Shanghai: The One Club for Creativity has named three leading Indian creative professionals to the jury for the 2026 ONE Asia Creative Awards, reinforcing India’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific creative landscape.
Representing India on the 2026 jury are Sonal Chhajerh, National Creative Director at Leo Mumbai; Ashwini Deshpande, Co-founder and Director at Elephant Design, Pune; and Ashish Khazanchi, Managing Partner at Enormous Brands, Mumbai.
The jury comprises senior creative leaders, marketers, directors and emerging creative talent from across the Asia-Pacific region, bringing together diverse perspectives to evaluate this year’s entries.
The 2026 edition of the awards introduces several new categories reflecting the changing dynamics of the creative industry. New disciplines include Creator Content, recognising the growing influence of creator-led platforms in brand storytelling; Luxury, Fashion and Lifestyle, celebrating creativity across premium brands and experiences; and Production & Craft, which consolidates multiple craft-focused categories. The Creative Use of Artificial Intelligence category has also been expanded to better reflect AI’s evolving role in creative work.
Continuing its tradition of engaging with creative communities across Asia-Pacific, the ONE Asia Creative Awards will move to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this year after previous editions in Seoul, Manila and Shanghai. Judging will take place from October 17-19, 2026, at The Majestic, Kuala Lumpur, with production company DirectorsThinkTank serving as the exclusive judging sponsor. A student masterclass in partnership with Level Up is scheduled for October 20.
Entries for the awards are currently open, with the regular deadline set for July 17, 2026, followed by an extended deadline on August 28 and a final deadline on September 18. Finalists will be announced later this year, while winners will be revealed in November 2026. Winning work will contribute to the annual Campaign Brief Asia Rankings, the ONE Asia Creative Rankings, and The One Club’s Global Creative Rankings.
This year’s call-for-entries campaign, titled “Where Taste Matters,” was created by Muma Malaysia. The campaign highlights the growing importance of human judgment and creative instinct in an era increasingly shaped by AI-generated content.
Commenting on this year’s jury, Tay Guan Hin, APAC Regional Director, The One Club for Creativity, said, “This year’s jury brings together senior leaders behind some of the region’s most recognized work, brand marketers who know the impact of every decision, and a new generation with fresh perspectives. They all come from a range of agencies, brands, countries, and cultures, and all are held to the same high standard of Taste.”
The inclusion of three senior Indian creative leaders on the jury underscores the country’s expanding role in shaping creative excellence across the Asia-Pacific region, while reflecting the increasing global recognition of India’s advertising, branding and design talent.
