NAGA DDB TRIBAL takes out Agency of the Year and Directors Think Tank named Production House of the Year at Kancil Awards 2025

As announced yesterday on Campaign Brief Asia, NAGA DDB TRIBAL was named Agency of the Year at the Kancil Awards 2025, organised by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As). PETRONAS took home Advertiser of the Year, Directors Think Tank continued its winning streak as Production House of the Year, and The Rec Room was awarded Audio Production House of the Year.

The coveted Golden Kancil was awarded to “Fans Fries Meal” by Leo Malaysia for McDonald’s, marking the second year in a row the agency won the best of show award for the competition’s single most outstanding campaign.

The Kancil Awards itself has transformed significantly over the past several years to reflect the modern creative economy. Categories have expanded to include entertainment, creators, mixed reality, digital experience, commerce, culture-driven work and more, ensuring relevance to how people create and consume today. Judging standards have also been strengthened with a diverse jury pool of local creative leaders from representing different backgrounds and disciplines and a transparent, globally benchmarked process led by seven international Jury Heads with extensive experience winning, judging and chairing at global shows like Cannes Lions, D&AD, LIA Spikes Asia and ADFEST, ensuring impartiality while upholding global deliberation standards.

This year’s Jury Heads were Thamakorn “Zan” Ruchakityanon (ECD, SOUR Bangkok), Seiya Matsumiya (Co-Founder & CEO, Black Cat White Cat Tokyo), Pat Law (Founder, GOODSTUPH), Mukund Olety (CCO, WPP Creative Europe), Lulu Lu (CCO, VML Taiwan), Lily Li (MD & EP, Heckler Singapore) and Herbert Hernandez (Co-founder, GIGIL Philippines).

Oversight of the judging process was provided by Jury Co-Chairpersons Woeihern Chan, Head of Creative at VaynerMedia APAC, and Graham Drew, Chief Creative Officer of Grey Malaysia & Singapore, both of whom provided governance while remaining outside deliberations.

“This year’s Kancils saw a broader and more diverse wave of entrants, from indies and production houses to creators and clients, reflecting how rapidly Malaysian creativity is expanding in shape, style and ambition. Our international jury chairs raised the bar with global perspective while reminding us of the cultural nuances that define our identity. However, the dip in special-category entries signals that we can and must push further: in effectiveness, in meaningful work, and in true innovation. Malaysian creativity is growing bigger; now it must grow bolder,” shared Woeihern Chan.

Participation in the awards hit new highs. The Kancils recorded more new entrants than ever before, especially from indie agencies, production houses and creators, a sign of the competition’s growing appeal and accessibility. Student participation also surged, with entries for the Student Kancil x sCooler Awards doubling year-on-year, while The Sick Six New Directors Challenge received a record 123 script submissions underscoring the festival’s role in nurturing the next generation of talent.

“For as long as I can remember, people have been forecasting the brain drain and decline of the industry. AI is the latest hobby horse for this narrative. Seeing the student work, the Sick Six and Young Kancils gave us evidence that there will always be a place for the commercial edge of creativity. Stupid things, scary things, challenging things, not just disruptive, but all little engines of cut-through that are needed more than ever,” remarked Graham Drew.

In the Young Kancils presented by Marrybrown, the winning team was Nameless Team from VML Malaysia, who will represent Malaysia at ADFEST Young Lotus 2026, while the runner-up team KhrupChill, also from VML, earned placement in the global LIA Creative LIAisons coaching programme. The bronze medal went to team Cham Peng from Leo Malaysia.

In the Sick Six Challenge presented by PETRONAS, six shortlisted budding directors were paired with mentor production houses to bring their films to life. Amirah Arshad and mentor production house Denhouse earned Best Film & Director and Best Editing for “Kapal Kertas”. Pang Yong Ming and Sixty Mac Pictures won Best Cinematography for “A Favor”. Both films shared Best Audio, supported by Two AM (Kapal Kertas) and Real Time Studios (A Favor). The People’s Choice Vote went to Jun Jin, mentored by Another Planet, for “248 Convenience”.

In the Kancil Student x sCooler Awards presented by Unifi Mobile, The One Academy won Creative School of the Year, Woo Yen Qin was named Student of the Year, and Samantha Cheah Pei Wen of Dasein was named Lecturer of the Year. “Karma HP” by The One Academy won Idea of the Year.

The Kancils is uniquely run by the creative community, for the creative community, led by the 4As Creative Council, a team of senior creative leaders from Malaysian network and independent agencies who volunteer their time to shape the festival, putting aside agency rivalries. This year’s Creative Council was chaired by Emir Shafri, CCO of Publicis Groupe, who also serves as Kancils Organising Co-Chairperson alongside Jasmin Omar, CEO & Founder of Ellipsis Asia.

The awards were supported by category sponsors including Energizer (Brand Experience & Activation Kancils), Gardenia (Film & Branded Content Kancils), Astro (Entertainment Kancils), with Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) as Creative Showcase Partner. ADFEST and LIA supported the Young Kancils, while Astro also served as Official Media Partner and Level Up Professional Training as Official Training Partner.

This year’s theme, Make It Happen On The World Stage, marks the next chapter in a multi-year narrative aimed to elevate Malaysian creativity. It follows 2023’s “Make It For Malaysia” and 2024’s “Make It Happen,” evolving into a call for Malaysian creatives to elevate their creative bravery and embrace cultural authenticity to create unapologetically. Past Kancil winners have indeed gone on to represent Malaysia on the world stage: last year’s Golden Kancil winner, Heineken “Heidden in Plain Sight” by Leo Malaysia went on to win Grands Prix at ADFEST and Spikes Asia this year, while past Sick Six winning new directors have won Gold ADFEST New Director Lotuses alongside nominations by the YDA at Cannes.

Emir Shafri and Jasmin Omar added: “This year showed how far we’ve come as a community. What started as a ballroom awards night has become a festival shaped by the industry itself, and the diversity of work and voices reflects a community that’s more confident, connected and collaborative than ever. Watching students, creators, new directors, indie shops, production houses and global networks lean in together was incredibly inspiring. When the ecosystem supports and challenges one another, the work naturally rises. We’re proud to see Malaysians lifting Malaysians, and we believe this momentum is what will take our ideas to the world stage.”

The awards ceremony concluded the Kancil Creative Festival 2025, which has evolved from an awards night into a full creative festival for all levels of the industry. Held on November 28, 2025 at EX8 Subang Jaya with an audience of close to 1,500 attendees, this year’s lineup featured international icons across entertainment, film craft, culture-rooted creativity, innovation and purpose-led work, all rallying around the call for Malaysian creativity to rise on the world stage.