Ahead of the new awards season, the BalCannes Expert Council has been assembled as an advisory body that will contribute to the planning and organisation of this regional communications industry competition. The Expert Council once again brings together some of the most experienced names from the regional creative scene, ready to exchange perspectives, raise important questions and contribute to the new BalCannes season. Its key role is to continuously align BalCannes with the needs of the industry and the markets of the participating countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.
The BalCannes Expert Council will bring together representatives of the top-ranked agencies from each participating country in this year’s competition. Reflecting their outstanding results in 2026, the Council will include: Amna Džambić Branković (Via Media, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Brankica Janković (Aquarius Group, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Davor Bruketa (Bruketa&, Croatia), Sean Poropat (Studio Sonda, Croatia), Darko Bosnar (Imago Ogilvy, Croatia), Goran Dimovski (McCann Skopje, North Macedonia), Sofija Semenpeeva (Effectiva agency, North Macedonia), Jana Savić Rastovac (McCann Beograd, Serbia), Milica Radović (Friday Finally, Serbia), Milja Šijakinić (Žiška, Serbia), Marko Vičić (Futura DDB, Slovenia), Dino Zupančič (Agencija 101, Slovenia) and Dunja Bibianko Marovt (AV STUDIO, Slovenia).
Council members will take part in shaping the key elements of the competition, from competition groups and categories to the judging process and other activities related to its development and organisation. The first meeting of the Expert Council will take place on 16 September, when the Organising Committee will present a review of the previous season and plans for the year ahead, while Council members will contribute to the competition’s further development through their ideas, suggestions and experience.
Ahead of the new creative season, members of the Expert Council shared what BalCannes means to the regional creative industry, why recognising the best ideas matters and how the competition gives them greater visibility beyond the region:
Great work deserves a chance to be seen. You never know, it might just spark someone’s next big idea, says Amna Džambić Branković (Via Media).
But that visibility does not stop at the borders of a single market. Davor Bruketa (Bruketa&) points out that good work deserves to be seen beyond the market it was created for. BalCannes is a great place to present your work to clients and potential clients, show what you can do and see how it ranks among the best work in the region.
BalCannes allows us to go beyond the boundaries of our own market, discover the best work from across the region, learn from one another and inspire each other to do even better next time, says Goran Dimovski (McCann Skopje).
And BalCannes turns precisely what connects the region’s markets into one of its strengths. As Jana Savić Rastovac (McCann Beograd) puts it: We share the same air, language and culture, so why not share the work we are proud of, too?
For Marko Vičić (Futura DDB), this exchange holds even greater potential: Great work should not remain confined to a single market. BalCannes gives the best ideas from our region the stage they deserve and the opportunity to show that Balkan creativity can do more than compete on equal terms with the best. It can set the standards.
The best ideas from across the region get the stage they deserve at BalCannes, while the very best among them take home Gold, Silver or Bronze. Find out more about the competition here. Entries will open soon, and the winners will once again be announced at DK2027.
