Prasoon Joshi joins the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity's Grand Jury

In a noteworthy gathering of creative leadership, Prasoon Joshi, one of the world's most distinguished advertising visionaries and creative voices, has joined the Grand Jury of the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity, the platform designed to celebrate and benchmark modern creative excellence across the Indian advertising and brand storytelling landscape.

Enter the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity

The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity are intended to spotlight and honour work that not only exhibits exceptional craft but also shapes cultural conversations. With categories spanning traditional brand films to next-generation formats such as AI, gaming and influencer collaborations, the awards seek to recognise work that resonates with India’s fast-evolving audience across digital, social, experiential and traditional platforms.

Joshi’s inclusion in the awards’ grand jury signals the intent to bring a mix of creative gravitas and global perspective to the adjudication process. Creativity in today’s media ecosystem, especially in a market as diverse and dynamic as India’s, is increasingly understood not merely as aesthetic finesse but as the ability to connect, provoke and influence at scale.

The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity: A New Creative Standard

The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity were conceived against the backdrop of a rapidly shifting creative economy in India, where platforms, audience behaviours and formats evolve in real time. From brand films with narrative depth and integrated cross-platform campaigns to purpose-driven initiatives and digitally native innovations, the awards’ architecture reflects the multifaceted nature of contemporary creative work. Core categories include Brand Film & Storytelling Excellence, Digital & Social Innovation, Purpose-Driven Creativity, Creative Effectiveness, Design & Visual Craft, and a YoungGuns Track spotlighting rising creative talent. Additionally, special honours such as Bold Brand of the Year, Creative Force: Agency of the Year, and the Legends of the Craft Lifetime Achievement Award are part of the recognition suite.

Entry work is judged on criteria that emphasise cultural impact, storytelling depth, executional excellence, innovation in media and technology, and measurable effectiveness — a framework that aligns with how modern creative work is evaluated globally.

Prasoon Joshi: An Icon of Indian Creativity

Joshi’s career trajectory reads like a study in cross-disciplinary influence. Born in 1971 in Almora, in the mountainous region of Uttarakhand, he started his professional life in advertising before rising to become CEO and Chief Creative Officer of McCann Worldgroup India and Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific. In these roles he has overseen work for major global brands and Indian entities alike, crafting campaigns that married emotional resonance with cultural insight.

His leadership has helped McCann Worldgroup India become one of the country’s most awarded agencies, consistently recognised at prestigious platforms including Cannes Lions, Clio Awards and The One Show. Beyond commercial branding, Joshi’s work has also engaged with national public-interest initiatives, contributing to awareness campaigns around sanitation, polio eradication and nutrition.

Joshi’s creative footprint extends well beyond advertising. He is a Padma Shri awardee, among India’s highest civilian honours, recognising his contributions to arts, literature and advertising. He is also a celebrated poet and lyricist, with his songs and scripts forming part of some of Bollywood’s most memorable films, further highlighting his narrative range.

In 2025, he was inducted into the International Advertising Association Hall of Fame, an honour reserved for advertising professionals whose lifetime work has significantly shaped the direction of marketing and communications.

Enter your best work for the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity

Judging Creativity in an Age of Platforms and Purpose

The role of a grand jury member in awards such as the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity is not merely ceremonial. As Indian advertising and brand-led content navigate the tensions between cultural nuance and global standards, the jury’s deliberations will set signals about what constitutes meaningful work in an era dominated by short attention spans, platform fragmentation and data-driven optimisation.

Joshi’s body of work — which spans traditional advertising, purpose media, film writing and poetry and music, — positions him as a jurist capable of balancing craft with context. His insight into the evolving relationship between creativity, narrative and impact is especially pertinent at a time when brands seek to engage audiences not only through attention but through emotional and societal relevance.

A Platform for a New Era

As advertising and brand communication continue to intersect with social issues, technology and cultural discourse, forums like the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity will play a role in shaping how excellence is defined and celebrated. Joshi’s participation connects established creative leadership with emergent voices in the industry.

The awards and the jury’s collective views on creativity will be featured and amplified across CNBC-TV18 and Network18’s leading brands including Moneycontrol, Forbes India, CNN-News18 and Firstpost.

Entries for the awards remain open to work released in 2025, with submissions evaluated against criteria that reflect both craft and resonance. With figures like Joshi at the adjudication helm, the awards are poised to help define new benchmarks for creative work in India’s rapidly transforming media landscape.

For more information on the awards and how to join, click here.