South Africa comes out swinging with 48 One Show Finalists. Here’s the work.
Awards season is in full swing, and The One Show has dropped its 2026 finalists, with South Africa leading the Middle East & Africa region with an impressive 48 finalists. BOOM! Flying the flag for South Africa are Accenture Song, Bananas, Carbon Films, Chocolate Tribe, Darling Films, Dolph, Giant Films, Joe Public, M&C Saatchi Abel, Marc Algranti, Ogilvy South Africa, Post Modern, Pressure Cooker, Run Jump Fly, Sterling Sound, TBWA\, The Odd Number, VML South Africa and 2Plus3.
They now head into final judging, with Pencil winners set to be announced during Creative Week in New York City on 14 May. Every finalist is guaranteed a win, whether that lands as a Gold, Silver, Bronze Pencil or Merit. Go well, team SA.
If you or your company worked on any of these projects and your credits aren’t listed, it’s probably because you’re not an IDIDTHAT member… which feels like a bit of a miss, considering you’re clearly doing some of the best work out there. Don’t pull a Van Gogh and wait to get famous later. Get seen now, by the people who matter. Take a look at our membership options or drop us a line [email protected] to get signed up and we’ll make sure your work gets the spotlight it deserves.
AWARDED
Finalist: Creative Effectiveness | Creative Effectiveness – Tourism / Travel / Transportation
AWARDED
Finalist: Sustainable Development Goals Pencil | Sustainable Development Goals
AWARDED
Finalist: Radio & Audio-First | Innovation – Use of Media in Radio & Audio
AWARDED
Finalist: Public Relations | Public Relations for Good
AWARDED
Finalist: Design in Advertising | Print Advertisements
AWARDED
Finalist: Integrated / Omnichannel | Craft – Use of Humor
AWARDED
Finalist:
Public Relations | Public Relations for Good
Out of Home | Out of Home for Good
.
.
AWARDED
Finalist:
Direct Marketing | Innovation – Use of Media in Direct Marketing
Experiential & Immersive | Experiential & Immersive for Good
Experiential & Immersive | Innovation – Use of Media in Experiential & Immersive
The Indies | Print & Out of Home
The Indies | Direct Marketing
The Indies | Campaigns for Good
AWARDED
Finalist:
Social Media | Best Use of TikTok
Branded Entertainment | User-Generated Content (UGC)
Creator Content | Community Activation
Creator Content | Multi-Creator Collaboration
Cultural Driver | Creator / Brand Collaboration
Direct Marketing | Social Media – Creator-Driven Engagement
Direct Marketing | Social Media – Influencer Marketing
Health & Wellness | Social Media – Influencer & Creator
Health & Wellness | Public Relations
Public Relations | Digital & Online
Public Relations | Community Building
Social Media | Community Building
Social Media | Community Engagement
AWARDED
Finalist:
Branded Entertainment | Branded Entertainment for Good
Branded Entertainment | Craft – Storytelling
Branded Entertainment | Craft – Use of Technology
Branded Entertainment | Full Length Video – Single
Creative Use of Data | Data for Good
Creative Use of Technology | Technology as a Creative Tool
Creative Use of Technology | Technology for Good
Cultural Driver | Cultural Driver for Good
Film & Video | Film & Video for Good
Gaming | Gaming for Good
Integrated / Omnichannel | Integrated / Omnichannel Campaigns for Good
Integrated / Omnichannel | Craft – Use of Technology
Moving Image Craft & Production | Use of Technology
IDIDTHAT Directory
Quickly find the right people to work with by searching through our curated Directory. We make the process of sourcing South African companies to work with easy, simple and downright sexy. Basically, if you’re not listed on IDIDTHAT.co, you simply don’t exist, like Bruce Willis in that movie with the kid that sees dead people, except nobody will see you…#Shame
IDIDTHAT Featured Stories
Find out who we’re talking about. Read the latest advertising, production, and creative news. We write it so it’s not kak. Let us know if you’d like us to feature your big stories.
Thandeka Gilbert Said That. How the Work Gets Made: Inside the Creative Process
Thandeka Gilbert is an award-winning creative known for shaping culture, championing Black women in leadership, and making work that lives beyond the brief. Recognised at major shows and a jury member at Cannes Lions, Dubai Lynx, Loeries, Creative Circle, Bookmarks, and Pendoring, she pairs sharp instinct with serious craft. In this conversation, she shares what really happens between brief and final work, what she won’t compromise on, and why backing an idea, and each other, matters.
LittleBig director Rob Smith on big storytelling with restraint for ‘Safely Home’ campaign
Last year, more than 700 mothers in the Western Cape lost a child to road-related incidents. ‘Safely Home’, the campaign directed by LittleBig’s Rob Smith for Ogilvy Cape Town and the Western Cape Government, approaches that reality with restraint and care. While comedy may be Rob’s most visible calling card, this work shows his ability to handle big, emotionally complex stories with a measured, thoughtful approach.
Director Mark Strydom brings the lessons of Africa home to Robot
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, director Mark Strydom is making things official with Robot, joining the team for local representation and bringing experience shaped across Africa and international markets back home. For the past few years, Mark has deliberately been directing outside South Africa, leaning into work across Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Ghana, India, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. Different pressures, different cultural nuances, but across every market one principle stayed the same for him, “If the work doesn’t feel real to the people watching it, it doesn’t land.”
IDIDTHAT Monthly Craft Awards
Find out who’s doing the best work in South Africa. Every month we team up with industry leaders to award South Africa’s best in Production Craft. Huge thanks to our recent guest judges who’ve taken the time to judge IDIDTHAT Craft Awards. Look how sexy they are in these black and white pictures we put up – FYI we used the ‘Inkwell’ filter.
Best in Film Craft: November 2019
November’s iDidTht Craft Awards were judged by the highly Instagrammable ECD of King James Group JHB, Graeme Jenner. Born in England (but we won’t hold that against him), Graeme moved to SA, was raised in Secunda and became a Graphic Designer in Joburg. Since then he has made his mark on the industry in countless ways, including being the Founder of King James II. An honour and a privilege to have you Graeme!
Best in Film Craft: October 2019
Creative Director at Grey Africa/Liquid, Steph van Niekerk once went on stage 15 times on a single night at the Loeries. She’s one of SA’s most awarded creatives in film, but it’s time that people know that the real talent lies with her cat, word-renowned film critic and enthusiast, Dmitri Moses, who will be joining her as co-judge this month. Thank you Steph and Moses. 🙌🐾
Best in Film Craft: September 2019
Every month iDidTht teams up with an industry superstar to award South Africa’s best in Craft. For the month of September, we were joined by none other than Neo Mashigo. His credits are endless so in the interest of word count, here’s the highlights reel: CCO for at M&C Saatchi Group, former Chairperson & current board member of Loeries, Co-Founder of 'I See a Different You', on the Executive Committee of the Creative Circle, and basically won all the awards including Grand Prix at Cannes, legend. Thank you Neo, thank you!
