Meet the Winners of the 2026 Young Pitcher and Future Pitcher Competitions
The 2026 editions of the Young Pitcher Competition and the Future Pitcher Competition have reached their exciting conclusion, marking another year of outstanding talent emerging from the Pitcher Festival’s youth development programmes. The Young Pitcher Academy brought together early‑career professionals for an intensive creative learning experience, culminating in the Young Pitcher Competition where participants applied their sharpened skills to real‑world briefs.
Alongside this, the Future Pitcher Student Academy guided university‑level creatives through hands‑on training, mentorship, and collaborative challenges, all leading up to the Future Pitcher Competition — a platform designed to introduce fresh voices to the realities of strategic and creative problem‑solving.
This year’s Future Pitcher Competition winners will now advance their professional journey with an industry placement at Out There Media, a leading global mobile advertising and data monetization firm headquartered in Austria. This opportunity provides direct exposure to international best practices and a deeper immersion into the global creative ecosystem.
Below are the winners across all categories:
Young Pitcher Digital Category
🥇 Gold Winner: Chisom Aniebue & Olatunde Mustapha, Pulse Marketing Nigeria
🥈 Silver Winner: Fiona Achieng Odhiambo & Andrew Cobblah, Innova DDB Ghana
🥉 Bronze Winner: Favour Oluleke & Stanley Igboanugo, QVT Media, Nigeria
Young Pitcher Film Category
🥇 Gold Winner: David Chikere & Morayo Olaleye, SO&U Nigeria
Young Pitcher Media Category
🥇 Gold Winner: Gift Ayelu & Blessing Adenuga, QVT Media
🥈 Silver Winner: Fejiro Orife & Oluwaseun Omojola, MediaReach OMD, Nigeria
Young Pitcher PR Category
🥇 Gold Winner: Eniola Ajayi & Kesioluwa Orukotan, QVT Media Nigeria
Young Pitcher Print Category
🥇 Gold Winner: Gabriel Atitebi & Leo Inomakora, The Hook Creative Agency, Nigeria
🥈 Silver Winner: Chinonyerem Ezeibe & Mayowa Odunewu, Pulse Marketing Nigeria
🥉 Bronze Winner: Oluwapelumi Aina-Badejo & Temitope Adebisi, JT Agency, Abuja, Nigeria
Future Pitcher Competition
🥇 Gold Winner: Favour Mbagwu – Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos
🥇 Gold Winner: Kehinde Olatunji – Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos
🥈 Silver Winner: Tomiwa Oyegunle - Olabisi Onananjo University, Nigeria
🥉 Bronze Winner: Bernice Ijekhuemen - Lancaster University, Ghana
Special Recognition
👨🏫 Lecturer of the Year: Mr. Jack Amaso, Lecturer, Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos
🏆 School of the Year: Department of Language & Communication Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Kudos to all the winners! Your dedication and imagination set a powerful example. We can’t wait to see where your creativity leads next.