Kirill Karnovich-Valua, founder and creative director of Digital Da Vincis, has been nominated for Creativepool Annual 2026 in the Creative Leader of the Year category.
Creativepool is an international creative network that connects creators, agencies, brands and creative talents around the world, while its Creativepool Annual highlights work, talents, agencies and leaders from the global creative community every year. That is why this nomination for the Ljubljana studio comes as another confirmation that the creative AI scene from the region is increasingly entering the international context.
In the Creativepool Annual shortlist, Karnovich-Valua is among the creative leaders of the year, alongside representatives of some of the world’s best-known creative, communications and marketing agencies, including BBDO, Edelman, AKQA, Dentsu, Havas, Publicis, Cheil, VML and others.
Digital Da Vincis was founded in 2024 as an AI studio that connects filmmaking, advertising, design and generative technologies. In a short period of time, the studio has become one of the recognizable regional players in the field of creative AI production, and its work so far has brought it two gold awards at the Slovenian Advertising Festival SOF. At this year’s SOF, the studio was also included in the Top 10 agencies list.
Further international visibility came through recognitions at The Webby Awards, awards often referred to as the digital Oscars. Digital Da Vincis is a multiple nominee and honoree of this competition, while Kirill Karnovich-Valua is a member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Webby Awards. In 2026, he was also a jury member for the 47th News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
“This nomination is an important recognition not only for me, but also for Digital Da Vincis and for the entire creative AI scene developing in Slovenia. It shows that an independent studio from Ljubljana can stand alongside the biggest players in the global creative industry,” said Kirill Karnovich-Valua on the occasion of the nomination.
