Mumbai: The 15th annual Olive Crown Awards 2025, organized by the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), took place on April 4th at the ITC Grand Central in Parel, Mumbai. The audience consisted of the tallest creative and corporate leaders.
A distinguished panel of jurors, featuring celebrated professionals like Carlton D’Silva (Founder of Musemakers & House of Awe), Tista Sen (Founder of TistaThinks), Ambareesh Chakraborty (Senior Partner & Executive Creative Director at R K Swamy Ltd), and Rahul Ghosh (National Creative Director at VML), meticulously evaluated entries to finalize the winners.The Guest of Honour, Shri Rahul Narwekar, Hon. Speaker Maharashtra Assembly congratulated IAA for successfully organizing the Olive Crown Awards for the last 15th years successively. He said that he is glad that IAA took up this initiative from a time when sustainability was perhaps not a known concept the way it is today, and took upon the task of driving the thought of sustainability through young minds, old minds and people at large. He said that because of these efforts that we see that the world taking sustainability seriously.
Abhishek Karnani, President IAA India Chapter said “We’ve witnessed some remarkable work being recognised—work that not only inspires us but also drives real change. Although we live in challenging times, one thing is clear: sustainability is no longer a choice, it is a responsibility. The warning signs are now impossible to ignore—erratic weather patterns, raging wildfires, vanishing forests, melting ice caps, and the heartbreaking disappearance of animal and bird species. These are no longer distant headlines; they are our reality. At the International Advertising Association (IAA), we take these warnings seriously. And I am heartened to see that corporates, advertising agencies, and media houses are doing the same.”
Says Janak Sarda, Chairperson, IAA Olive Crown Awards ” They say that 15 long years are just a blink of an eye in the life of an Association. And so it is, for the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association. What began as a dream that was clearly ahead of its time, is now one of the most respected and coveted awards in Asia. It is our industry’s’ promise to be guardians of Brand Earth. It is the IAA’s commitment to always prove that communication is a force for good.”
RK Swamy wins 4 Olive Crowns and Jury’s Special Mentions including the ‘Green Agency Of The Year’
Packmate Grrreen LLP wins the ‘Green Brand of the Year’- GoldAdani Enterprises Limited bags Gold in ‘Corporate Crusader of the Year’ & ‘Green Advertiser of The Year’
The awards were presented across 17 different categories, including the coveted title ‘Green Crusader of the Year’ award, which was presented to Dharmesh Barai a visionary environmentalist whose impactful initiatives have been pivotal in preserving and rejuvenating Maharashtra’s natural ecosystems, spearheading the Mangrove Clean-Up Drive, mobilizing over 90,000 volunteers to remove 850 tons of waste from coastal ecosystems, for pioneering the Waterfall Clean-Up Drive, restoring 21 cascades and removing 12 tons of debris etc
Earth Brigade Foundation get Gold in the category ‘Green NGO of the Year’.
Committee’s Choice special award for “Best Continuing Effort” was conferred to The Bhamla Foundation & Hungama Digital Media for the United Nations World Environment Day campaign called ‘Bhoomi Namaskar’; for their continuous efforts in promoting sustainability.
This year, IAA along with the Indian Merchants chambers (IMC) called for entries from the creative industry to craft campaigns that promote eco-conscious behavior and inspire real-world impact. A fabulous jury comprising Raj Nair, Chief Creative Officer, Garage Worldwide, Bobby Pawar, Advisor and Former Ad Guy, Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, VML, PG Aditiya, Co-founder & CCO, Talented, Amer Jaleel, Co-founder, Curativity, judging the work. The innovative ‘Pinky Promise’ campaign created by Rahul Rudra & Abhiskek Kaddi of Ogilvy was selected as winner of the Sustainability Campaign The event brought together senior marketing, media, and advertising professionals from across the nation. Deepak Builders & Developers was as the principal partner, while Blue Star Ltd was the associate partners, Mobligent Media the supporting partner & Awardor the strategic partner for this event.