The New York Festivals Advertising Awards has announced the winners of its 2026 competition, with Saint Elmo’s Germany and Charles & Charlotte taking Best of Show for Sheep Happens, a real-time response campaign created for German discount supermarket chain PENNY.
The Executive Jury, led by Andrea Diquez, Global CEO of Gut, selected winners from work advanced by the 2026 Shortlist Jury. The panel awarded one Best of Show Tower, 11 Grand Towers, 51 Gold Towers, 48 Silver Towers, and 66 Bronze Towers. The competition attracted entries from 45 countries.
Representing Asia among this year’s Grand Award winners were TBWA Hakuhodo for Radio Time Machine, created for Nichii Gakkan Co., and TBWA\SMP for Boysen Color Stories, created for Boysen in the Philippines.
The Sheep Happens campaign originated when more than 50 sheep entered a PENNY store in Burgsinn, a rural town in Bavaria. PENNY responded in real time with the line “Sheep happens.” The incident drew creator participation and community engagement, generating €30 million in earned media, a 13% revenue increase in Burgsinn, a 6% revenue increase across Germany, and a 69% rise in brand popularity.
“Thank you New York Festivals for awarding our Sheep Happens campaign the Best of Show Award in Activation & Engagement,” said Mathias Harbeck, Chief Creative Officer and Partner, Saint Elmo’s Germany.
“When 50 Sheep accidentally walked into a PENNY supermarket and created chaos, your first thought might be …Sh*t… What am I going to do with that? Don’t talk about it all or make one post and forget about it? Instead, we had clients who have had the courage to turn this unexpected incident into the fastest at the same time most extensive activation campaign PENNY has ever launched. Our achievement was not creating the moment, it was more recognizing it, embracing it and then turn it into something bigger, thank you for recognizing that.”
2026 Best of Show
The Executive Jury awarded Best of Show to Sheep Happens, created for PENNY by Saint Elmo’s Germany and Charles & Charlotte, in the Activation & Engagement: Best Use: Real-Time Response category.
The campaign originated when more than 50 sheep entered a PENNY store in Burgsinn, a rural town in Bavaria. PENNY responded in real time with the line “Sheep happens.” The incident drew creator participation and community engagement, generating €30 million in earned media, a 13% revenue increase in Burgsinn, a 6% revenue increase across Germany, and a 69% rise in brand popularity.
“Thank you New York Festivals for awarding our Sheep Happens campaign the Best of Show Award in Activation & Engagement,” said Mathias Harbeck, Chief Creative Officer and Partner, Saint Elmo’s Germany.
“When 50 Sheep accidentally walked into a PENNY supermarket and created chaos, your first thought might be …Sh*t… What am I going to do with that? Don’t talk about it all or make one post and forget about it? Instead, we had clients who have had the courage to turn this unexpected incident into the fastest at the same time most extensive activation campaign PENNY has ever launched. Our achievement was not creating the moment, it was more recognizing it, embracing it and then turn it into something bigger, thank you for recognizing that.”
2026 Grand Award Winners
Activation & Engagement: Best Use: Real-Time Response
Sheep Happens — PENNY — Saint Elmo’s Germany / Charles & Charlotte — Germany
Baked in NY: New York or Everywhere: NYC State of Mind
Never Become a Former New Yorker — StreetEasy — Mother — USA
Digital/Mobile: Mobile Platform: Social/Environmental Good: NGO/PSA
Bedtime Donations — Royal Society for Blind Children — INNOCEAN Berlin — Germany
Film: Products & Services: Retail Stores
No Project without Drama — HORNBACH — HeimatTBWA Berlin GmbH — Germany
Film Craft: Art Direction/Production Design
No Project without Drama — HORNBACH — HeimatTBWA Berlin GmbH — Germany
The Future Now: Best Use: Innovation
Radio Time Machine — NICHII GAKKAN CO., LTD. — TBWA HAKUHODO — Japan
NYF’in Funny: TVC / Film & Video
Get Almost Almost Anything — Uber Eats — Special US — USA
Outdoor: Best Use: Ambient
McDelivery Speed Camera Ads — McDonald’s — Scholz & Friends — Germany
Public Relations: Best Use: Crisis & Issue Management PR
The KitKat Heist — KitKat — Burson & VML London — UK
Purpose: Physical Well-Being
Beat Cancer Off — Fuck Cancer — VML New York — USA
Social Media & Influencer: Best Use: Storytelling
Boysen Color Stories — Boysen — TBWA\SMP — Philippines
Among new category groups introduced for 2026, Baked in New York, Creative Marketing Strategy/Effectiveness, and Sports each produced multiple Gold-winning entries.
2026 Winners Reel
View the NYF Advertising Awards 2026 winners.
