From why, in the age of generative tools, it is once again important to make something with your own hands, to whether a creative idea can extend beyond communication into the product itself, this year’s Golden Drum programme opens up several topics currently occupying the creative industry. People from different parts of the worlds of advertising, design, technology and media are coming to the stage in Portorož, while the organisers have also decided to give agencies and brands a few more days to submit their work.
The deadline for the main Golden Drum competition has been extended until 8 September 2026. Eligible works are those first published, aired or publicly released between 23 August 2025 and 26 August 2026.
The festival will take place on 12 and 13 October in Portorož, with this year’s competition and programme once again bringing the international creative community together in one place.
Works can be entered across six sections: One-Channel Drum, Omni-Channel Drum, Craft Drum, Creative Media Excellence Drum, Creative Business Excellence Drum and the special All Juries section. Within the competition, Game Changer remains the only group open to entries from around the world.
Another new addition is the UNFPA Inclusion Excellence Award, introduced by Golden Drum in partnership with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. The award is part of the All Juries section and is intended for creative work that challenges stereotypes and contributes to gender equality and social inclusion.
From Coca-Cola and Amazon to pencil and paper
Among the speakers is Xavier Blais, Partner and Executive Creative Director at Rethink, who will speak about the value of the act of making itself at a time when AI is increasingly taking over part of the creative process. Blais is one of the youngest partners in the agency’s history and has worked on internationally recognised projects for brands such as IKEA, Heinz and Molson Coors.
Islam ElDessouky, Global Creative Excellence Lead at The Coca-Cola Company, will bring experience from working on the global creative platforms of one of the world’s best-known brands, including the Coca-Cola × FIFA 2026 collaboration.
The relationship between idea and execution will be explored by Emma Follett, Co-Chief Creative Officer at Design Bridge and Partners. Her talk starts from the relationship between Head, Heart and Hands and the question of why exceptional craft remains important for brands seeking to leave a lasting cultural impact.
Also taking the festival stage is Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Chief Creative Officer of the LePub Network and the newest member of the Golden Drum Hall of Fame. He will bring his experience from an international career and award-winning creative work to the audience through his own perspective on creativity and the industry.
The technological part of the programme will be taken on by Fitz Maro, Head of the Americas, Design Technology at Brand Innovation Lab, Amazon Ads. He will show how creatives can build their own AI “second brain” that takes over repetitive tasks and leaves more room for creative thinking.
Marko Jovanović, Creative Director at Havas Adriatic, will address the future of media creativity and the changes brought by new relationships between people, platforms and technology.
And that technology is not always a prerequisite for a good idea will be shown by Dirk Schuster and Benjamin Simon, Co-Founders and Creative Directors of FOREAL. Their approach brings the story back to pencil, paper and a seemingly bad initial idea that can sometimes end up somewhere completely unexpected.
When a local idea outgrows its market
How creativity born in smaller markets can achieve global reach is one of the topics of the talk by David Guerrero, Creative Chair of BBDO Guerrero and member of the BBDO Worldwide Creative Council. Guerrero will draw on decades of experience working on internationally awarded projects to show what happens when an idea firmly rooted in local culture finds an audience far beyond the market in which it originated.
Carl Ewald Jannerfeldt, Creative Director at Rocket-Science, will shift the focus from communication to the product itself. Drawing on experience from agencies including BBDO New York, Wieden+Kennedy and R/GA, he will speak about the possibility of creatives not ending their ideas with an advertisement, but carrying them into products that people actually use.
A broader view of the changes currently affecting the industry will be brought by Katrina Stirton Dodd, Trends Editor at Contagious. Her talk will address cultural, technological and marketing shifts and the question of which of the many emerging trends can truly have consequences for brands and creativity.
Young Drummers open to creatives from around the world
Alongside the main competition, the Young Drummers Competition is also open, organised by Golden Drum in partnership with Mastercard Slovenia. Creatives under the age of 30 from around the world can take part, and this year’s challenge is titled World. One Tap Away.
The entry deadline is 9 September, and the winner will receive a EUR 1,000 monetary prize and a complimentary festival delegate pass, while all shortlisted authors will also receive complimentary passes.
This year’s Golden Drum begins on 12 October with the Drum Roll: The Opening Party. The main festival programme will take place on 13 October and will conclude with the Golden Drum Awards and the Golden Sunset Party in Piran.
For every ten works submitted, an entrant in the main competition receives one complimentary festival delegate pass, excluding lunch, while Ukrainian entrants are entitled to a 50% discount on entry fees. Members of regional associations partnering with the festival are also eligible for a 20% discount on festival delegate fees.
