The Clio Awards handed out its highest honors Thursday night during a global ceremony hosted by Keegan-Michael Key, with agencies from Singapore, Mexico City, Paris, Puerto Rico, Germany, India, London, and Chicago taking home the industry’s coveted Grand Clios.
And this year’s winners made one thing very clear: culturally resonant work continues crushing traditional advertising formulas.
A total of 20 Grand Clios were awarded across categories, honoring breakthrough creativity, strategy, craft, innovation, and cultural impact.
One of the night’s biggest winners was Ogilvy Singapore, whose massively successful “Vaseline Verified” campaign for Vaseline dominated multiple categories, earning Grand Clios in Creative Strategy, Direct, and Use of Influencers.
The campaign’s momentum also helped secure Vaseline as 2026 Advertiser of the Year, while Ogilvy Singapore earned Agency of the Year and the broader Ogilvy network captured Network of the Year honors.
Meanwhile, Chicago made a major statement on the global stage. BBDO Chicago earned two Grand Clios for “The Final Exam” on behalf of Change The Ref, winning in both Branded Entertainment & Content and Culture & Influence.
The emotionally devastating campaign continues to prove that purpose-driven work can still cut through when rooted in strong storytelling rather than performative messaging.
Mexico City’s LePub Mexico City also emerged as one of the evening’s major forces thanks to the widely discussed “Gulf of Mexico (Bar)” campaign for Tecate. The politically charged work earned Grand Clios across Branded Entertainment & Content, Creative Disruption, Out of Home, and Social Media.
Other standout winners included:
• McCann Paris for “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” on behalf of L’Oréal Paris in Film
• Publicis Conseil for AXA’s “THREE WORDS” in both Creative Business Transformation and PR
• DDB Latina Puerto Rico for “Tracking Bad Bunny” in Digital/Mobile
• Leo India for “The Unofficial Sound of F1” on behalf of Sting in Audio
• SERVICEPLAN GERMANY for Grindr’s “I WOOL SURVIVE” in Culture & Influence
• Ogilvy Mumbai for Vodafone Idea’s “Vi Guardian Beads” in Design
Independent Agency of the Year went to Rethink Canada, continuing the agency’s seemingly unstoppable awards-season run, while Whitecoat earned Production Company of the Year.
The show also spotlighted the growing role of AI in creative work. Ogilvy Health received The Clio Awards & Google AI Specialty Award for its collaboration with Eurofarma, recognizing innovative uses of artificial intelligence paired with human-led creative thinking.
Outside the competition categories, the ceremony also honored major cultural figures. Mark Ronson received an Honorary Clio Award for his influence across music, film, and pop culture storytelling, particularly through projects like Barbie The Album, A Star Is Born, and Suicide Squad.
Contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas was also recognized with an Honorary Clio for her groundbreaking work across painting, photography, collage, and immersive installations.
And if there’s one larger takeaway from this year’s Clios, it’s that advertising’s center of gravity keeps shifting toward work that feels culturally embedded rather than commercially constructed.
The industry’s biggest winners increasingly aren’t just selling products anymore.
They’re building conversations people actually want to participate in.
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