Pendoring GM Eben Keun says, "Thank you to all the agencies, publishing houses and schools that entered the Pendoring Awards this year. We saw pronounced growth not just in total entries, but in specific languages."

"isiZulu entries increased by 138.89% and Sepedi entries doubled. Setswana entries are up by 222% and Xitsonga entries increased by 142.85%. We received our first entry in N|uu this year. This indicates true change beginning to take shape within our industry and brands continuing to tell authentic stories in indigenous languages," adds Keun.

"We are also proud to announce our top-ranked agencies for 2021. Congratulations and thank you for pursuing excellence with South Africa's indigenous language creative content," Keun says.

According to the event, 2021 was a 'bumper year' that saw:
  • a 24% increase in entries
  • 42% more finalists in the Digital Communications category
  • 22% more finalists in the Student awards, and
  • 35% more finalists in the Radio and Audio category. 
The 2021 Umpetha Award is shared by TBWA \ Hunt Lascaris and Toasted Samish, who worked together on the integrated campaign called 'Shwii' by Nissan. The campaign, which also won in Digital and Radio and Audio categories, hacked and disrupted the popular navigation app Waze to create their own set of isiZulu commands that are suited to local drivers.

Boniswa Pezisa, the Pendoring jury president for 2021, says, "Most distinctive of all the entries is the Umpetha Award winner, which stands heads and shoulders above the rest of its competitors. It pushed the boundaries by digging deeper into the depths of the rich melodic sounds and gestures of the language."

The 2021 Overall Student Winner goes to Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, Cape Town, for 'Ichebetyu Goes A Long Way'. The campaign is an integrated campaign that plays off the insight that South Africans can make that last bit of Sunlight Laundry Soap last a very long time.

Heidi Brauer, chief marketing officer for headline sponsors Hollard, says, "As we enter this special decade, we just know that the world-class entries delivered by all our finalists will inspire more South Africans to produce work in our beautiful and diverse mother tongues."

Pendoring has also announced the rankings for 2021. The top agency this year, Joe Public United, won several Gold Pendorings for its Castle 'Milk Stout ClanBeat' campaign and for its Chicken Licken 'Humble Achaar' radio campaign.

The Pendoring 2021 top 12 agencies include:
  1. Joe Public United
  2. TBWA \ Hunt Lascaris
  3. FCB
  4. Toasted Samish
  5. Boomtown
  6. Abnormal
  7. Dit&Dat Ontwerp
  8. King James Group
  9. Sauce Advertising
  10. Ogilvy South Africa
  11. 8909, and
  12. Afropulse Media.
The Pendoring 2021 top five content publishers include:
  1. Pan MacMillan
  2. New Africa Books
  3. Naledi
  4. Klyntji.com, and
  5. ATKV.
The Pendoring 2021 top eight schools / universities include:
  1. Red & Yellow Creative School of Business
  2. IIE-Vega
  3. AAA School of Advertising
  4. North-West University
  5. The Open Window
  6. Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography
  7. The Creative Academy, Cape Town, and
  8. Boston Media House.
All the winners can be viewed here.  

For more information, visit www.pendoring.co.za. You can also follow the Pendoring Awards on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram