Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity assemble India’s most prestigious jury
The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity have unveiled a Grand Jury comprising some of India’s most influential leaders across advertising, business, policy and culture, positioning it among the country’s most prestigious creative award platforms.
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At a time when creativity is being redefined by platforms, participation and public scrutiny, the credibility of a creative awards platform is shaped as much by who judges the work as by what is being judged. With the unveiling of its Grand Jury, the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity has signalled its ambition to set a new benchmark — bringing together one of the most distinguished and cross-disciplinary juries ever assembled for creative awards in India.
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The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity were conceived to recognise work that reflects the realities of modern brand communication. The awards span categories across brand film and storytelling, integrated campaigns, digital and social innovation, purpose-driven creativity, design and visual craft, creative effectiveness and emerging formats such as AI, gaming and creator collaborations. The emphasis is on work that is culturally resonant, strategically grounded and capable of shaping conversations in a fast-moving media environment.
What elevates the platform further is the composition of its jury — a rare convergence of leaders from public policy, corporate leadership, advertising, entrepreneurship, cultural commentary and global brand building.
A Jury That Reflects the Modern Creative Economy
The jury includes Amitabh Kant, the architect behind the Incredible India campaign and one of the country’s most influential reform-oriented thinkers, bringing a perspective rooted in nation branding and public impact.
Praveen Someshwar, CEO of Diageo India, represents the intersection of creativity and large-scale brand leadership, informed by experience across media and consumer businesses.
Advertising’s cultural conscience is represented by Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of Omnicom Advertising India, whose body of work spans iconic brand campaigns as well as poetry and film, shaping how storytelling is understood in Indian advertising.
Strategic and cultural interpretation comes through Suhel Seth and Santosh Desai — two of the country’s most widely read commentators on brands, society and public discourse, each known for decoding how meaning, perception and power intersect.
Apply here: Enter The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity
From the world of FMCG brand building, Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director of Perfetti Van Melle India, brings experience in sustaining mass-market brands through consistent, culturally tuned creativity, while Anil Viswanathan, Vice President of Marketing for Mondelez North and Western Europe, contributes a global lens shaped by award-winning work on Cadbury in India and large-scale international brand stewardship.
Entrepreneurial, digital-first brand thinking is represented by Shantanu Deshpande, co-founder of Bombay Shaving Company, whose work reflects how modern brands are built in public, through community, content and founder-led storytelling.
Adding a sharp business and consumer lens is Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, whose leadership highlights the growing importance of clarity, trust and narrative in financial services and beyond.
Why This Jury Matters
Together, the jury reflects the breadth of how creativity operates today — not just within agencies, but across boardrooms, startups, public institutions and culture at large. It signals a belief that great creative work must stand up to multiple forms of scrutiny: cultural, commercial, ethical and contextual.
In today’s environment, creativity is no longer judged solely by craft or novelty. It is assessed by its ability to travel across platforms, anticipate public response, remain authentic and deliver real impact. The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity have built their evaluation framework around these realities, and the jury mirrors that ambition.
Apply here: Enter The Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity
Setting a New Creative Benchmark
As entries open for work released in 2025, the awards position themselves not merely as a celebration, but as a reference point for what creative excellence means in contemporary India. The stature and diversity of the Grand Jury lend the platform both authority and relevance.
In assembling leaders who have shaped brands, culture and economic thinking at the highest levels, the Storyboard18 Awards for Creativity have made a clear statement: the future of creative recognition lies in insight, responsibility and cultural intelligence as much as in craft.
