Chennai: The Advertising Club Madras has officially unveiled the 43rd edition of the MADDYS — one of India’s longest-standing and most respected advertising awards. This year, the prestigious platform takes a bold leap forward, going international for the first time and introducing a refreshed format that aligns with global industry standards.
With the theme “AI vs AI – Awesome Ideas vs Awesome Ideas”, MADDYS 2025 aims to celebrate creative brilliance that challenges conventional boundaries in an AI-influenced era. The awards will honour work that embodies insight, originality, and executional excellence across a wide range of disciplines in advertising.
From National Legacy to Global Ambition
After the record-setting success of MADDYS 2024 — which drew over 1,000 entries from 116 agencies and clients across 10+ states — MADDYS 2025 now opens its doors to international entries, setting new benchmarks in inclusivity and excellence.
The revamped format introduces:
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Six Major Streams: Creative, Design & Print Craft, Film & Audio Craft, Regional Pride (Tamil), Digital, and Media.
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155 Categories: Each rigorously defined to reflect evolving industry practices.
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New Grand Prix Honours: Recognising exceptional, benchmark-setting work across categories.
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A One-Day Mega Celebration: Featuring a full-day program from breakfast to cocktail dinner.
Robust and Transparent Judging Process
The awards will be judged through a two-round process guided by structured scoring metrics and led by independent Jury Convenor and Process Auditor, Gokul Krishnamoorthy.
Round 1 involves independent scoring on:
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Strategy & Insights (10 points)
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Originality & Creativity (10 points)
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Execution & Impact (10 points)
Round 2 comprises virtual deliberations and re-scoring using a 99-point scale. Winners will be classified as:
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Grand Prix (95–99)
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Gold (85–94)
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Silver (70–84)
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Bronze (60–69)
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Shortlist (59 and below)
Points earned will contribute to Agency and Client of the Year honours across all six streams. New recognitions for Art Director and Copywriter of the Year will also be introduced under Design & Print Craft.
Stellar Jury Leadership
MADDYS 2025 boasts an esteemed panel of Jury Chairs, each a respected leader in their domain:
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Creative MADDYS:
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Karthi Marshan, Business Advisor & former CMO, Kotak
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Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, VML India
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Design & Print Craft MADDYS:
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Santosh Padhi, Founder & CCO, Into Creative
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Film & Audio Craft MADDYS:
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Gayatri & Pushkar, Filmmakers & Screenwriters
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Regional Pride (Tamil) MADDYS:
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Chocka, Co-founder & Director, OPN Advertising
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Digital MADDYS:
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Dr. Apurva Chamaria, Global Head – VC & Startup Partnerships, Google
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Media MADDYS:
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Ajay Gupte, CEO – South Asia, Wavemaker
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Balasubramanian S, President of Advertising Club Madras, emphasized the club’s evolution over the past two years: “The success of MADDYS 2024 wasn’t an accident—it was built on vision, trust, and teamwork. MADDYS 2025 represents the culmination of that momentum—a future-facing, process-led platform curated by India’s best minds. We’re proud to reimagine MADDYS as not just an awards ceremony, but a credible benchmark of creative excellence.”
Surej Salim, Secretary of the Club, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of relevance and rigour: “With a reinvigorated format and domain-specific Jury Chairs, MADDYS 2025 is rooted in transparency and fairness. Whether you’re a boutique agency or a network giant, your work will be judged by the very best.”
Entries Now Open
MADDYS 2025 is now accepting submissions from agencies, production houses, design studios, digital specialists, and media firms from India and beyond. With its newly international scope and structured, expert-led approach, the 2025 edition promises to be the most ambitious and inclusive in MADDYS history.
