Jury Session in the Deutsche Bank Twin Towers: Spotlight on the Best
“Is there a more fitting venue for the German Brand Awards Jury Session than the famous Twin Towers of Deutsche Bank?” asks Jörg Liebeskind, highlighting one of the world’s most significant German brands. Christian Rummel, also a juror and Head of Central Brand Management at Deutsche Bank, had extended the invitation to this symbolic venue.
The breathtaking panoramic view from the 37th floor of Europe’s most important financial and commercial hub, and the art tour through the internationally renowned corporate collection, do not distract from the main event: The 17-member jury is devoting a whole day to the entries for the German Brand Awards 2026, a total of 1.676 projects from companies and agencies across 12 nations.
Expert evaluation by six sub-juries
Six sub-juries evaluate brands, campaigns and strategies from the B2B and B2C sectors. Their aim is to identify the best entries in the two disciplines, Excellent Brands and Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation, and to award them Gold or Best of Best. To this end, the jurors engage in in-depth discussions about the submitted cases. On one point, the discerning panel is immediately in agreement: in several categories, none of this year’s entries meet the evaluation criteria.
Long-standing juror and Merck Head of Marketing Katrin Menne, however, is impressed by projects that demonstrate strategic clarity with a touch of glamour: projects whose “brand values are not merely ambitious slogans, but actual filters. Where positioning not only guides communication, but also shapes product decisions, service offerings, the choice of partners and the organisation’s behaviour.” This perspective underscores the German Brand Awards’ commitment to understanding the brand as a strategic management tool.
New voices provide clear impetus
Visibly inspired by her new role on the jury and offering astute comments, trend scout and Gen Z expert Isabelle Rogat says: “As an industry, we’re very good at selling minor tweaks as a revolution. That works until a genuine innovation sparks the imagination. I experienced these rare moments during the jury session – and I hope to see them even more often from the brand-makers of tomorrow.”
The final highlight is the joint discussion among all 17 jurors regarding the winners of Brand Manager of the Year, Best Purpose of the Year and Startup of the Year. Following lively debates, the jury agrees on the winners of the first two titles. The final decision for Startup of the Year will not be made until June, on the day of the Award Show, following a vote by all attendees after the live pitches. The decision for the new honorary award Creative of the Year, presented in collaboration with PAGE magazine, will also be reached via a different process: here, the PAGE community will decide via online voting in the coming weeks who will be honoured as the most influential creative personality in branding.
The German Brand Award 2026 Award Show and the accompanying German Brand Convention will take place on 25 June 2026 at the Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin.
