The 23rd edition of the International Business Awards, the global competition known as the “International Stevies,” has named its biggest winners. Banks and telecom operators, PR agencies and product makers, from Taipei and Madrid to Manila and São Paulo, rose above thousands of rival entries.
A Global Field
This year’s competition drew more than 3,800 nominations from organizations in 78 nations and territories. Gold, Silver and Bronze placements were decided by the average scores of over 210 judges across a three-month evaluation. Winners were announced on 12 August and were slated to be honored at a gala in Paris on 28 October. The Stevie Awards then named eight Grand Stevie winners, the competition’s highest “best in show” honors.
The Grand Stevie Winners
Organization of the Year: Cathay Financial Holding. The Taiwan-based financial group took the top honor for the second straight year. Competing with subsidiaries including Cathay Life and Cathay United Bank, it collected 76.5 award points from 13 Gold, nine Silver and 13 Bronze Stevies.
Most Honored Public Relations Agency: LLYC. The Madrid-headquartered consultancy earned this title for the fifth time in the IBAs, scoring 28.5 points on seven Gold, three Silver and one Bronze win.
Most Honored Marketing Agency: Above The Line Company Limited. The Hong Kong agency earned 36 points on nine Gold, three Silver and two Bronze Stevies, for work done for the Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government and the Construction Industry Council.
Most Honored Awards Agency: Purpol Marketing. The UK firm led all award agencies with 39 points. It has won five Grand Stevies in total, but this was its first in the International Business Awards.
Highest-rated Nomination of the Year: a three-way tie. Three entries each scored 9.71 out of 10:
Brasilprev of São Paulo, for its work making its services accessible to deaf customers. It was Brazil’s first Grand Stevie in any Stevie Awards competition.
Grundfos of Denmark, for its “Stay or ALPHA GO” marketing campaign, giving Denmark its first-ever Grand Stevie.
MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada life science business of Merck KGaA, for its corporate social responsibility initiative “One Community at a Time.”
Highest-rated New Product or Service: Beyaz Kağıt. The Turkish company won for its Asperox Sparx hand dishwashing liquid. One judge praised how it turned a real consumer frustration into a simple, practical solution, backed by strong performance, innovative packaging and well-integrated communication.
The Biggest Haul
The Stevie Awards named Vietnam’s Viettel the top winner of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevies. Its organizations worldwide earned 29 awards, led by Viettel Cambodia and Viettel Peru with six each.
In the race for Gold, Globe Telecom of the Philippines led the official list of Gold winners with nine Gold Stevies. Cathay United Bank, LLYC and Tata Consultancy Services followed with seven each. Six Golds went to Cathay Financial Holding, HALKBANK, IBM, Megaworld Foundation and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, pladis, QNB, and the Development Bureau of the HKSARG with the Construction Industry Council. CarrefourSA, Leobit and Miral each won five, and ten more organizations, including Cebuana Lhuillier, Cisco Systems and Abu Dhabi Customs, won four.
A Strong Year For The Philippines
Filipino organizations had a strong showing. Globe’s nine Gold Stevies put it at the top of the official list of Gold winners, and Megaworld’s six Golds and Cebuana Lhuillier’s four placed both among the competition’s top performers. Their results show Filipino companies competing with, and beating, some of the world’s largest brands.
How The Top Honors Are Decided
Organizations cannot enter for a Grand Stevie directly. The “most honored” titles come from a points system: three points per Gold, two per Silver and 1.5 per Bronze. The “highest-rated” honors go to the entries with the best average scores from the judges. This is why Cathay Financial’s broad run of wins across its subsidiaries earned it Organization of the Year.
Looking Ahead
For organizations inspired by this year’s results, the next opportunity is coming. Nominations for the 2027 International Business Awards open in February 2027. As this year’s winners show, the trophies go to work that pairs ambition with evidence of real results.
