South African creative agency Joe Public won both Agency of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year at the 2026 Loeries Awards, while TBWA\Hunt Lascaris founder Reg Lascaris was inducted into the Loeries Hall of Fame.

The honours were announced during the second and final evening of the awards, which recognise excellence in advertising, brand communication and creative work across Africa and the Middle East.

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Other major winners included Heineken Beverages, named Brand of the Year, and Publicis Groupe, which received the Regional Agency Group of the Year award.

According to the published results, Joe Public secured 30 awards, including two Grands Prix, the highest total recorded by an agency at this year’s ceremony.

TBWA\Hunt Lascaris followed with 20 awards, while Accenture Song South Africa and Fortune Promoseven each collected 12.

The results listed 272 awards overall, including four Grands Prix.

Among Joe Public’s winning campaigns was Spinning Thing, a radio campaign for Sunlight that received a Grand Prix. Its other recognised work included This Is African Time, a Gold-winning film for South African Breweries, alongside campaigns for Nedbank and Chicken Licken.

LePub Johannesburg also secured a Grand Prix in the Live Events category for Heineken Beverages’ Bar de Change campaign.

Darling Films received another Grand Prix for direction on African Time, the South African Breweries film.

The 2026 results continue Joe Public’s recent success at the awards.

The agency also won both Agency of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year in 2025, marking another year at the top of the Loeries rankings.

The agency said its latest achievement was the sixth time it had reached the top of the awards.

Chicken Licken, one of Joe Public’s clients, was named Brand of the Year at the 2025 edition.

The induction of Reg Lascaris into the Loeries Hall of Fame recognised his contribution to the advertising and creative industries over his career.

The honour formed part of the awards programme celebrating individuals and organisations whose work has helped shape creative communications.

The Loeries Awards are a central feature of Loeries Creative Week, which brings together agencies, brands and creative professionals from Africa and the Middle East.

The first awards evening took place on October 8, with the second and final ceremony completing the 2026 programme.