The Lagos International Advertising Festival (LAIF) has announced its first batch of 2026 jurors, led by Esosa Osagiede, Group Creative Director at Insight Publicis, as preparations intensify for the 21st edition of Nigeria’s leading advertising creativity festival.
The announcement, made in Lagos on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, places Osagiede at the head of the jury structure as Radio LAIF Jury President and overall Jury President, bringing nearly two decades of advertising, branding and marketing experience to the role.
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Promise Oduh, Chief Operating Officer for French West & Central Africa at mediaReach OMD Nigeria, has also been appointed Jury President for the Media LAIF category.
Other professionals named to category juries include Ayoade Aderoju, Brand and Strategy Director at X3M Ideas, who will judge the Digital LAIF category, and Onyebuchi Ugwumbah, Creative Director at MTN Nigeria, who will serve on the Design LAIF jury.
Olufunke Fajusigbe, Ayodeji Tobun, Managing Director of ibst_media, and Gabriel Olonisakin, Creative Director at Noah’s Ark, are also among the first professionals announced for the 2026 judging panels.
The appointments bring together expertise spanning creative direction, brand strategy, media, digital advertising and communications.
That breadth is significant for a festival whose categories increasingly reflect the changing ways brands connect with audiences.
Osagiede’s appointment also adds considerable award-jury experience to the leadership of LAIF 2026.
Her career has included senior creative roles at Centerspread FCB, 141Worldwide and Leo Burnett Lagos, while her international jury experience includes CLIO, D&AD, The One Show, The ANDYs and Cannes Lions.
Her record at LAIF is equally notable. The TERRA Seasoning campaign she led, “Unwrap Joy, Unleash Taste”, won the Grand Prix at the 2023 festival, while Insight Publicis went on to win Agency of the Year at the 2024 LAIF Awards.
Ayoade Aderoju also brings a strong strategic background to the judging process. X3M Ideas appointed her Brand and Strategy Director in May 2026, citing her experience in brand architecture, consumer insight and strategic positioning across African and international markets.
Her portfolio has included work involving brands such as Coca-Cola, MTN, Stanbic IBTC, DSTV, Golden Penny, Huawei and Toyota.
The jury announcement comes at a significant point in LAIF’s development. In August, the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) unveiled a new LAIF Management Board led by Funke Adekola, Managing Director of Dentsu Creative, as President, alongside Jumoke Akinyele as Vice President.
The new leadership has set an ambitious direction for the festival, seeking to move LAIF beyond its established regional standing towards becoming a globally respected benchmark for creative excellence.
AAAN President Lanre Adisa previously described the 2026 theme, “From Glitch to Great”, as a reflection of the difficult but ultimately rewarding creative process.
“Every great idea faces obstacles. Every creative breakthrough is preceded by moments of doubt, disruption, experimentation, and even glitches,” Adisa said, stressing that creativity requires the courage and resilience to adapt and keep creating.
The 2026 festival will run from November 23 to 28 and is expected to feature C-suite conversations, masterclasses on technology, artificial intelligence, brand strategy and commercial growth, as well as youth-focused initiatives including Young LAIFers, UniLAIFers and hackathons for professionals under 30.
The week will culminate in the Nominees Party and LAIF Awards Gala.
For an industry being reshaped by artificial intelligence, changing consumer behaviour and rapidly evolving media platforms, the jury appointments underline the importance of experienced professionals in determining which ideas demonstrate genuine originality, strategic thinking and cultural relevance.
Further jurors, entry details and programme information are expected to be announced as LAIF 2026 moves closer to its November showcase.
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With its new management structure and an increasingly diverse judging panel, LAIF is entering its 21st edition with a clear ambition: to recognise the strongest creative work emerging from Nigeria while building a platform capable of earning greater attention on the global advertising stage.
