Eventex Awards names 2026 winners after record 1,405 entries

By AI, Created 5:00 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Eventex Awards announced the winners of its 16th edition, drawing a record 1,405 entries from 58 countries and introducing a new Grand Prix category. The results highlight the event industry’s global reach, with the U.S. leading in total awards and only five entries earning the top distinction.

Why it matters: - Eventex Awards is a major benchmark for events and experience marketing, so the 2026 results offer a snapshot of which countries, agencies and brands are setting the pace. - The record entry volume shows continued global demand for recognition in the events industry. - The new Grand Prix category creates a higher bar for standout creativity and impact.

What happened: - Eventex Awards announced the winners of its 16th edition in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. - The 2026 competition drew a record 1,405 entries from 58 countries. - The United States led the awards table with 101 trophies. - Qatar and Poland tied for second place with 73 awards each.

The details: - Poland won the most platinum awards with 5. - Austria followed with 4 platinum awards. - Qatar, Spain and the UK each earned 2 platinum awards. - The UAE led gold awards with 29. - Qatar finished second in gold awards with 27. - China ranked third with 22 gold awards. - fischerAppelt was the top-winning agency with 59 awards, including 1 platinum and 26 gold. - WINK finished second among agencies with 31 awards. - Stargate Group Werbeagentur placed third with 28 awards. - Winning entries included work for Netflix, Samsung, lululemon, FIFA, Dell, McDonald’s, AUDI, Google, TikTok and L’Oréal. - Only 5 entries received the Grand Prix, the highest distinction in Eventex Awards. - Eventex Awards was founded in 2009 to honor creativity, innovation and effectiveness in events and experiential marketing.

Between the lines: - The geography of the winners suggests the events sector remains highly international, with strong competition across Europe, the Middle East and North America. - The debut of the Grand Prix signals a push to separate strong work from truly exceptional work, which can raise the prestige of future competitions. - High counts for agencies and global brands show that experiential marketing remains a major channel for visibility and differentiation.

What’s next: - Eventex Awards will publish the full list of winners online. - The Grand Prix category is likely to become a key marker to watch in future editions as entrants compete for the top level of recognition. - The next edition will build on the momentum of this record-setting year.

The bottom line: - Eventex Awards 2026 underscores a crowded, global field where the U.S. led overall, the UAE dominated golds and only a handful of entries reached the new Grand Prix tier.