Pepper Awards, South India’s premier advertising honours celebrating creativity, has officially opened entries for its 2025 edition. 

Work released between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 is eligible for submission. All entries must be submitted online no later than 5 PM, 31 October 2025.

An early bird discount is available for registrations completed on or before 10 October 2025, with a special reduced entry fee.

Ahead of its nineteenth edition, the awards announced a strategic partnership with Manifest.

The on-ground awards ceremony will take place on 5 December 2025 at Le Meridien, Kochi, bringing together the region’s most talented minds in advertising, media, and creative industries. 

Born as a state-level initiative in 2007, the Pepper Awards has steadily grown into a platform that recognises creativity across South India. Through this new partnership with Manifest, the organisers aim to expand the awards’ footprint across the country.

With credibility as its cornerstone, the Pepper Awards jury features a curated panel of globally renowned luminaries from the advertising world, many of whom have judged at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, D&AD, LIA, and One Show, among others.  

The jury panel for the 2025 edition will be announced soon. 

K Venugopal, chairperson, Pepper Creative Awards Trust, said, “This partnership with Manifest amplifies our mission to bring South Indian creativity to a national forefront. This year, we’ve expanded our categories to mirror leading national awards, creating more opportunities for diverse and brilliant work to be recognised.”

P K Natesh, chairperson, Pepper Awards 2025, added, “Alongside our coveted ‘Agency of the Year’ and ‘Advertiser of the Year’ awards, we are proud to introduce a special jury award for outstanding creative work. The alliance with Manifest Media, known for its daily industry updates and magazine reaching the CXOs of the marketing and advertising world, promises unprecedented visibility for the awards and its winners, making it a mutually beneficial partnership for both organisations.”

Raahil Chopra, founder and editor, Manifest, said, “We are extremely excited to partner with Pepper Awards. We attended last year’s event as the ‘offline partner’ and were impressed with the turnout and scale. Given the incredible response last year, we are looking to elevate the experience for attendees even further this year.”

For more information, visit pepperawards.com.