Despite not attending it in the last few years, Pattaya ADFEST remains my favourite award show. I look forward to the Fabulous Five New Directors and the Young Lotus Workshop winners, judged by some of the world’s foremost creative leaders. They are a fresh way to look at different problems and ideas.
The Young Lotus Workshop Winners.
Young Lotus Workshop is one of the industry’s longest-running mentoring programs for up-and-coming talent. It is designed to give the next generation of advertising leaders hands-on, practical experience involving lectures, mentoring, and a creative brief with just 24 hours to deliver—something that few other awards try replicating.
ADFEST 2025, the Young Lotus Workshop hosted by Dentsu, rallied under the theme ‘The Collision of Creativity, Creativity++’. The workshop was led by Alice Chou and Hitoshi Hamaguchi, with Mastercard providing the clients’ brief. The challenge for the Young Lotus participants was to develop a brand experience and activation campaign that empowers and supports the diverse needs group within the APAC region to travel and explore more easily.
The ADFEST 2025 Young Lotus winners were the Ho Chi Minh team for their work, “Journey to the DEPTH” by Dat Nguyen Thanh and Dung Cao from Dentsu Redder. They very quietly flipped the proposition by reframing the problem—something they had learned in the Young Lotus Workshop. The team believes that paying close attention during the workshop, absorbing knowledge, and applying it right away really made a difference.
‘Journey to the Depth’ completely reframes and confronts the problem head-on. The thought is inclusive and refreshing.
However, ADFEST 2025, Young Lotus Popular Vote winners, were the Jakarta team for their campaign, “Stay-able” by Kevin Leosujanto, and Reyhana Febriola, from Maleo. Watching their work makes you realise how solutions can emerge and what would have made them the popular choice. Stayable- is another fresh thought. It is surprisingly simple and yet powerful. What is interesting is the way the Young Lotus team has approached it.
The Fabulous Five and Winners.
The Fabulous Five is an ADFEST program for emerging talents, especially up-and-coming directors, to give them additional exposure and kick-start their directorial careers. The theme for ADFEST 2025 Fabulous Five was COLLiDE.
This year’s Commendation Winner was Mika Sasaki, Director at TYO Inc., with her short film, “IM PERFECTION”. The subject has been dealt with sensitively, and is a powerful take on the issue.
The Popular Vote Winner was Haruna Takahara,Director at HAT, with her short flim, “ICE”. Most of us in trade would love to have such a system.
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Personally, I loved ICE for the concept, and I PERFECTION for the thought and the message. This year, all Fabulous Five Short Films automatically get shortlisted at the Academy Award® and BAFTA qualifying 2025 LA Shorts International Film Festival. LA Shorts Director and Founder Robert Arentz will also select one film from the shortlist to screen in competition at the festival in July 2025.
ADDON.
ADFEST is a not-for-profit entity that believes passionately in its role in nurturing and supporting the creative industry in the Asia Pacific and MENA region. It is 1 of only 7 regional creative festivals included in the WARC Creative 100 Rankings, 1 of 12 awards included in the Campaign Brief Asia Rankings, and 1 of 22 awards included in The Drum World Creative Rankings.
FISHING FOR SPONSORSHIP.
If any brand is interested in sponsoring dedicated coverage of Adfest 2026, do connect. I will be more than willing to accommodate. There is so much happening at the first award show of the year in Pattaya, and I am surprised at the low-key coverage in India.
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