The Clio Awards, a premier international awards programme for the creative business, has revealed the winners of its most prestigious awards at a live ceremony hosted by actor, writer and producer Keegan-Michael Key.

Agencies from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region claimed 22 awards, including 1 Gold Clio, 5 Silver Clios, and 16 Bronze Clios.

Talking about the vibe on the awards night, and sharing a message to the Middle East region in an exclusive conversation with Campaign Middle East on the red carpet at the Cipriani on 25 Broadway in New York, Nicole Purcell, CEO, Clio Awards, said, “The vibe is fun and there’s a lot of excitement with the industry gathering and being together. We have a great list of winners. More than 72 per cent of the winners are international winners. We are excited about bringing our jury room to the Middle East next year, and we’d love to see the Middle East growing at the Clio Awards show.”

Agencies by highest number of Clio Awards in the MENA region

One Gold Clio Award for the MENA region

Saatchi & Saatchi UAE was the only agency from the MENA region that won a Gold Clio from the MENA region for its Ruby Blooms campaign for Nana, brought to life in partnership with Prodigious MEA, Mockup10 and Niveo.

Speaking to Campaign Middle East about the Gold Cio win, Sebastien Boutebel, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, said, “Winning the only Gold Clio for the MENA region means a lot, especially for a piece like Ruby Blooms for Nana. This was the kind of idea where inclusion is built in – page by page.”

Boutebel added, “There’s a very high level of work that is being delivered by agencies across the region, and around  the globe, and to land a Gold Clio in that context means that it counts even more.”

Boutebel added, “We’re proud of the work, we’re proud of the people behind it,  and we’re proud of ideas such as these, which are built to be used, not just seen – because that’s what counts.”

Saatchi & Saatchi UAE also picked up 2 Bronze Clios for its Let It Fly campaign for Saudia Airlines. This was a cultural initiative that rewarded travellers for supporting local businesses and craftsmanship, transforming their luggage into a suitcase full of stories.

‘Let It Fly’ was a luggage-sticker programme inspired by Saudi cities, crafts and cultural heritage. Travellers who purchased selected cultural items received beautifully designed collectible stickers, with each sticker adding extra baggage allowance to their journey.

IMPACT BBDO wins at Clio Awards 2026

In terms of the total number of trophies by agencies, IMPACT BBDO has the highest haul of Clio Awards, with a total of 5 wins (1 Silver Clio and 4 Bronze Clios),

Sharing his thoughts in an exclusive conversation with Campaign Middle East, Dani Richa, Group Chairman and CEO, Impact BBDO International,  said, “We are extremely proud of winning the most Clios in the MENA region for 2026.”

Richa added, “These wins are not just about the awards: they are testament to the dedication with which we approach effective creativity for all our brand partners. Congrats to our teams, our partners, and to all the winners.”

The agency picked up 1 Silver Clio for its Inkvisible campaign for UN Women. The campaign, which brings attention and offers help to prevent violence against women in Pakistan, was launched in partnership with creative agency IMPACT BBDO, production house Déjà vu Films, with digital and social assets created by UN Women’s in-house designers.

It leaned into the rich, cultural beauty of henna ‘ink’ applied on the ‘visible’ marks of domestic violence to bring attention to women’s protection, empowerment and gender equality in Pakistan, and make women aware of national helpline number that can help them.

IMPACT BBDO claimed 2 Bronze Clios for the Cheetos Pants for Cheetos. The Cheetos Pants were the first-ever pair of trousers designed to solve the eternal snacking dilemma: where do I wipe my Cheetle-covered fingers?

The fashion-forward trousers are the exact same shade of orange as the iconic Cheetos snack and feature a towel-like texture on the thighs, designed specifically to wipe away any leftover Cheetle®, making every snack session a cleaner experience.

IMPACT BBDO also won1 Bronze Clio for the Untaught History Edition campaign for AnNahar Newspaper. It may seem strange, but very few Lebanese students have ever been taught a complete, unified history of the country’s period following independence.

To mitigate this gap in knowledge and education, and to mark the occasion of Independence Day, An-Nahar a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper published in Lebanon, in partnership with IMPACT BBDO, launched the “Untaught History Edition.”

This is a documented presentation of pivotal events in modern Lebanese history, chapters that never made it into school textbooks. The daily issue hit newsstands unlike any previous edition, its pages compiling the missing events, conflicts, turning points and major transformations that generations of Lebanese students have not studied since 1943.

Copies of the edition made it into schools, on building wrap billboards, and into the hands of Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Minister of Education and other key policymakers and members of Parliament.

Additionally, IMPACT BBDO lifted 1 Bronze Clio trophy for the Child Wedding Cards for UN Women.

The low-budget, direct-mail campaign directly engaged lawmakers in Pakistan by sending them invitation cards to a child’s fictional wedding. Invitation cards that were designed entirely by children, ranging in ages from 5 to 15.

Pakistan currently has the sixth highest number of child brides, and efforts have been ongoing to lift the minimum age for marriage to 18. Lawmakers who received the child wedding cards proceeded to make videos holding the cards up, while affirming their commitment in the fight against child marriage. Dozens spoke up, generating a reach of more than 25 million.

Memac Ogilvy wins at Clio Awards 2026

Memac Ogilvy UAE claimed 4 total wins at the Clio Awards ceremony – all Bronze Clios.

The wins included 2 Bronze Clios for the Honda, Honda Everywhere for Al-Futtaim Honda. Taking into consideration that most delivery motorcycles in the UAE are Hondas, Al-Futtaim Honda, in collaboration with Memac Ogilvy UAE, PHD and Liwa.Content Driven turned an overlooked fact into the idea itself.

Honda’s delivery fleet became a moving outdoor network, supported by minimalist billboards and print that helped people recognise the brand presence they were already surrounded by. Every delivery became a live, everyday expression of Honda’s reliability, speed, and trust.

Talking exclusively to Campaign Middle East ahead of the Clio Awards ceremony in New York, Gautam Wadher, Chief Creative Officer, Memac Ogilvy. said, “We’re incredibly proud to see two campaigns for some of the biggest brands in our portfolio being recognised at the Clio Awards. What makes it especially satisfying is that both ideas came from finding fresh ways to tell familiar brand stories. With Honda’s Honda, Honda, Everywhere, we tapped into the country’s delivery culture to demonstrate Honda’s reliability in a way that felt contextual, human and impossible to ignore. And with IKEA’s Affordable Masterpieces, we found a fresh and contemporary expression of one of the brand’s oldest and most fundamental values that is affordability.”

Wadher added, “Both campaigns received immense love from the public, so seeing them continue that journey into jury rooms and be rewarded with multiple metals each is incredibly reassuring and rewarding for all of us at Memac Ogilvy.”

Memac Ogilvy also picked up 2 Bronze Clios for the IKEA Affordable Masterpieces for Saudi Arabia’s Alsulaiman IKEA.

Challenging the idea that affordable means ‘not premium’, IKEA Alsulaiman, partnership with Memac Ogilvy and Papercuts, launched a campaign in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia that draws a comparison between its furniture and classic fine art pieces.

The campaign’s message was simple: Affordability and timeless quality are not mutually exclusive. Affordable Masterpieces was IKEA Alsulaiman’s move to reclaim the narrative around affordability: No longer a limitation, but furniture that endures the test of time.

VML Riyadh wins at the 2026 Awards

VML Riyadh (2 Silver Clios and 1 Bronze Clio) and LEO UAE (1 Silver Clio and 2 Bronze Clios) each claimed 3 total wins at the Clio Awards.

VML Riyadh picked up 1 Silver Clio and 1 Bronze Clio for the Speak My Language campaign for STC, brought to life in partnership with Blue Elephant and Rattel LLC. The campaign was centred around The Social Decoder – a smart tool that translates complex communications jargon used by gamers within esports arenas and virtual gaming worlds  into autism-friendly, pressure-free language.

stc saw an often-overlooked problem that gamers with autism face while playing popular multiplayer games: Communication. The goal of the campaign was to remove any comms barriers and create an inclusive gaming environment. As such, The Social Decoder tool was built to deliver messages in a calm, literal tone, making team communication more accessible and inclusive.

Phrases such as “Cover my back” were phrased into “Watch for any danger behind me,” “Watch your 12” turned into “Look straight ahead,” and “Frag out” became “Throw grenades”.

This alteration from the rapid-fire coded language of multiplayer gaming, packed with slang, abbreviations and unfamiliar phrases, to a form of calm and understandable language helped those with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, who tend to feel overwhelmed with the phrasing and tone of gaming comms.

VML Riyadh also won 1 Silver Clio for its Seat With a View campaign for Flynas. With this campaign, Saudi Arabia’s leading low-cost carrier gave passengers the power to choose more than a seat number. They can now choose their view, powered by AI.

Also created in partnership with Blue Elephant and Rattel LLC,  VML Riyadh’s campaign for Flynas resulted in the world’s first intelligent, AI-driven seat selector that lets every passenger choose their preferred view before they fly.

Think cloud hugging mountains, coastline flyovers, golden hour skylines and world-famous landmarks, which were once reserved for a lucky few with a window view – has now been democratised.

LEO UAE wins at Clio Awards 2026

The Great Indian Dunk by LEO UAE was recognised with three awards, including 1 Silver and 2 Bronze Clios. As such, The Great Indian Dunk is most-awarded campaign from the Middle East region at the Clio Awards 2026.

In a nation where cricket reigns supreme, NBA wanted to find a foothold. To resonate with the heart of India, NBA delved deep into the country’s pulse, unearthing a shared passion for movement.

By capturing authentic, unscripted moments of everyday life of kids jumping into ponds, hanging from a tusk or leaping through branches, and showing how they emulated signature dunks of the NBA’s MVPs, the brand found a powerful connection point.

These candid snapshots not only celebrated the spirit of India but also hinted at the latent potential for basketball to weave into the fabric of our sporting identity and the possibility of discovering the next 23 amongst India’s billion.

The campaign was targeted specifically to young Indians to inspire them to take up the sport and be the next 23, and in general to the wider Indian audience, to build equity for basketball and the NBA.

Commenting on the win, Muhammad Ali. Executive Creative Director, LEO UAE, quoted Los Angeles Lakers and Team USA basketball legend Kobe Bryant who once said, “You have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light.”

Ali added, “Looking at the Great Indian Dunk, you can’t help but feel that the team took those words to heart. Every single person who touched this project set out to create something timeless, iconic and undeniable – just like Kobe and the other legends featured in this project.”

“Seeing the campaign go on an epic run at the Clios and achieving what no other campaign in the region has achieved feels like we won our very own World Championship.”

Publicis Middle East wins at the 2026 Awards

Publicis Middle East was awarded 2 Bronze Clios, including one for There We Are for Home Centre.

The ‘There We Are’ campaign had an unconventional twist: It turned other brands’ commercials into its own advertising platform. It capitalised on a simple observation — Home Centre products appear across countless ads in the region, from food to fashion to homecare brands. Rather than producing new campaigns to showcase its vast 14,000-strong product range, Home Centre used strategically placed YouTube pre-roll ads to highlight when its furniture appears in upcoming commercials.

Each time a Home Centre item was spotted in another brand’s ad, viewers were greeted with a cheeky pre-roll message drawing attention to the product’s presence, followed by a playful note: “This ad may not sell this table. But the next one will.”

The campaign simultaneously hijacked attention while tipping its hat to the brands whose production efforts unintentionally doubled as Home Centre showcases.

Speaking exclusively to Campaign Middle East, Aunindo Sen, Executive Creative Director, Publicis Middle East, said, “We’re incredibly proud to see Home Centre’s ‘There We Are’ recognized with a prestigious Clio. The campaign was born from a simple truth — that our catalogue had thousands of stories to tell. So we made it part of other’s stories.”

Sen added, “This win is a testament to Home Centre’s bravery and innovative spirit, and to the power of clever and simple ideas from our region. More than an award, it’s validation to the efforts of the team and their hard work.”

Publicis Middle East was awarded another Bronze Clio for the Rescue Squad campaign for Jeep.

Jeep just merged the two worlds of off-roaders and gamers with “Rescue Squad,” an all-new live gaming experience, turning stuck into epic. Usually, when a car gets stuck in a game, it’s game over.

But Jeep didn’t believe in game overs; Jeep believed in breakthroughs. For two weeks, 13 of Saudi Arabia’s biggest streamers, including Peerless, Ryan MJRM and KLO25 fired up nightly streams where players teamed up to show what Jeep does best: rescue, recover and ride on.

The mechanics of the campaign were simple, but powerful: When gamers got stuck in-game, they just needed to type /Rescue Squad in the game chat. Immediately, a convoy of Jeeps pulled up to pull them out. In essence, players got rescued, adventures continued, streams went wild.

In an exclusive conversation with Campaign Middle East, Tuki Ghiassi. Executive Creative Director, Publicis Middle East said, “Seeing Jeep Rescue Squad recognised at the Clio Awards is a huge honour and a testament to the kind of culturally grounded ideas that can emerge from the Middle East. The project was built around a simple belief. If Jeep stands for capability and community in the real world, it should behave the same way in virtual worlds too.”

Ghiassi added, “Winning on a global stage reinforces the importance of creating ideas that genuinely participate in culture rather than interrupt it, and proves that regional creativity can resonate far beyond its market of origin.”

TBWA\RAAD wins at the Clio Awards

TBWA\RAAD claimed 1 Silver Clio at the 2026 awards.

TBWA\RAAD and TBWA\Nissan United received a Silver Clio for their work on the Mechanic’s Perfect Pitch campaign for Arabian Automobiles – Nissan;

The ‘Mechanic’s Perfect Pitch’ completely rewrote how the automotive industry hires. It threw out the playbook, playing real engine problems on the radio. Mechanics heard ticking and knocking. If they knew what was wrong, they got the job.

No CVs, no interviews. Just expertise on the line. The result? Premium talent and zero pretenders.

Commenting on the win in conversation with Campaign Middle East, Derek Green, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\RAAD, said, “Winning at the Clio Awards for The Mechanic’s Perfect Pitch means a huge amount to everyone involved. Awards like this are never about one person, they reflect the passion, craft and belief of an entire team coming together to create something special for a great client. What makes this moment especially rewarding is that it celebrates an idea rooted in a real human insight, uncovered through our team of culture spotters. We noticed that the best mechanics can often diagnose a problem simply by hearing it, so instead of talking about recruitment, we turned radio into a real-time diagnostic test using actual vehicle failure sounds recorded at Nissan service centres. It transformed hiring into something authentic, engaging and true to the way mechanics actually work.”

Green added, “To see such a simple but powerful idea celebrated on a global stage is incredibly special for the entire team.”

Mullenlowe MENA wins at the 2026 Awards

Mullenlowe MENA, an MCN company, part of Omnicom won a Bronze Clio for Don’t Look Down by Mullenlowe MENA for FIXBY. 

Addressing the ongoing pervasive issue of smartphone addiction among teens and children, MullenLowe MENA, in collaboration with Fixby, launched ‘Don’t Look Down’ – a nine-hour film premiered exclusively at Roxy Cinemas, described as ‘shocking’, ‘pivotal’, ‘horrific’ by audiences.

The film served as a powerful social experiment and creative intervention, forcing audiences to confront the unsettling reality of excessive smartphone use by pre-teens, teenagers and youth.

Blurring the lines between entertainment and intervention, “Don’t Look Down” immersed viewers in a simulated endless social media scroll, punctuated with ads, medical warnings, and a QR code that challenges the audience to “End the Scroll.”

Within 48 hours of the premiere, the campaign had already sparked over 30,000 sign-ups, driven by organic interest, reflecting the urgency and resonance of its message.

Commenting on the win, Paul Banham, Chief Creative Officer, MullenLowe MENA told Campaign Middle East, “Don’t Look Down meant a lot to us. As parents, teachers and humans navigating our own screen habits, mobile addiction felt like a problem nobody had properly tackled. So we went after it with everything we had.
The result was a 9-hour psychological horror film that gained international recognition at the Clios which meant a lot to us as an agency.”

“You can look up now,” he quipped.

Banham added, “Beyond the awards, it helped drive law changes for mobile phone use in schools. Just goes to show, that no problem is too big if we can put our phones down for five minutes.”

Evaluating the winners from the MENA region by HOLDING COMPANY:

This means that at the HOLDING COMPANY level of the Big 5 advertising networks and groups, Publicis Groupe Middle East takes the top spot with a total of 8 wins, while in the shared second spot are Omnicom MENA and WPP MENA with a total tally of 7 wins each.

  – Publicis Groupe Middle East claims 8 wins, including 3 for Saatchi & Saatchi UAE, 3 for LEO UAE and 2 for Publicis Middle East.

View the full list of global winners at the Clio Awards 2026 here.

True to the global nature of the Clio Awards competition, 20 Grand Clio Awards were presented to culturally and creatively groundbreaking entries from France, Puerto Rico, Italy, Germany, Singapore, India, Mexico the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Grand Clios in the Business-To-Business Advertiser Type were awarded for:

-Direct: “Pub Succession” by LePub Milan for Heineken

Grand Clios in the Public Service Advertiser Type were awarded for:

-Branded Entertainment & Content: “The Final Exam” by BBDO Chicago for Change The Ref

-Culture & Influence: “The Final Exam” by BBDO Chicago for Change The Ref

-Film Craft: “Trails Will Blaze” by NOMINT for BBC

Grand Clios in the Product/Service Advertiser Type were awarded for:

-Audio: “The Unofficial Sound of F1” by Leo India for Sting

-Branded Entertainment & Content: “Gulf of Mexico (Bar)” by LePub Mexico City for Tecate

-Creative Business Transformation: “THREE WORDS” by Publicis Conseil for AXA

-Creative Disruption: “Gulf of Mexico (Bar)” by LePub Mexico City for Tecate

-Creative Strategy: “Vaseline Verified” by Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline

-Culture & Influence: “I WOOL SURVIVE” by SERVICEPLAN GERMANY for Grindr

-Design: “Vi Guardian Beads” by Ogilvy Mumbai for Vi (Vodafone Idea)

-Digital/Mobile: “Tracking Bad Bunny” by DDB Latina Puerto Rico for Bad Bunny

-Direct: “Vaseline Verified” by Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline

-Experience/Activation: “Expedition Impossible” by adam&eve\TBWA for Columbia Sportswear

-Film: “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” by MCCANN PARIS for L’Oréal Paris

-Film Craft: “No Project without Drama” by HeimatTBWA\Germany for HORNBACH

-Out of Home: “Gulf of Mexico (Bar)” by LePub Mexico City for Tecate

-PR: “THREE WORDS” by Publicis Conseil for AXA

-Social Media: “Gulf of Mexico (Bar)” by LePub Mexico City for Tecate

-Use of Influencers: “Vaseline Verified” by Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline

Each year, “Of the Year” honours are presented to entrants that collect the most statue points across all mediums. The 2026 “Of the Year” winners are:

-Advertiser Of The Year: Vaseline

-Agency Of The Year: Ogilvy Singapore

-Independent Agency Of The Year: Rethink Canada

-Network Of The Year: Ogilvy

-Production Company Of The Year: Whitecoat

Also in the show, Ogilvy Health received The Clio Awards & Google AI Specialty Award  for its innovative collaboration with EUROFARMA on a project that exemplifies the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in advertising. As Google continues to champion a new era of creativity, this recognition highlights work that meaningfully integrates AI with human insight to deliver impactful results.

Additionally, the 2026–2027 Clio Emerging Creative Award & Competition presented by PepsiCo Foods was announced by Chris Nilsen, Senior Director of PepsiCo Creative Studio. The brief invites emerging creatives, marketers, and students to compete for a Specialty Clio Award to be awarded live at the 2027 Clio Awards.

Mark Ronson, the Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician, songwriter, and producer, was honoured with an Honorary Clio Award for his genre-defying influence on modern music and culture. Renowned for crafting chart-topping hits with some of the world’s biggest artists, Ronson has consistently pushed boundaries while shaping the sound of contemporary pop. His work on major film soundtracks, including Barbie The Album, A Star Is Born, and Suicide Squad, has redefined music’s role in storytelling, extending its cultural impact far beyond the screen. From his early days as a DJ in New York City to the release of his memoir Night People, Ronson’s career reflects a relentless creative vision that continues to inspire the next generation of artists.

Later in the show, Mickalene Thomas, the visionary contemporary artist, was honored with an Honorary Clio Award for her transformative impact on art and culture. Spanning painting, collage, photography and immersive installations, her work challenges perceptions of identity and gender while bridging fine art and commercial collaboration, with pieces held in leading institutions including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The presenting sponsors of The Clio Awards are Google and PepsiCo Foods. Additional partners include Moment Factory, JKR, Brent Allen Hagel, Scripto, Campaign Middle East, Kyoorius, Muse by Clios, Ads of the World by Clio and Awards 360.