m focused on identifying work that pushes boundaries and proves how sharp, innovative thinking drives real cultural and business impact.” His participation reinforces MAD STARS’ commitment to recognizing work that advances creative standards while delivering tangible cultural and business impact at scale. Aurora Straton is a multidisciplinary Creative Lead at Google with more than 20 years of experience across the global creative industry, including over a decade within Google’s innovation ecosystem. At Google, she works with brands and cultural institutions to leverage nextgeneration technologies in crafting impactful narratives and immersive experiences that capture cultural relevance and drive action. Her work spans gaming, entertainment, luxury, travel, automotive, and culture, where she collaborates with innovation and creative teams to shape new forms of storytelling. Straton’s approach is grounded in the belief that compelling creativity resonates when it connects with fundamental human truths. She continuously examines how technology and media redefine the way stories are created and experienced, advocating for technology as a catalyst for meaningful and positive change. Straton’s appointment reflects MAD STARS’ continued focus on platformera creativity and the evolving role of technology in defining how brands connect with audiences globally. Her experience in integrating emerging technologies with culturally resonant storytelling aligns directly with the festival’s emphasis on work that demonstrates both innovation and relevance. Tara McKenty serves as Chief Creative Officer of AKQA Australia & New Zealand, leading the agency’s creative direction across the region. With more than 17 years of experience across the APAC creative industries, McKenty’s career has been defined by the integration of technology, craft, and effectiveness in creative leadership. Prior to joining AKQA, McKenty spent over a decade at Google APAC, including six years as Creative Head, leading innovation initiatives at the intersection of technology and brand storytelling. Their earlier experience includes senior creative leadership roles at TBWA, Saatchi & Saatchi, and BMF. McKenty founded Rare with Google, an initiative designed to provide equitable opportunities for underrepresented creatives to thrive at every stage of their careers. Over the course of their career, McKenty has received more than 200 international industry awards, reflecting sustained recognition for creative work across multiple disciplines and markets. McKenty’s appointment further underscores MAD STARS’ positioning at the intersection of creative excellence, technological advancement, and measurable effectiveness. Their experience in guiding technologydriven creativity within both agency and platform environments supports the festival’s commitment to recognizing work that delivers innovation alongside tangible impact. A Globally Structured Judging Platform The five members of the Executive Jury will lead a jury of more than 350 professionals from over 70 locations, spanning brand leadership, agencies, digital platforms, media, and innovation sectors. The jury structure is designed to reflect the diversity and evolving standards of the global communications industry. With the Executive Jury representing global brand stewardship, technology platforms, and effectivenessdriven creativity, MAD STARS 2026 offers entrants a rigorous and balanced evaluation framework that recognizes strategic insight, craft excellence, and demonstrable impact. Entry and Judging Timeline (All times in KST) Entry Phase 1st deadline (Early Bird): 8 May 2026 2nd deadline (Regular): 29 May 2026 Final deadline: 15 June 2026 Judging & Awards Preliminary Judging: 1–15 July 2026 (Online) Finalists announced: 21 July 2026 Final Judging 1st round: 24 July – 6 August 2026 (Online) Final Judging 2nd & last round: 24 August 2026 (In person) Winners announced and Awards Show: 28 August 2026 Awards include Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Crystal across all Stars. The Grand Prix of the Year, the festival’s highest honor, is selected from among the Grand Prix winners of the SOLUTION Group and POSITIVE IMPACT Group. Further information is available at www.madstars.org. MAD STARS 2026 will take place from 26 to 28 August 2026 in Busan, South Korea, bringing together creative work from around the world and continuing its role as a global platform for ideas shaping today’s marketing and communications landscape.

​NEW STARS MAD COMPETITION 2025 Winners Announcement The winners of NEW STARS 2025 are announced. Congratulations for all the winners. Please check the attached file. ​

MAD STARS 2026 Opens for Entrieswith New Category Structure and Global Jury MAD STARS, a global marketing and advertising awards program, has officially opened its 2026 call for entries. Now in its 19th edition, MAD STARS invites creative work from around the world that reflects how ideas are developed, executed, and evaluated across today’s advertising and marketing landscape. Entries for MAD STARS 2026 are open worldwide until June 15 and may be submitted via the official website at madstars.org. Restructured Around How Creativity Is Evaluated Today For 2026, MAD STARS has updated its category structure to reflect how creative work is increasingly assessed in practice. Rather than organizing categories solely by format or medium, the awards are structured around two key dimensions: problemsolving effectiveness and positive societal impact. The SOLUTION Group brings together categories previously under Strategy and Entertainment, evaluating how effectively ideas are translated into execution to address real business and communication challenges. The POSITIVE IMPACT Group focuses on creative work that delivers meaningful and sustainable change. Entries are assessed based on public relevance, responsibility, and longterm value. The group comprises SDGs Stars, Diverse Insights Stars, Place Brand Stars, and the newly established Health Stars. Health Stars and Updated Standards for AIEnabled Craft MAD STARS has refined its approach to AIenabled creativity with the introduction of a new Use of AI subcategory within the Craft section. This update recognizes AI as a tool in creative production while maintaining clear distinctions between concept, execution, and authorship. To support transparency and fair evaluation, all entries are required to disclose the use of AI technologies during production, including details on scope and methodology where applicable. MAD STARS may request supporting materials as part of the verification process. Reflecting the growing importance and responsibility of healthrelated communication, Health Stars evaluates creative work in the health and wellness sector based on expertise, ethical standards, and execution quality. A Global Jury with Broad Industry Representation Judging for MAD STARS 2026 will be conducted by a global jury of more than 350 professionals spanning marketing, advertising, digital, media, and PR. All submissions undergo one preliminary judging round followed by three final judging rounds. Two of the final rounds will be conducted in person in Busan, with 40 onsite final jurors participating together. The Executive Jury for MAD STARS 2026 brings together senior industry leaders whose work has shaped creativity and marketing at a global level. The first Executive Jury members to be announced include: Raja Rajamannar, Senior Fellow and former Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Mastercard, whose work has shaped contemporary marketing leadership. Aurora Straton, Creative Lead at Google, whose work spans nextgeneration storytelling and technologydriven creative innovation across multiple global industries. Tara McKenty, Chief Creative Officer of AKQA Australia & New Zealand, whose work focuses on integrated and digitalfirst brand building across international markets. Entry Schedule, Awards, and Festival Details Professional entries are subject to tiered entry fees based on the submission period, while the General Public division remains free to enter. Key deadlines for MAD STARS 2026 are: ∙ 1st Deadline (Early Bird): May 8 ∙ 2nd Deadline (Regular): May 29 ∙ Final Deadline: June 15 Finalists will be announced in July. Awards include Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, and Bronze by category. The highest honor, Grand Prix of the Year, is awarded to the most outstanding work among the Grand Prix winners of the SOLUTION Group and POSITIVE IMPACT Group. MAD STARS 2026 will take place from August 26 to 28, 2026, in Busan, South Korea, bringing together creative work from around the world. Hosted in South Korea, a market with significantglobal influence across culture, content, and branddriven creativity, the festival provides a global stage for ideas shaping today’s marketing and communications landscape. For more information and submission details, visit madstars.org.

YOUNG STARS MAD COMPETITION 2025 Winners Announcement The winners of YOUNG STARS 2025 are announced. Congratulations for all the winners. Please check the attached file.