The 2026 editions of the Young Pitcher Competition and the Future Pitcher Competition have reached their 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 advance their professional journey with an industry placement at Out There Media, a leading global mobile advertising and data monetisation firm headquartered in Austria – providing direct exposure to international best practices and deeper immersion into the global creative ecosystem.
Young Pitcher Competition
Young Pitcher Overall
- Gold: Chisom Aniebue & Olatunde Mustapha – Pulse Marketing Nigeria
- Silver: Fiona Achieng & Odhiambo Andrew Cobblah – Innova DDB Ghana
- Bronze: Favour Oluleke & Stanley Igboanugo – QVT Media, Nigeria
Young Pitcher Film Category
- Gold: David Chikere & Morayo Olaleye – SO&U Nigeria
Young Pitcher Media Category
- Gold: Gift Ayelu & Blessing Adenuga – QVT Media
- Silver: Fejiro Orife & Oluwaseun Omojola – MediaReach OMD, Nigeria
Young Pitcher PR Category
- Gold: Eniola Ajayi & Kesioluwa Orukotan – QVT Media Nigeria
Young Pitcher Print Category
- Gold: Gabriel Atitebi & Leo Inomakora – The Hook Creative Agency, Nigeria
- Silver: Chinonyerem Ezeibe & Mayowa Odunewu – Pulse Marketing Nigeria
- Bronze: Oluwapelumi Aina-Badejo & Temitope Adebisi – JT Agency, Abuja, Nigeria
Future Pitcher Competition
- Gold: Favour Mbagwu – Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos
- Gold: Kehinde Olatunji – Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos
- Silver: Tomiwa Oyegunle – Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria
- Bronze: Bernice Ijekhuemen – Lancaster University, Ghana
Special Recognition
- Lecturer of the Year: Mr. Olufemi Oribamise – Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos
- School of the Year: Department of Language & Communication Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
