Asia's largest international ad festival opens in Busan

MAD STARS 2026 runs Wednesday through Friday at Signiel Busan and Haeundae under the theme 'AMPLIFY'

A promotional poster for the 2026 Busan International Marketing & Advertising Festival [Busan city government]

Asia's largest international advertising festival — and the only one of its kind in South Korea — opened in Busan on Wednesday. The city of Busan announced that the 2026 Busan International Marketing & Advertising Festival, known as MAD STARS 2026, will run through Friday at Signiel Busan and surrounding areas of Haeundae under the theme "AMPLIFY."

Now in its 19th edition, the festival is organized by the Busan International Marketing & Advertising Festival Organizing Committee and sponsored by the city of Busan and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The opening ceremony takes place Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Signiel Busan, where the International Honorary Award and the Merit Award will be presented to individuals and organizations that have contributed to the development of the advertising industry. This year's International Honorary Award goes to Raja Rajamannar, who expanded Mastercard's flagship brand asset "Priceless" into a global platform and has championed innovative marketing strategies. The Merit Award will go to Im Ji-young, chairwoman of the Korea Advertising Producers Association, in recognition of her work to improve production conditions for advertising films and protect the rights of creators.

This year the festival is introducing changes to its entry system and event operations in line with the rapidly shifting industry landscape and the AI era. Entry categories have been reorganized into a "Solutions Group" and a "Positive Impact Group," with two new additions: "Health Stars," covering health and wellness, and an "AI Utilization" category that evaluates the creative use of AI technology. All entries must also disclose whether and how AI was used, raising the transparency and fairness of the judging process.

Industry professionals from leading global firms — including Publicis London, Cheil Worldwide and Japan's Pola — will share in-depth insights and solutions on marketing strategies amid technological, data and cultural shifts, as well as creativity in the AI age.

The "New Stars" competition will feature 63 junior advertising professionals from nine countries, while "Young Stars" will bring together 93 university and graduate students from 10 countries to present creative ideas and campaigns. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Friday; Young Stars winners will receive internship opportunities at major advertising agencies in South Korea and abroad.

A separate public event, the "2026 Busan International Marketing & Advertising Festival Creative Pop-Up," will be held at Domoheon from Sept. 10 to Sept. 13, open free of charge to all residents.

kaf2002@heraldcorp.com