Manifest Play Awards 2026: Winners announced

Artsmith, Capri Sports, Emurge, FanCode, JioStar, ITW, Kinnect, Meraki Sports and Entertainment, Suncity Studios, and WAYS among winners.

Manifest Media Staff

Apr 12, 2026, 11:29 am

Clockwise from bottom left: Artsmith, team Kinnect, team Hyundai, and team Ways on stage

Winners of the 2026 edition of Manifest Play, a sports marketing awards, were announced on 10 April 2026 through an event in Mumbai.

There were 14 winners and 10 runners-up across categories.

The chief guests for the night were were Diana Edulji, former Indian cricketer, Padma Shri and Arjuna Award winner, who is also part of the ICC Hall of Fame, Sulakshna Naik, former Indian cricketer, and selector, Indian's women's cricket team.

Artsmith had the most wins on the night - three wins and runner-up. The wins came for Global Chess League (Best IP of the Year), Puma x RCB (Best Sponsorship of a Team), and Puma x Usain Bolt (Best Sports PR Campaign of the Year).

ITW had two wins. One was in the 'Best Brand Integration - Broadcast' category for 'Roff Ki Pakad, Magar Ki Jakad', and the other came in the 'Best Talent Partnership' category for Panasonic's 'MS Dhoni - India ka CaptAIn Cool'.

Kinnect had one wins and two runners-up. The win was for Mumbai Indians' WPL 2026 campaign in the 'Best Brand Integration - On- Ground' category.

Capri Sports had a win and runner-up. The win was for 'TSW - The Sports Women' in the 'Best New Sports IP of the Year' category. 

FanCode was awarded the 'Best Sports OTT Platform of the Year'.

Emurge's 'The Yellow Box Mystery - Thrissur Titans' was winner in the 'Best Promo - Cricket' category.

Here are all the winners from the night:

Entry title Entrant Category Winner/Runner-up
ROFF KI PAKAD, MAGAR KI JAKAD ITW Best Brand Integration - Broadcast Winner
Indian Colours League - Birla Opus Paints JioStar Best Brand Integration - Broadcast Runner Up
       
Mumbai Indians WPL 2026 Kinnect Best Brand Integration - On- Ground Winner
Asian Paints Damp Proof Kinnect Best Brand Integration - On- Ground Runner Up
       
Global Chess League Artsmith Best IP of the Year Winner
The Sistra Run Meraki Sports and Entertainment Best IP of the Year Runner Up
       
DY PATIL OOH Campaign - ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 WAYS Best Marketing for a Sports IP Winner
Beyond The Match with KKR SI Best Marketing for a Sports IP Runner Up
       
TSW - The Sports Women Capri Sports Best New Sports IP of the Year Winner
Indian Pickleball League Artsmith Best New Sports IP of the Year Runner Up
       
FanCode Fancode Best OTT Platform Winner
       
The Yellow Box Mystery - Thrissur Titans Emurge Best Promo - Cricket Winner
       
Indian Colours League - Birla Opus Paints JioStar Best Sponsorship of a Tournament Runner-up
Rexona x ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 Meraki Sports and Entertainment Best Sponsorship of a Tournament Winner
ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Hyundai Best Sponsorship of a Tournament Winner
       
Puma - Fan On A Billboard x RCB Artsmith Best Sponsorship of a Team Winner
UP Warriorz for WPL 2026 Capri Sports Best Sponsorship of a Team Runner Up
       
Drog BABA   Best Sports Podcast Winner
Breaking Sports with Vivek Sethia   Best Sports Podcast Runner Up
       
Usain Bolt x Puma Artsmith Best Sports PR Campaign of the Year Winner
Mumbai Indians - WPL 2026 Kinnect Best Sports PR Campaign of the Year Runner Up
       
Panasonic x MS Dhoni - Indian ka CaptAIn Cool ITW Best Talent Partnership Winner
       
Aspora x Yuvraj Singh Suncity Studios  Best Use of an Athlete(s) Winner
Bolt x Rishabh Pant Swiggy Bolt Best Use of an Athlete(s) Runner Up

The jury consisted of:

  • Aakriti Vohra, global network delegate, LaLiga India
  • Abhinav Kumar, global CMO, TCS
  • Ajay Dang, president, head- marketing, UltraTech Cement
  • Jyoti Kumar Bansal, head - communications, Tata Power
  • Namrata Parekh, co- founder, Meraki Sports and Entertainment, CEO- Emami East Bengal FC
  • Neeraj Jha, head, sports business, Warner Bros Discovery - India and South Asia
  • Neha Parab Kandalgaonkar, vice president and head – corporate communications,  Procam International
  • Neville Bastawalla, SVP and head - marketing and on air promotions, sports network, Sony Pictures Networks India
  • Nishant Kashikar, country manager- India and Gulf, Tourism Australia
  • Prasana Krishnan, co-founder, FanCode
  • Prachi Narayan, managing partner, Havas Play
  • Radhika Varma, co-founder, WAYS (What Are You Saying)
  • Tarun Jha, SVP and head - marketing, JSW Steel
  • Virat Khullar, head - marketing, Hyundai Motor India

Havas Play was the title sponsor for the event. SI was the fan engagement partner while Jack Daniel's was the 'drinks break partner'.

Source: MANIFEST MEDIA

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