The Quollective Africa emerged as the biggest winner at the 2026 Silverback Awards, taking home the coveted Agency of the Year title following an outstanding showing at Uganda’s premier celebration of advertising and creative excellence.
The agency’s success was driven by its BUSiness Unusual campaign for Kiira Motors Corporation, which also secured Best of Show and helped Kiira Motors claim Brand of the Year.
Held under the theme The Bold Rise, this year’s Silverback Awards celebrated the ideas, people and agencies pushing the boundaries of Uganda’s advertising industry.
Organized by the Uganda Advertising Association (UAA), the awards recognizework that demonstrates creative originality, strategic thinking, exceptional execution and effectiveness. Beyond celebrating outstanding campaigns, the platform continues to challenge agencies and brands to raise their standards and produce work capable of competing on regional and international stages.
The Quollective Africa’s winning campaign demonstrated the power of an integrated creative idea executed across multiple disciplines. BUSiness Unusual secured Gold in Effective Creativity, five Silver awards in Customer Experience, Digital and Social Media, Live Events and Sponsorships, Out of Home, and Social Good, alongside Bronze recognition in Data and Insights Driven Campaigns and PR Reputation and Issues Management, the latter credited jointly with Swangz Avenue.
At the heart of the campaign was Kiira Motors Corporation, a brand representing Uganda’s ambitions in automotive innovation and industrial development. Its recognition as Brand of the Year was an important moment for the industry, illustrating the potential for Ugandan enterprises to become the subjects of compelling, award-winning brand storytelling.
The results also highlighted the strength of competition across the industry. Maad McCann finished as the first runner-up for Agency of the Year, followed by Metropolitan Republic Uganda in third place.
Maad McCann earned recognition for work developed for UNICEF, Uganda Baati and Pride Bank, while Metropolitan Republic Uganda distinguished itself through its Keep Growing campaign for Stanbic Bank Uganda, which won Silver in Film and Craft Gold in Film Crafts. TBWA\Uganda also secured Craft Gold for DStv Uganda’s The Heist, further demonstrating the depth of production and storytelling talent within the market.
For UAA, the results point to an industry increasingly recognizing the relationship between creative excellence and business impact. The strongest campaigns are no longer simply those that attract attention, but those that use insight, originality and execution to address real communication challenges and deliver meaningful value for brands and their audiences.
“The Quollective Africa’s achievement is a strong example of how a compelling idea, backed by strategic thinking and excellent execution, can deliver across several disciplines. As an Association, we want to see more of this ambition from agencies and brands operating in our market,” said Peter Kazibwe, Chairman of the Uganda Advertising Association.
Gerald Ssali emerged as Creative Director of the Year, while Victor Shama Ntambi was named Art Director of the Year and Emuron Alemu took the Copywriter of the Year title. Enock Mwesigwa and Shaban Senyange shared the top position in the Marketer of the Year rankings.
Beyond the awards gala, the Silverbacks continued to invest in the future of the profession through the Festival of Creativity and the Young Silverbacks competition. These initiatives created opportunities for emerging creatives to interact with experienced practitioners, present their thinking, explore industry developments and build professional connections.
For UAA, nurturing the next generation is an essential part of building an industry capable of sustaining its growth and competing beyond Uganda’s borders.
For Uganda’s advertising industry, The Bold Rise is therefore more than an awards theme. It is a call for greater ambition, stronger collaboration between brands and agencies, continued investment in creative talent and a shared determination to produce work that matters.