The expert juries of BalCannes, the regional creativity competition, have recognized those who stood out with their creative achievements and granted them finalist status!
Who made it to the finals? From 30 March 2026, new finalist projects will be revealed daily – Monday to Friday – on the Media Marketing portal and BalCannes’ Facebook page, continuing until April. This year’s BalCannes project showcase will again take place on social media – leading up to our gathering at DK2026.
Please note that finalists will be announced in alphabetical order by project name, so don’t miss the daily updates!
PROJECT NAME: BOOKtiga 2024 – “Answer That Call” | ENTRANT: Studio Sonda | CLIENT: Gradska knjižnica Poreč | COUNTRY: Croatia | CATEGORY: II. Best in Channel: 12. Best Creative Use of Technology
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
For the 17th BOOKtiga Festival of Used Books, the campaign Answer That Call transformed literature into an interactive public experience. The challenge was to reconnect audiences with classic authors in a digital-first environment, without losing the emotional weight of literature.
The solution was a poster series designed to resemble incoming smartphone calls from legendary writers such as Kafka, Woolf, Austen, Dostoevsky, and Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić. Placed throughout the city, the posters invited passersby to “answer” the call. Scanning a QR code triggered short AI-generated voice messages, written and performed in the style of each author. Users could then request a personalized book featuring a custom message from their chosen writer, redeemable at the festival.
By merging analog literature with a contemporary visual language and emerging technology, the campaign turned posters into living cultural touchpoints, reaching 120,000 users and generating 3,300 personalized calls and over 200 customized books.
PROJECT NAME: BOOKtiga 2025 – Choose a book, enter the film | ENTRANT: Studio Sonda | CLIENT: Gradska knjižnica Poreč | COUNTRY: Croatia | CATEGORIES: I. Best on Market: 10. Tourism, Culture & Leisure; II. Best in Channel: 03. Best Print (Ad, Publication, Poster) and 04. Best Outdoor – OOH; IV. Best of Positive Change: 05. Community & Culture
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Faced with an audience that loves stories, but chooses streaming platforms over books, BOOKtiga’25. (Festival of used books) set out to remind people of the power of reading and imagination. The challenge was to bring books back into cultural focus using the “platforms” language.
The solution was to transform literature into “blockbusters.” Using AI, 100 selected books were reimagined as cinematic titles, complete with streaming-style visuals and descriptions. Posters placed across the city formed an open-air streaming network, offering a curated, endless watchlist in public space. The experience continued online through dynamic social content and a redesigned library website functioning like a streaming platform, where users could browse and discover books, plus vote for the one whose “screening” they wanted to “watch” in cinema. The most-voted title was brought to life through a live reading at the cinema, proving that imagination sparked by reading remains more powerful than any screen.
PROJECT NAME: Budi velik, učini malu stvar | ENTRANT: BBDO Zagreb | CLIENT: Ožujsko pivo | COUNTRY: Croatia| CATEGORY: I. Best on Market: 02. Alcoholic Beverages
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
What makes us great are the small things and little gestures we can do every day for those close to us – our friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers.
Find video summaries of past finalists on BalCannes’ Facebook page.
Congratulations to the finalists! Only the very best among them will earn the BalCannes awards and will be announced at the grand award ceremony during DK2026, taking place from 7 to 10 May 2026. See you in Rovinj!
