2026 WesBank New Generation Awards Winners Revealed

The WesBank New Generation Awards winners were announced at a banquet ceremony in Sandton on 23 September. Modern Marketing is the proud media partner of the awards. The New Generation Awards stand as South Africa’s premier independent recognition platform for social-first marketing, digital innovation, AI, and creative technology.

Lebogang Gaoaketse, head of marketing and communication, WesBank. Stephen Paxton, WesBank New Generation Awards founder. Lebo Mokoena, master of ceremonies.

For 14 years, New Gen has benchmarked industry excellence, processing over 6,500 entries across corporate, agency, and emerging talent spaces, and awarding more than 1,700 trophies to the campaigns defining our digital future.

Stephen Paxton, founder of the awards said, ‘We raised the benchmarks significantly this year, and our industry delivered beyond expectation. The sheer volume, quality, and creative bravery of the work submitted surpassed our highest expectations, with many Silver and Bronze winners reaching the gold benchmark of 82% and above. It has been profoundly inspiring.’

A deeper look at this year’s entries revealed a surge in high-performing, revenue-generating campaigns, alongside rich content marketing built on genuine community resonance and cultural relevance. Across categories, clear defining themes emerged: Trust over noise. Meaning over volume. Advocacy over impressions. Human connection over optimisation. Authenticity over trend-chasing.

In a digital landscape flooded with content, the rarest commodity is something that feels authentically human. This year’s work proved that brands understand people better than ever, favouring lasting community connections over quick campaign cycles.

Paxton conveyed heartfelt appreciation to the 30 esteemed jury members for their dedication and invaluable insights throughout the judging process, ‘Special gratitude was directed to our Headline Naming Sponsor, WesBank; our Bronze Sponsor, Unilever South Africa; our Brand Sponsors, Mettlestate and Naritive Global; and our Category Partner, OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management. Being an independent awards programme means our sponsors aren’t just partners, they are the fuel behind this magic. Thank you for helping us create an unforgettable night. We can’t wait to keep building this momentum and sharing many more inspiring gatherings with you all. Thank you.’

The Coveted Black Onyx Main Award Winners included:

– Small Agency of the Year joint winners: Lucky Hustle, retaining their title for the second consecutive year, and EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot as first-time winners.
– Medium Agency of the Year honours went to Penquin Advertising
– Large Agency of the Year Award went to OGILVY.
– Golf: Volkswagen Group Africa was named Digital Brand of the Year, with agency partner OGILVY, and Volkswagen Group Africa took top honours as the Overall Social & Digital Corporate of the Year.
– Telkom was awarded Best Customer Experience (CX) Campaign of the Year for the Possibility in Play Campaign, by Mscsports.
– Online Strategy of the Year joint winners included: Dis-Chem with agency partners Black&White and M&C Saatchi Abel, alongside Volkswagen Group Africa for the Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf Campaign by OGILVY.

Biggest Corporate Winners

Dominating the corporate categories this year, the evening’s biggest winners included industry powerhouses AB InBev, Volkswagen Group Africa, Mondelēz South Africa, Suzuki South Africa and Unilever South Africa.

In order of ranking, the four highest-scoring campaigns of the night:

1. Best Influencer Marketing Campaign Award: Lucky Hustle for Xiaomi South Africa, Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough Campaign – Scoring 93%
2. Excellence in Content Marketing Award: Volkswagen Group Africa for Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf Campaign by OGILVY – Scoring 92%
3. Excellence in Content Marketing Award: Mondelēz South Africa for Chappies Heritage Campaign – ‘We’ve been there since’ by LePub Johannesburg – Scoring 91%
4. Best Influencer Marketing Campaign Award: Clockwork for NIVEA, Nivea Micellar – The Bare Minimum Campaign – Scoring 90%

Headline Partner WesBank commented, ‘WesBank has spent over 50 years moving with our customers, and backing these Awards for a second year reflects that same belief: progress is built by understanding real needs and staying relevant as they shift. That’s the thread running through this year’s strongest entries too: work built on trust, not just reach.

‘As Platinum Headline Sponsor, we’re proud to stand alongside the marketers, creators and digital thinkers redefining how South Africans connect with brands, ours included. To every nominee and winner, you’re shaping the future of marketing and digital media in this country, and that’s worth backing.’

Here are your winners:

CORPORATE CATEGORIES:

Best Revenue-Generating Marketing Campaign / Event by a Corporate

GOLD WINNER 2026 Payflex Anomaly Payflex – The Inside Man SILVER WINNER 2026 Crocs South Africa Clockwork Croctober 2025 SILVER WINNER 2026 Sasol Bluecloud AI Danki Mzansi – Sasol’s 75th Anniversary Growth Platform BRONZE WINNER 2026 Ackermans 99c Ackermans Packs Summer’25 BRONZE WINNER 2026 FNB South Africa Vivid Theory FNB Festive Campaign: Get in the Game

Best Social Media Reach from an Event / Activation by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 AB InBev South Africa Draftline Flying Fish Surprisingly Good Sets SILVER WINNER 2026 Volvo South Africa Have Your Say Volvo EX30 Cross Country Launch BRONZE WINNER 2026 Ford Motor Company SA VML South Africa Ranger Super Duty: The Battle for Bothaville BRONZE WINNER 2026 Sasol Bluecloud AI 75HRS, Sisonke and the grand openings – forecourt events the whole country watched

Best Online Competition by a Corporate

GOLD WINNER 2026 Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf SILVER WINNER 2026 Craft Homes The Red Wall Campaign BRONZE WINNER 2026 AB InBev South Africa iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour

Most Innovative App Developed by a Corporate

SILVER WINNER 2026 AB InBev South Africa iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour BRONZE WINNER 2026 AB InBev South Africa EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot & iProspect-dentsu Castle Lager 130

Best Use of Technical Innovation by a Corporate

GOLD WINNER 2026 AB InBev South Africa iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour SILVER WINNER 2026 Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Amarok 4XForce of Nature BRONZE WINNER 2026 Bonitas Medical Fund Adclick Africa Dr B AI Influencer Campaign BRONZE WINNER 2026 Windhoek Dentsu Redstar & Honest Marketing Windhoek x Food Commerce

Best Low Budget Campaign

GOLD WINNER 2026 Absa Lumico (Pty) Ltd Absa Agritrends Autumn Edition GOLD WINNER 2026 Unilever South Africa VML South Africa Vaseline – Mntana Ka Gogo SILVER WINNER 2026 Payflex Anomaly Payflex – The Inside Man BRONZE WINNER 2026 The Pool Team Fenix Marketing Solutions Just Keep Swimming BRONZE WINNER 2026 Woodrock Animal Shelter Lucky Hustle Kennel to the Crib

Mobile Marketing Excellence by a Corporate

GOLD WINNER 2026 AB InBev South Africa iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour GOLD WINNER 2026 Mondelēz South Africa OGILVY Cadbury Dairy Milk – Snacking Made Right BRONZE WINNER 2026 Xiaomi South Africa Lucky Hustle Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough Blogging Excellence by a Corporate BRONZE WINNER 2026 Suzuki Auto South Africa Spitfire Inbound and Penquin Beyond the Blog: From Search to Suzuki

Most Innovative Use of Social and Digital Media by a Corporate

GOLD WINNER 2026 Xiaomi South Africa Lucky Hustle Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough SILVER WINNER 2026 PepsiCo South Africa Accenture Song South Africa NaksLevel -The AI Mentor on WhatsApp SILVER WINNER 2026 The Beverage Company Hellosquare Reboost Big Kasi Energy BRONZE WINNER 2026 The Magnum Ice Cream Company Simunye Media Nothing Cracks Like Magnum

Most Innovative Gamification Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by Naritive Global

GOLD WINNER 2026 Aware.org WONDER x Seamonster Gaming for Good BRONZE WINNER 2026 AB InBev South Africa EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot & iProspect-dentsu Castle Lager 130 BRONZE WINNER 2026 AB InBev South Africa iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour

Best Community Engagement Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf SILVER WINNER 2026 SuperSport EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot SuperSport Dream Team BRONZE WINNER 2026 Mondelēz South Africa OGILVY Cadbury Dairy Milk – Generous First

Excellence In Content Marketing by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 Mondelēz South Africa LePub Johannesburg Chappies Heritage Campaign – “We’ve been there since” GOLD WINNER 2026 Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf SILVER WINNER 2026 Mondelēz South Africa LePub Johannesburg Ask OREO – Let The Cookies Decide BRONZE WINNER 2026 Mondelēz South Africa VML South Africa The Cadbury LunchBar 60th Anniversary Campaign – The Monolith Mystery BRONZE WINNER 2026 Procter & Gamble WPP Media Head & Shoulders – #DramaFreeMzansi

Best Online PR Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 PepsiCo South Africa DNA Brand Architects Cheetos Can’t Hide The Fun SILVER WINNER 2026 Mondelēz South Africa VML South Africa The Cadbury LunchBar 60th Anniversary Campaign – The Monolith Mystery SILVER WINNER 2026 Coca-Cola South Africa Offlimit Communications FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola SILVER WINNER 2026 Ichikowitz Family Foundation Flow Communications The Trials of Winnie Mandela BRONZE WINNER 2026 Sizekhaya Flow Communications Launching the new home of the National Lottery

Best Integrated Marketing Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 Aware.org WONDER Shiy’imoto GOLD WINNER 2026 Heineken Beverages SA TBWA\HUNT\LASCARIS (Johannesburg) a division of TBWA South Africa Savanna – We Outside GOLD WINNER 2026 Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf SILVER WINNER 2026 Dis-Chem Black&White Your Till Slip Never Looked Better BRONZE WINNER 2026 Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Amarok 4XForce of Nature

Most Viral Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 Unilever South Africa VML South Africa Vaseline – Mntana Ka Gogo SILVER WINNER 2026 Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf BRONZE WINNER 2026 SuperSport EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot SuperSport Dream Team

Best Use of Social Media to Research and Evaluate – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf

Best Influencer Marketing Campaign by a Corporate

SILVER WINNER 2026 Ackermans and Spur 99c Ackermans x Spur Design-A-Tee Competition SILVER WINNER 2026 Crocs South Africa Clockwork Croctober 2025 BRONZE WINNER 2026 NIVEA Clockwork Nivea Micellar – The Bare Minimum

Best Use of AI in Marketing Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by Naritive Global

SILVER WINNER 2026 PepsiCo South Africa Accenture Song South Africa NaksLevel -The AI Mentor on WhatsApp BRONZE WINNER 2026 Vodacom Carbon1 Extra Your Summer

Best Email Marketing Campaign by a Corporate

SILVER WINNER 2026 Dis-Chem Black&White Your Till Slip Never Looked Better

Best CRM Strategy Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank

SILVER WINNER 2026 Henley Business School Africa Spitfire Inbound Connected Journeys: Henley Africa’s CRM-Led Growth Engine BRONZE WINNER 2026 Suzuki Auto South Africa Spitfire Inbound and Penquin Driving Customer Intelligence: Suzuki’s AI-Ready Transformation

AGENCY CATEGORIES:

Best Augmented Reality Marketing Campaign by an Agency

BRONZE WINNER 2026 Hyphen Creatives Captain Morgan Spice it Your Way

Best Use of Technical Innovation by an Agency – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot & iProspect-dentsu AB InBev South Africa Castle Lager 130 SILVER WINNER 2026 4What Digital EL-I Tech Proving it works SILVER WINNER 2026 Rainmaker Media Nestlé – KitKat KitKat Novelty Model BRONZE WINNER 2026 Carbon1 Vodacom Extra Your Summer

Most Viral Campaign by an Agency

GOLD WINNER 2026 VML South Africa Unilever South Africa Vaseline – Mntana Ka Gogo SILVER WINNER 2026 DNA Brand Architects PepsiCo South Africa Cheetos Can’t Hide The Fun BRONZE WINNER 2026 Sherbet Agency Pizza Hut Chicken Pops Pizza. Pop Culture. BRONZE WINNER 2026 VML South Africa Mondelēz South Africa The Cadbury LunchBar 60th Anniversary Campaign – The Monolith Mystery

Most Innovative Social and Digital Media Campaign by a Small Agency

SILVER WINNER 2026 Distrikt 9 Showmax The truth about banking BRONZE WINNER 2026 Anomaly Payflex Payflex – The Inside Man

Most Innovative Social and Digital Media Campaign by a Medium Agency

SILVER WINNER 2026 Lucid Performance and Humanz L’Oréal South Africa Level Up with CeraVe BRONZE WINNER 2026 PlusNarrative and Grid Worldwide Canva Africa Canva Africa Launch

Most Innovative Social and Digital Media Campaign by a Large Agency – Sponsored by OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management

GOLD WINNER 2026 OGILVY Vodacom South Africa Vodacom – When You See It SILVER WINNER 2026 OLIVER MARKETING Unilever South Africa DOVE X STARBUCKS: SPRAY. SIP. SLAY. BRONZE WINNER 2026 OGILVY Volkswagen Group Africa Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf

Best Influencer Marketing Campaign by an Agency

GOLD WINNER 2026 Clockwork NIVEA Nivea Micellar – The Bare Minimum GOLD WINNER 2026 Lucky Hustle Xiaomi South Africa Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough SILVER WINNER 2026 Clockwork Crocs South Africa Croctober 2025 SILVER WINNER 2026 OGILVY Unilever South Africa How Dove Opened the Creator Industry to New Voices SILVER WINNER 2026 OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management Spur Corp RocoMamas Fire Wings Challenge: Turning a Cult Favourite into South Africa’s Hottest Food Challenge BRONZE WINNER 2026 Lucid Performance and Humanz L’Oréal South Africa CeraVe World BRONZE WINNER 2026 OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management Absa Absa Rewards Travel – Go Beyond

Best Integrated Marketing Campaign by an Agency

GOLD WINNER 2026 Clockwork Crocs South Africa Croctober 2025 SILVER WINNER 2026 Offlimit Communications Coca-Cola South Africa FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola SILVER WINNER 2026 OGILVY Volkswagen Group Africa Amarok 4XForce of Nature BRONZE WINNER 2026 Lucid Performance Nedbank Get Money Fit BRONZE WINNER 2026 OGILVY Unilever South Africa Vaseline Cera Glow – Glow that Never Declines

Blogging Excellence by an Agency

BRONZE WINNER 2026 Spitfire Inbound and Penquin Suzuki Auto South Africa Beyond the Blog: From Search to Suzuki

Best Use of AI in Marketing Campaign by an Agency – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 Mscsports Telkom Possibility in Play GOLD WINNER 2026 Net#work BBDO Mercedes-Benz South Africa New Vito SELECT Product Launch Campaign SILVER WINNER 2026 Flow Communications Hollard Insure Customer & Broker Promise Campaign BRONZE WINNER 2026 Adclick Africa Bonitas Medical Fund Dr B AI Influencer Campaign

Best Email Marketing Campaign by an Agency

SILVER WINNER 2026 Black&White Dis-Chem Your Till Slip Never Looked Better

Best CRM Strategy Campaign by an Agency

GOLD WINNER 2026 Spitfire Inbound Henley Business School Africa Connected Journeys: Henley Africa’s CRM-Led Growth Engine SILVER WINNER 2026 Spitfire Inbound & Penquin Suzuki Auto South Africa Driving Customer Intelligence: Suzuki’s AI-Ready CRM Transformation BRONZE WINNER 2026 Adclick Africa Bonitas Medical Fund Always-On Lead Gen

ONLINE MEDIA & TOOLS CATEGORIES:

Best Corporate Website

BRONZE WINNER 2026 Tourvest Destination Management Flow Communications Your Africa website development

Best Marketing Automation Campaign – Sponsored by WesBank

GOLD WINNER 2026 Spitfire Inbound and Penquin Suzuki Auto South Africa Always-On Intelligence: Automating Suzuki Auto South Africa’s Customer Journey from Interest to Action

Best Online Newsletter

BRONZE WINNER 2026 CHAS EVERITT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY GROUP Stratitude THE PROPERTY SIGNPOST

Best Use of Podcast/Vlog to Promote a Brand or Event – Sponsored by Unilever

GOLD WINNER 2026 Xiaomi South Africa Lucky Hustle Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough SILVER WINNER 2026 Woolworths Foods South Africa / W.Creative Pop24, a division of Media24 What’s the Difference? A Woolworths Foods Branded Vodcast BRONZE WINNER 2026 East Coast Radio SA Rescue: Out Alive BRONZE WINNER 2026 TIM.Africa The Incredible Machines Podcast

Best Online Magazine / Newspaper

GOLD WINNER 2026 SME South Africa

Best eCommerce Website

GOLD WINNER 2026 Berlitz Method ‘AI & Soul’ & Stratitude Berlitz Shopify

STUDENT CATEGORIES:

The New Generation Student Group of the Year – Sponsored by Mettlestate

GOLD WINNER 2026 AAA School of Advertising – Bryanston NOTARRA GOLD WINNER 2026 Vega School at Emeris Fifth Season Orphan Clothing Company – Tagged by OCC

The New Generation Student of the Year – Sponsored by Mettlestate

GOLD WINNER 2026 Francois van Loggerenberg AAA School of Advertising – Bryanston One Colour. Every Market

BLACK ONYX AWARD WINNERS:

The Black Onyx Community Engagement Manager of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa

Ndimi Matomane Bluecloud AI

The Black Onyx Top Graphic Designer of the Year

Kyle Anthony Lucky Hustle Unlucky Lemonade The Black Onyx UX/UI Designer of the Year Alex Cannon Stoneway

The Black Onyx Social Wiz of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa

Siyabonga Mzolo DNA Brand Architects

The Black Onyx Best Customer Experience (CX) of the Year – Sponsored by WesBank

Telkom Mscsports Possibility in Play

The Black Onyx Digital Brand of the Year – Sponsored by WesBank

Golf – Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY

The Black Onyx Online Strategy of the Year – Sponsored by WesBank

Dis-Chem Black&White and M&C Saatchi Abel Volkswagen Group Africa OGILVY Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf

The Black Onyx Small Agency of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa

Lucky Hustle EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot

The Black Onyx Medium Agency of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa

Penquin Advertising

The Black Onyx Large Agency of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa

OGILVY

The Black Onyx Social & Digital Corporate of the Year – Sponsored by WesBank

Volkswagen Group Africa

WESBANK NEW GENERATION AWARDS
www.newgenawards.co.za