Applications for the new edition of BalCannes closed on February 4, and more than 220 submitted projects, representing a new festival record, confirm the continuous growth and increasing dynamism of the regional communications industry. BalCannes continues to function as an important shared platform that enables the overview, comparison and affirmation of relevant creative projects from the region, with an emphasis on knowledge exchange, professional visibility and strengthening industry standards.
This year’s data also brings interesting statistical insights. The new competitive group Best in Channel, already in its first edition, attracted significant interest, gathering more than half of all submitted works, with projects present in all categories, further confirming the importance of different communication channels. Within this group, the most represented category is Best TV Spot & Film, accounting for 18.4% of total submissions. At the same time, the Best of Positive Change category has been further expanded and now includes five areas, Environment & Sustainability, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Health & Well-being, Education & Empowerment, and Community & Culture, with Health & Well-being particularly standing out, accounting for as much as 42% of submissions within this category cluster.
“The thing that excites me most is the opportunity to return to ideas that remind me why I fell in love with this industry in the first place. I want to help the jury recognise ideas that clearly stand out, leave a mark on culture and deliver real, measurable value,” emphasised Martin Atanasovski, president of the advertisers’ jury.
BalCannes provides an overview of the most relevant creative projects from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia. The process of evaluating the entries now follows, where, of course, the key role is played by BalCannes jury members, responsible for judging and selecting finalists who will have the opportunity to win these prestigious awards at Dani komunikacija. The best will also be presented in the new edition of the BalCannes Report, which will be published after the winners are announced.
Reflecting on this year’s success of the competition, Jelena Fiškuš, president of the agencies’ jury, said: “BalCannes broke all records this year in terms of the number of submissions, which means that both the Organising Committee and the Expert Council, which brings together professionals from all regional markets, did an excellent job in defining the competition and categories, while agencies and advertisers created campaigns they are proud of. Dynamic days of judging lie ahead. Getting an overview of the best works in the region is always a valuable experience, and I particularly look forward to a well-argued analysis with fellow jury members who will bring authentic and professional insights, each from their own market. That is precisely the beauty of BalCannes: it connects us, provides instructive information from different perspectives and different parts of the region, and seeks to set a kind of benchmark for the excellence we all aspire to see in what we do.”
Special recognition will be given to the best projects at the awards ceremony at the new edition of Dani komunikacija, which will take place from May 7 to 10, 2026 in Rovinj.
More information about the competition and Dani komunikacija can be found at the link.
