Effie Awards South Africa, hosted by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), has announced its 2026 jury, with this year’s panel significantly expanded across Round 1 and Round 2 judging in response to another record year for entries.
The Effie Awards remain the globally recognised benchmark for marketing effectiveness, rewarding ideas that work, campaigns that are grounded in insight, fuelled by creativity and proven to deliver measurable business results. In 2026, the scale and diversity of the jury reflects the continued growth of the programme and the increasing importance of rigorous, multi-disciplinary evaluation in identifying South Africa’s most effective campaigns.
“Effie is built on the credibility of its jury, and that credibility comes from the mix of expertise, experience and perspective brought into the judging room,” said Gillian Rightford, ACA Executive Director for Effie South Africa. “As entries continue to grow, so too does the responsibility to ensure that the work is assessed through a broad and balanced lens. This year’s jury brings together senior talent from across marketing, agency, media, research, digital, technology, PR and communications, ensuring that the campaigns recognised by Effie are assessed through the programme’s core effectiveness pillars, from challenge, context, insight and strategy to execution and results.”
Rightford added that significantly more applications were received than could be accommodated, making selection to the 2026 jury a meaningful acknowledgement of each judge’s expertise and standing in the industry. Effie South Africa congratulates all judges selected for 2026 and thanks them for committing their time and expertise to the rigorous evaluation of South Africa’s most effective work.
Returning to lead the adjudication process are Jury Co-Chairs Refilwe Maluleke, Executive Head of Marketing at Discovery Health, and Ahmed Tilly, Creative Advisor and Director at Number 10, A Creative Consultancy.
The 2026 Effie South Africa jury comprises leaders drawn from across the marketing and communications ecosystem, including client-side marketers, agency leaders, strategists, creatives, media specialists, research and analytics experts, digital and technology specialists, and public relations and communications professionals. Judges are selected for their track record, experience and understanding of effectiveness, ensuring that cases are evaluated with both specialist insight and commercial rigour.
Round 1 judging will take place on Thursday, 16 July 2026, followed by Round 2 judging on Thursday, 13 August 2026. Grand Effie adjudication will take place on Thursday, 10 September 2026. The 2026 Effie Awards South Africa Gala will be held on Thursday, 22 October 2026, where this year’s winners will be announced.
The full 2026 Effie South Africa jury can be viewed here.
Effie Awards South Africa is hosted by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) and sponsored by Nedbank, South African Breweries (AB InBev), Heineken Beverages, Emeris, IAS, Eat Big Fish, Investec, Boundless and Motion Ads.
For more information, visit https://effie.org/partners/south-africa/ or www.acasa.co.za
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About Effie®
Effie leads, inspires and champions the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness through education, awards, ever-evolving thought leadership initiatives and first-class insights into marketing strategies that produce results. The organization recognizes the most effective brands, marketers and agencies, globally, regionally and locally through its 50+ award programs across the world and through its coveted effectiveness rankings, the Effie Index. Since 1968, Effie is known as global symbol of achievement, while serving as a resource to steer the future of marketing success. For more detail, visit effie.org.
About the ACA
The ACA is the official representative body for the Communications and Advertising profession in South Africa, representing agencies in the profession to government, media and the public. The ACA is a voluntary body formed by and for the industry, focused on and committed to self-regulation and to defending the highest standards of ethical practice.
For more about the ACA visit www.acasa.co.za or call the ACA on (010) 880 3399
