The Next 50 · Class of 2026
Who reads the work matters.
Experienced people from across India’s agency industry who read the strongest entries to The Next 50. They exist so the decision does not rest with one desk.
The Class of 2026 jury is being assembled
Eight seats, one per part of the industry, so no single discipline decides what good looks like across all of them. Names go up once seats are confirmed, and nobody appears before agreeing to be named.
- Creative
- Strategy
- Media
- Design
- PR & Communications
- Digital
- Production
- Agency leadership
What the jury does
- Reads the strongest entries. The desk verifies and scores first. The jury sees what survives that, so its time goes on judgement rather than admin.
- Brings a second perspective. A desk can check evidence. It cannot tell you whether a result is remarkable for someone at that stage. Practitioners can.
- Declares conflicts before reading. No juror evaluates an entry involving their own agency, their own clients, or anyone they line manage.
- Shapes the class, not the rules. Eligibility, the age cut-off and the fee are published before nominations open. The jury does not change them mid-edition.
The rules the jury works under
Published in the entry rules, and binding on jurors in the same words.
- No juror evaluates an entry where a direct professional conflict exists
- No sponsor or commercial partner participates in evaluation
- No seat is available in exchange for a partnership or an entry
Suggest a member, or put yourself forward
If you know somebody whose judgement you would trust here, tell us. If that person is you, say so directly. The jury reads after nominations close on 15 November 2026, so earlier is more useful.