Cologne/Munich, October 22, 2026. This year, the 28th International Eyes & Ears Awards were presented on October 20 at the ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI in Munich. The event took place once again as part of MEDIENTAGE München and, this time, kicked off an inspiring week for the media and communications industry. In addition, the Eyes & Ears of Europe association is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, giving it another special reason to celebrate.

Cornelius Strittmatter served as the host of the 28th International Eyes & Ears Awards. Together with Miriam Sommer, Head of Communications at Eyes & Ears of Europe, he confidently guided the audience through the enjoyable evening.

NEW TALENTS

The presentation and awards ceremony for Eyes & Ears New Talents was once again integrated directly into the awards show: Three young talent projects pitched their presentations to the live audience: Alexa Weiss, graduate of Zurich University of the Arts, Cast / Audiovisual Media, Julia Zenk & Christoph Schmidt, students at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF München), and Julius Bitter & Neda Hofer, graduates of Zurich University of the Arts, Cast / Audiovisual Media, with their projects: “Echo 1971 – A Generation Speaks,” “No One’s Light,” and “Cancel Me Softly.”

The 2026 Eyes & Ears New Talent Award, following the on-site vote count, was announced to go to Alexa Weiss, a graduate of Zurich University of the Arts, Cast / Audiovisual Media, for her project “Echo 1971 – A Generation Speaks”. The documentary portrays women of the generation that, in 1971, were granted the right to vote for the first time. In personal interviews, they recall a time without political rights, their hopes and expectations, and the social changes they experienced.

Weiss received licence-free music donated by BMG for her next non-commercial project. In fact, all five New Talent finalists were winners, as each received — in addition to the audience’s expert recognition — a free one-year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, donated by Adobe.

The remaining award winners—Agency of the Year 2026: BDA Creative, and Creative Team of the Year 2026: Seven.One Entertainment Group—successfully defended their titles this year.

After the engaging award ceremony—which included a break hosted by the agency mehappy promotion design—a successful and lively evening came to a close. The celebration continued with an enjoyable get-together at ARRI.

For the 28th time, Eyes & Ears of Europe honored the year’s most creative, innovative, and effective design, promotional, and brand communication initiatives with the International Eyes & Ears Awards. Following his opening speech, Association President Zeljko Karajica, together with Annette Kümmel, CEO of Medien. Bayern, the company behind MEDIENTAGE München, in a welcome interview marking the 40th anniversary of MEDIENTAGE München and the 30th anniversary of Eyes & Ears of Europe. Karajica’s welcome speech was accompanied by a retrospective slideshow. He also unveiled the new logo, which was developed by the Munich-based agency UMBRUCH kommunikation design. “I am thrilled that EARS & EARS 2026 will once again take place as part of MEDIENTAGE München,” said Zeljko Karajica. “Celebrating our association’s 30th anniversary together with our members and our community in a special and stylish atmosphere is very near to me.“

One highlight of this year’s Eyes & Ears Awards show was the presentation of the INSPIRATION Award, which honors a truly exceptional figure in the media industry: This year, the award went to the internationally renowned film composer and AI film pioneer Marcel Barsotti. Barsotti also launched the awards show as the keynote speaker. The jury honored Marcel Barsotti for his outstanding artistic career as well as his courage to break new ground and combine technological developments with artistic vision. He exemplifies what “The Human Touch” can mean in the age of AI: technology as a tool—and humans as creative authors—in keeping with this year’s EYES & EARS 2026 motto: “The Human Touch—Create & innovate, as only you can do.”

The well-attended ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI then screened the best productions—from Portugal, France, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Italy, and, of course, Germany—in the categories of Design, Promotion & Campaigns, Cross-Media, and Craft to a European audience, and the creative teams behind them were awarded with the Gold Trophy. Of course, the Silver and Bronze winners also had reason to celebrate.

Awards Winners and Jury Statements from the 28. International Eyes & Ears Awards

Here you find the photo galleries of the EYES & EARS 2026: © Magdalena Possert/Eyes & Ears of Europe & © Luise Flügge/Eyes & Ears of Europe

Another highlight of the awards show was the presentation of the Eyes & Ears Special Awards to Golden Claim: Social Engagement—Noel Goes Uganda and HBO Max Launch. Annette Kümmel gave the laudatory speech for the first Special Award. She awarded the trophy to Rüdiger Braun, CEO of Golden Claim, and René Simon, former CEO of keck & frech. Barbara Simon, Vice President of Eyes & Ears of Europe, gave the laudatory speech for the second Special Award, HBO Max Launch. Malgosia Chapman, SVP of Marketing GSE at HBO Max, then came on stage to receive the award.

Making of 27th international Eyes & Ears Awards 2025 

News

Cologne/Munich, October 20, 2026 – The winners of the 28th International Eyes & Ears Awards have been announced. Read more

Cologne/Munich, October 22, 2026. This year, the 28th International Eyes & Ears Awards were presented on October 20 at the ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI in Munich. Read More

30 years of creativity, innovation and inspiration: To celebrate its anniversary, Eyes & Ears of Europe is introducing a new logo, designed by Munich-based creative agency Umbruch.

The new logo builds on defining elements of the association’s previous logos while reinterpreting them in a fresh way. The result is a distinctive, clear and confident visual identity that honours the association’s history while looking ahead to the future.

Get a first glimpse of the new logo here. It will be officially unveiled at the 28th International Eyes & Ears Awards on 20 October at the ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI in Munich. Umbruch has also created the design for this year’s Awards Show.

The Awards Show will therefore not only celebrate outstanding creative achievements across the industry, but also offer the opportunity to discover the new face of Eyes & Ears of Europe.

Experience the 28th International Eyes & Ears Awards live: Ticket Portal

Eyes & Ears of Europe would like to thank Umbruch for the creative collaboration.

30 Years of Eyes & Ears of Europe – A Milestone, a New Logo and a Look Ahead

Cologne/Munich, September 23, 2026. This year, the 28th International Eyes & Ears Awards will be presented on October 20 at the ASTOR Film Lounge at the ARRI building in Munich. More Information

DESIGN

PROMOTION & CAMPAIGNS

SPECIALS & CROSS MEDIA

CRAFT

Get your Ticket!

Cologne/Munich, June 3, 2026 – On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the 28th International Eyes & Ears Awards will be presented at the ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI in Munich. More Information

Cologne/Munich, 22 October 2025 – “It was a Blast“ – 27th International Eyes & Ears Awards as part of MEDIENTAGE MÜNCHEN More Information

Cologne/Munich, September 25, 2025. The 27th International Eyes & Ears Awards will be hosted by Amiaz Habtu on 20 October at the ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI in Munich. More Information

The jury sessions for the 27th International Eyes & Ears Awards have been successfully completed. In August and September, our jury members for the categories Design, Promotion & Campaigns, Cross-Media & Craft reviewed, discussed, and evaluated the submissions. Here’s the link to the shortlist.

Cologne/Munich, September 10th, 2025 – The 27th International Eyes & Ears Awards are coming up: On October 20th, media professionals from all over Europe will meet at the ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI in Munich to celebrate creative excellence. In addition to the award show, MEDIENTAGE MÜNCHEN will also feature the presentation and awarding of New Talents – giving young talents their own stage to present innovative ideas and fresh approaches. More Information

Cologne/Munich, 26 August 2025 – CREATIVITY MEETS BUSINESS – On 20 October 2025, the 27th International Eyes & Ears Awards will be presented at the ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI in Munich. After nine years, the Awards will once again take place as part of MEDIENTAGE MÜNCHEN, which will be held from 22 to 24 October at the House of Communication and Munich’s Werksviertel district. The Eyes & Ears Awards thus mark the opening of an inspiring week for the media and communications industry. More Information

YOUR CONTACT

Ina Braun, +49 (221) 6060 57 10, ina.braun@eeofe.org