GOA: If women empowering the Republic Day parade saw a revolution in the Indian armed forces, women representation during the Abby Awards of the 10th Goa fest was a supreme encouragement. There were more women creative minds representing agencies when compared to men.

In a flamboyant evening of joy and happiness in Goa, the Abby award winners for Publisher and Media category were announced. The awards were distributed by eminent personalities like Madison World chairman Sam Bhalsara, Group M South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas, Goa Fest Jury chairman Pratap Bose, Dentsu Aegis chairman India and CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin, Times Network CEO MK Anand and Lodestar Universal India CEO Shashi Sinha.

Speaking about the competition and entries in the 2015 edition of the Goa Fest, Bose said, “The number of entries has increased to 674 compared to 619 last year in the media category. Entries this year have been highest when compared to any edition of the festival. The decision was taken after four days of detailed analysis by dignitaries from respective countries. The Publisher award started last year, saw 62 entries, which is exactly the same as 2014. This sector needs to improve.”

Apart from India, entries were accepted from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan and when asked if there was a possibility of expanding it beyond the Asian sub-continent, Bose said, “Not in near future! There is no plan of further expansion as the beauty is that these are Indian awards judged by Indian dignitaries, who understand the market for the agency that they work for.”

He added, “There is no such difference in quality of work compared to last year and there is no trend or platform emerging as dominant. The work has been as versatile as it was. Winners from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh signify that international entries have been commendable, which is a huge encouragement.”

Media metals tally is lead by Mindshare with a total of 11 metals, followed by Madison Media with 10. Out of the 74 distributed metals, there were 12 Golds, 23 Silvers and 39 Bronze awards.

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