Sour Bangkok’s Nopparath Eksuwancharoen’s LIA Diary: Why LIA judging truly stands out

Sour Bangkok’s Executive Creative Director & Head of Art, Nopparath ‘Mint’ Eksuwancharoen (pictured middle) shares insights and creative highlights from her judging experience on the London International Awards Branded Content and Branded Entertainment jury.

For the past few years, I’ve had the privilege to serve as a jury member in several advertising award shows, both online and on-site. But among them all, LIA truly stands out.

The Overall Judging Experience
This was actually the first award show I’ve ever judged that had no online phase at all – and that alone made the experience feel completely different. The entire judging process happened on-site over three full days: starting with the in & out rounds, then the scoring sessions, and finally the medal day – with the LIAisons sitting in to observe.

Most shows these days start with pre-judging, where you view and score everything individually in front of a screen. But at LIA, it’s 100% on-site.

That means no sitting alone, no overanalyzing, and no digging through case film information before you vote. You don’t get to over-prepare – you just see the work fresh, in the same room as everyone else. And because of that, every reaction happens together, live, and unfiltered.

You really feel the energy of the room… when people laugh, when they fall silent, when they’re amazed. Some reactions come from cultural understanding too. For example, a joke from a case from Brazil might completely land with the Brazilian jurors, while some of us from Asia might not get it right away. But that’s the beauty of this system – the people who get it can help explain the cultural context behind it, so everyone appreciates the work more deeply.

Those conversations make the judging process incredibly human. You see how perspectives from around the world complement each other. Sometimes, after hearing someone explain why a piece resonated in their culture, the entire room rethinks the score and that’s something you just can’t get from online judging.

What I Liked About the LIA Judging System
What I loved most is how “offline” it is. Everyone is physically there – watching, debating, reacting together. Even the voting process felt refreshingly transparent: no secret tablet scores, just a simple raise of hands.

It makes the process feel open and honest because your thoughts, your reactions, and your votes are all out in the open for everyone to see. There’s a real sense of mutual respect in the room.

I also love the small but meaningful detail that we start voting from Gold downwards instead of Bronze upwards. It sets a positive tone, encouraging us to look for what’s great in each piece before focusing on what’s missing.

And of course, I have to mention the LIAisons program. I absolutely love that young creatives get to experience the judging room before they become jurors themselves. It’s such a thoughtful initiative that helps the next generation understand how creative discussions and decision-making really happen behind the scenes.

The Creative Highlights
My favorite works ended up winning the Grand Prix in both categories and I couldn’t be happier to see such powerful ideas recognized.

L’Oréal Paris – The Final Copy of Ilon Specht
This one hit me deeply. It’s not just a campaign; it’s a piece that reaches back to the very origin of the brand – when “Because I’m worth it” was first written. That line has been around forever, but somehow it never truly resonated with me as a woman or as a female creative. Until now.

This documentary made me feel something powerful and that’s what great campaigns do today. It redefined the tagline, the brand, and even how female creatives are portrayed in the industry. It’s emotional, empowering, and the more you watch it, the more it moves you.

Apple – The Submerged
One of the perks of being on the jury is getting to experience pieces like this on Apple Vision Pro. The feeling is indescribable — something you can’t get from a case film. Watching The Submerged made me realize this could be the start of a whole new way we experience storytelling. It blurs the line between surreal and real, and I believe it sets the bar for the next era of immersive entertainment.