Mumbai: The London International Awards (LIA) has announced its Jury Presidents for the 2026 edition, bringing together some of the most influential creative leaders across agencies, brands, production and music. The awards will be judged onsite at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas from September 25 to October 3, 2026.
A total of 20 Jury Presidents will lead deliberations across 32 categories, collectively setting the global creative benchmark for the year. The line-up reflects a curated mix of leaders from legacy networks, independent agencies and specialist creative disciplines, underscoring LIA’s positioning as a platform for creative excellence.
Among the notable names, Aaron Starkman of Rethink Communications will chair the Ambient, Activation, Billboard, Poster and Print categories, while Ajay Vikram of Publicis Groupe will oversee Audio & Radio. Javier Campopiano, Global CCO at Omnicom Advertising, will lead B2B and Business Transformation.
Other key Jury Presidents include Monica Radulescu from The LEGO Group’s in-house agency OLA, Dino Myers-Lamptey of The Barber Shop, and Rachael Sansom of Havas Red.
A significant addition this year is the introduction of the Democracy and Human Rights competition, launched in collaboration with the European Parliament. Chaired by Anthony Chelvanathan of Edelman, the category will honour creative work that promotes democratic values such as human rights, free expression, accountability and fair representation. Notably, entries from political parties or candidates are excluded.
The jury leadership also includes Yoshihiro Yagi of Dentsu (Design), Menno Kluin of Iris Worldwide (Digital & Social), Keka Morelle of Ogilvy (Direct), and Geoff Edwards of GALE (Entertainment & Content).
Further appointments span Marco Venturelli of Publicis Groupe (Evolution, Gaming & Data), Rich Levy of Klick Health, Marie Julie Gerbauld of DAVID, Lucas Mayer of DaHouse Audio, and Tara Ford of Droga5.
The list also features Tim Hawkey of Area 23, Christiane Dressler of Anorak Film, Shannon Washington of 11 Ounces, and Chaka Sobhani of TBWA Worldwide, who will chair TV, Cinema and Online Film.
Christina Shaw, VP – Awards at LIA, said the selection reflects individuals who have consistently pushed the boundaries of creativity. She emphasised that whether from networks, independents or brands, each Jury President brings a track record of creative excellence and industry influence.
Reinforcing its rigorous judging standards, LIA confirmed that all evaluations will take place onsite, with juries reviewing every piece of work across all rounds—eliminating pre-judging or remote shortlisting.
Entries for LIA 2026 are now open, with a 35% early bird discount available until April 30, 2026.
