Chennai, Sep. 2025
The Advertising Club Madras proudly announces the successful completion of the 43rd edition of MADDYS, presented by Dinamalar and powered by Peps. The evening brought together the best of India’s creative, digital, and media industries under the theme “AI vs AI – Awesome Ideas vs Awesome Ideas.” With 929 entries across 155 categories from 106+ agencies and clients spanning India and Nepal, MADDYS 2025 set a new benchmark as one of the most competitive and diverse editions in its storied history.
Event Highlights
· Record Entries: 929 submissions across 155 categories, reflecting the growing stature of MADDYS as a national and international platform.
· Broad Participation: 106+ agencies and clients, with entries coming from across India and Nepal.
· Rigorous Selection: 340 entries were shortlisted through a meticulous first-round evaluation, with winners determined after a second round of deliberations.
· Prestigious Panel Discussion: “Awesome Ideas in the Age of AI” featuring Senthil Kumar, CCO, VML India, Chocka, Co-Founder & Director, OPN Advertising, Lakshmipathy Bhat, Sr. VP, Robosoft Technologies, Roshni Chandran, Filmmaker, Primary Colours & Shiv Parameswaran, Filmmaker, Bad Donkey Small Wall & Co-Founder, ReelsRoom. The session was moderated by Gokul Krishnamoorthy, Independent Content Consultant & Marketing Columnist.
· Networking & Celebration: The gala evening combined awards, celebration, and industry camaraderie with cocktails, dinner, and entertainment.
Judging Excellence
MADDYS 2025 continued its legacy of fairness and transparency through a two-stage judging system:
Entries at MADDYS 2025 were evaluated through a rigorous two-round process to ensure fairness, transparency, and credibility. In Round One, each entry was independently scored by at least three jurors across Strategy & Insights, Originality & Creativity, and Execution & Impact on a 30-point scale. Shortlisted entries advanced to Round Two for virtual panel deliberations, on the award entries.
The evaluation was overseen by 8 Jury Chairs and 27 leading industry experts, with Mr. Gokul Krishnamoorthy serving as Honorary Jury Convenor and Process Auditor, reinforcing the credibility of the process. Points earned by winning entries contributed to the Agency and Client of the Year titles in Creative Maddys, Media Maddys, Digital Maddys, Regional Pride (Tamil) Maddys. The other coveted awards included Film and Audio Craft Maddys Producer of the year, Print & Design Craft Maddys Agency of the year, Art Director & Copywriter of the year, with Grand Prix awarding 30 points, Gold 15, Silver 7, Bronze 3, and Shortlist 1.
This year, 340 entries were shortlisted, resulting in 184 awards, including 4 Grand Prix, 31 Gold, 61 Silver, and 76 Bronze, apart from 12 coveted awards making MADDYS 2025 one of the most competitive editions to date. Awards recognised outstanding creativity & strategy across creative, media, digital, design & print, film & audio, and integrated campaigns.
Theme of the Year – AI vs AI
The 2025 edition was inspired by the theme “AI vs AI – Awesome Ideas vs Awesome Ideas.” This theme symbolized the balance between technological transformation and the timeless power of human creativity, challenging participants to showcase how innovation and imagination can coexist in the age of AI.
Celebrating the Winners
– Creative MADDYS
· Agency of the Year – Mind Your Language!
· Client of the Year – Way2News
– Digital MADDYS
· Agency of the Year – Advertout Ventures
· Client of the Year – ITC Classmate
– Media MADDYS
· Agency of the Year – The Sight
· Client of the Year – Lingo India Private Limited
– Film & Audio Craft MADDYS
· Producer of the Year – Kadhai Films
– Design & Print Craft MADDYS
· Agency of the Year – be positive 24 Innovation Design Private Limited
· Art Directors of the Year – Rakesh Gandla & Velu Radhakrishnan
· Copywriter of the Year – Abhishek D Shah
– Regional Pride (Tamil) MADDYS
· Agency of the Year – Mind Your Language!
· Client of the Year – Way2News
This year’s winners represented a diverse mix of established agencies and rising creative boutiques, showcasing the evolving nature of the advertising landscape.
Acknowledgments
The Advertising Club Madras extends heartfelt gratitude to its sponsors and partners who made MADDYS 2025 a resounding success:
We thank our sponsors – Dinamalar for Title Sponsor, Peps for Powered By Sponsor, Vikatan for Film & Audio Craft Category Sponsor, The Hindu as Media Partner, Luminous India as Outdoor Partner, Jaya TV as Television Partner, Deepsense Digital Solutions as Technology Partner, Elevate Productions as Reels Partner, and Cavinkare, Aachi Masala & YOUNEEK as Gift Partners.
We thank our community partners – Pepper Awards, Adgully, Mediabrief, The Advertising Club, The Advertising Club Bangalore, Advertising Club Trivandrum & The Advertising Club Coimbatore.
Their support, alongside the tireless efforts of the Executive Committee, Jury Members, and Volunteers, ensured the smooth execution of this landmark event.
Welcoming the audience, Mr. S. Balasubramanian, President, Advertising Club Madras, said:
This evening is very special. For months, our team has worked with passion, energy, and true teamwork — and today, it all comes alive on this stage. I’m proud to share that we received 929 entries this year, the second highest in the 43-year history of MADDYS — right after last year’s record of 1,015 entries. This consistency reflects the faith and trust the industry places in MADDYS, and the effort of every single member of our executive committee.
This year, we also took our first steps toward going international, with entries coming from outside India. It’s only a beginning, but it shows the potential of MADDYS to become a global benchmark.
For the first time, we introduced a structured, two-level judging system — with independent scoring in Round 1, and jury meets chaired by respected leaders in Round 2. This has brought unprecedented rigour and transparency, ensuring only the most deserving work is celebrated tonight.
But let me emphasise — tonight is not just about winning or losing. It’s about celebrating creativity, celebrating Awesome Ideas vs Awesome Ideas.
The Advertising Club Madras has a legacy of 68 years, and in just the last two years alone, we’ve run more than 50 programs — from ADTALKS to InsightView Series, Brand Quiz, sports events, our Post Graduate Diploma in Advertising, and student chapters across leading institutions.
So let’s sit back, celebrate ideas, and make this night a true festival of creativity. This is MADDYS 2025 — where legends begin.
Surej Salim, Secretary, Advertising Club Madras said: Maddys 2025 was an incredible celebration of ideas that inspire culture and transform businesses. Congratulations to all the winners whose creativity continues to be the heartbeat of our industry.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Executive Committee, Subcommittee, past presidents, ex-officio members, and our office staff for making this gala possible. A special thanks to our sponsors and partners for their trust and support.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who participated and turned up to celebrate Awesome Ideas with us.
