Ad World’s ‘Oscars’ Get Star Jury Line-Up

by R. Suryamurthy April 21, 2026

By R. Suryamurthy April 21, 2026 0 comments 1 minutes read

From left, Ashish Chakravarty, Praful Akali, and Neha Tulsian.

Often described as the “Oscars of Indian advertising,” the ABBY Awards will return this year with new jury leadership, as The Advertising Club on Tuesday named Ashish Chakravarty, Neha Tulsian and Praful Akali as jury chairs for the 2026 edition.

Chakravarty, managing partner and chief creative officer at Garage Worldwide, will lead the Audio and Radio category, while Tulsian, founder and executive creative director of NH1 Design, will chair the Design jury. Akali, founder and managing director of Medulla Communications, has been appointed to head the health category.

The ABBY Awards 2026, powered by The One Club for Creativity and its flagship The One Show, are scheduled to take place during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon.

Chakravarty brings more than two decades of experience across Asia and has worked with leading global and regional brands, earning over 500 awards at major shows including Cannes Lions, D&AD and The One Show. He was ranked India’s top creative professional by Campaign Brief Asia in 2026.

Tulsian, who founded NH1 Design after stints at Ray and Keshavan and VGC Bangalore, has built a strong reputation in strategic branding, with multiple recognitions including Kyoorius Design Awards and the Pentawards. She has also served on juries for global platforms such as D&AD and the ADC Awards.

Akali is among the most awarded healthcare creatives globally, with wins across Cannes Lions Health, Clio and the Effies. A former client-side marketer at Pfizer, he has also served on juries at leading international award shows.