The 2026 Gerety Awards has awarded four Grand Prix honours to three campaigns, with VML UK’s work for KitKat emerging as the biggest winner after securing two of the competition’s highest prizes.
“The KitKat Heist” claimed Grand Prix awards in both the Communication CUT – PR category and the newly introduced Moments CUT – PR category. Campaigns for HORNBACH and SickKids secured the other two Grand Prix prizes.
The awards were decided by more than 250 judges drawn from over 50 countries, bringing together senior professionals from advertising, marketing, media, production and design.
Brandspur Brand News reports that the 2026 competition produced four Grand Prix, 34 Gold, 69 Silver and 75 Bronze winners, while Tunisia recorded its first recognition at the global creative awards.
HORNBACH’s “No Project Without Drama,” developed by HeimatTBWA\ Berlin, won the Grand Prix in the Craft CUT – Production Design category. The campaign was recognised for the strength of its creative execution and production craft.
“The Count,” created for Canadian children’s healthcare organisation SickKids by Soundtree Music for FCB Canada, received the Grand Prix in Craft CUT – Music.
KitKat’s double victory, meanwhile, placed the brand at the centre of this year’s results. Created by VML UK, “The KitKat Heist” was recognised for turning an unexpected brand situation into an idea capable of generating wider cultural conversation and audience participation.
Members of the Gerety Awards Grand Jury highlighted simplicity, cultural understanding, creative courage and execution among the qualities that distinguished the strongest entries.
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Dipshika Ravi, National Creative Director at Schbang in India, pointed to the KitKat campaign’s ability to transform an unexpected situation into something audiences willingly engaged with, rather than relying solely on conventional advertising exposure.
Maria Milusheva, Chief Creative Officer at OM Group and MUCH BETTER in Bulgaria, similarly highlighted the importance of bold ideas capable of earning genuine attention at a time when technology has made content production increasingly accessible.
Other jury members emphasised the ability of winning campaigns to travel beyond their original markets and create emotional or cultural relevance without sacrificing creative craft.
The results also underline the international reach of the competition, with this year’s judging process incorporating perspectives from dozens of markets and multiple disciplines across the global advertising industry.
Gerety Awards is also set to host Grand Jury Insight panels featuring members of the 2026 jury, with discussions expected to examine emerging creative trends and notable work from this year’s competition.
