2026 Creative Report Card
If there’s a throughline this year, it’s that the work didn’t just land; it lived.
The annual Creative Report Card, strategy’s definitive ranking of the creatives behind the most-awarded Canadian campaigns at home and on the global stage.
The strongest ideas didn’t rely on messaging alone. They showed up in the moments people already care about – in the rituals of hockey fandom, in the habits of the kitchen, in late-night scrolling, even in the sound of someone’s voice. Instead of trying to interrupt behaviour, they found ways to work inside it.
That shift is what separates this year’s top performers from the pack. You see it in how our number-one brand, Molson Coors, continues to tap into the cultural moments that define being Canadian, and in how Kraft Heinz turns everyday interactions with its products into ideas people can’t ignore. It’s there in KFC’s instinct for meeting fans where they already are, and IKEA’s ability to make affordability feel immediate and real. It pushes even further with KVI Brave Fund, where creativity moves beyond communication into something closer to utility.
The same thinking carries through on the agency side. Whether it’s Rethink’s focus on finding the one idea people can’t unsee (one of the main reasons they took top spot again this year), Courage’s ability to embed brands in behaviour, or approaches from Leo, LG2 and TBWA that centre on relevance, action and humanity, the common thread is work designed to be part of people’s lives, not just their feeds.
That momentum is also reflected in the individuals leading the work. Rethink’s influence is especially strong, with Aaron Starkman topping the chief creative officer ranking, alongside Xavier Blais (creative director), Rachel LeBlanc (art director), Ryan Cookish (art director), Geoff Baillie (copywriter), and Sean McDonald (planner). The Designer category sees Stephanie Yung of Zulu Alpha Kilo take top spot, rounding out a group shaping this year’s most impactful ideas.
As always, the rankings are based on a weighted analysis of results from the industry’s most influential regional, national and international award shows, tracking performance across companies and creative disciplines.
Check out the full rankings on the right, and explore the stories of the work that helped define Canadian creativity over the past year.
Download the official CRC Top 20 assets here and share the news with your network, friends, colleagues.
We did our utmost to populate the site with images and information for each company and individual, unfortunately we were unable to plug in data for everyone. If you would like to change/add your headshot or request location information, please email strategy's Producer Mahalet Mengistu mmengistu@brunico.com to update your profile.
