#Bookmarks2026 | Jury chairs and jury members announced
Every year, a room of South Africa's most experienced digital practitioners sit down and make a call: what work was genuinely excellent, and what merely looked like it was?
That room just got a lot more interesting.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau South Africa has confirmed the full jury panel, jury president and jury chairs for the 2026 Bookmark Awards - the people who will evaluate, debate, and ultimately decide which campaigns, platforms, and creative executions represent the best of South African digital marketing and publishing this year.
Power of creativity
Elizabeth Mokwena returns as jury president for the second consecutive year.
As Executive marketing director at Unilever, Mokwena brings both the commercial rigour and the creative conviction the role demands. She has spent over 14 years building billion-dollar brands across the continent and has never stopped asking the harder question: does this work actually matter?
“I believe in the power of creativity to change the world," says Mokwena.
"Digital innovation compounds the possibilities of doing this faster, more cost-effectively and at scale. I am confident we will raise the bar for South Africa's digital work once again this year. Excellence is the standard.”
Jury panel that reflects the industry's breadth
Joining Mokwena are nine jury chairs, each bringing deep specialist expertise to their respective judging categories:
- Neo Mashigo - chief creative officer, The Up & Up Group | Marketers
- Peter Little - chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe Africa | Marketing Craft
- Babalwa Nyembezi - strategy director, Dentsu Red Star | Performance Marketing
- Danette Breitenbach - managing editor, Bizcommunity | Publishers
- Brent Lindeque - editor in chief, Good Things Guy | Social, Community & Influencer Marketing
- Nomfundo Ndlangisa - head of marketing & communications, Stellenbosch Business School | Youth Action
- Aluwani Raswiswi - director of rechnology, VML | Builders
- Matt Thompson - chief creative officer, MakeReign | Innovative Engineers
- Neo Makhele - chief strategy officer, Ogilvy | Special Honours
The full judging panel of 88 experts drawn from across the country's marketing, creative, tech, and publishing industries will join Mokwena and the jury chairs - making this the most experienced panel in the awards' history.
See the full list of jury members here.
Broad spectrum
The panel represents a broad spectrum of the digital landscape, from brand-side marketers and global platforms to agencies, publishers, and academic institutions - all contributing distinct perspectives on what excellence looks like in practice.
This year’s jury brings together decision-makers from some of South Africa’s most influential brands.
Some of them include AB InBev / SAB, Capitec, Discovery, MTN, Standard Bank, Unilever, Volkswagen Group South Africa, and Nando’s, alongside global platforms such as Google and Spotify.
Their presence ensures that the work is interrogated not only for its creativity, but for its ability to drive real business impact at scale.
They are joined by leading creative, media, and technology agencies - from Accenture Song, Ogilvy, Publicis Groupe Africa, VML, TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris and Dentsu Creative, to independent players such as Joe Public, Retroviral, The Odd Number and Clockwork - reflecting the full spectrum of thinking shaping the industry today.
Publishers and media organisations including Media24, Primedia Broadcasting, IOL, EWN and Bizcommunity further anchor the jury in the realities of content, distribution, and audience engagement.
Together, this cross-section of expertise reinforces the Bookmark Awards’ role as a true industry benchmark, where creativity, effectiveness, innovation, and commercial impact are evaluated through multiple lenses, not in isolation.
Categories built around business ecosystems
The 2026 Bookmark Awards introduces a reimagined category architecture, clustered around real business ecosystems: Build, Communicate, Connect, Innovate, Measure, Publish and Special Honours.
The updated structure reflects the evolving role of digital in driving measurable commercial outcomes - not just creative recognition.
Round 1 judging takes place in June. Finalists will be announced ahead of round 2 judging at the end of July 2026 so make sure your work is entered before the deadline.
Entries are open
The standard entry window is currently open and closes on 10 April 2026, thereafter late fees apply with final entries closing on 28 April 2026.
The awards eligibility period covers work produced between 1 March 2025 and 28 February 2026.
About the Bookmark Awards
Now in its 18th year, the Bookmark Awards is an IAB South Africa initiative and the gold standard for digital marketing excellence in South Africa. The awards celebrate innovation, creativity, and effectiveness in digital media and marketing, recognising work that drives real digital change across agencies, publishers, and brands.
The 2026 awards ceremony takes place on Thursday, 13 August 2026.
