São Paulo, December 9, 2025 – The winners of the WHEXT Awards 2025 were announced on Monday evening, December 8, during the closing ceremony of the 8th edition of the festival, held at MASP. Promoted by APRO through its international platform FilmBrazil, and by ApexBrasil (Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments), the award, dedicated to advertising audiovisual production, recognized the professionals who stood out most in 14 technical categories and honored Dorian Taterka (Dodi), CEO of the Taterka agency , and Sergio Salles, founder of Vetor Zero / LOBO, in the “Contribution to the Market” category, which celebrates professionals who have dedicated their lives to advertising audiovisual and helped build this sector.
Furthermore, this edition introduced a new category, “Honorable Mention,” awarded to Nubank. The bank was recognized by the APRO Council for its commitment to ethical practices, support for independent producers, and encouragement of a more balanced and responsible market. This mention expresses the sector’s institutional recognition of Nubank’s collaborative stance and the positive impact it has had on building a more balanced, innovative, and responsible market—values that reflect the spirit of WHEXT and the purpose of APRO.
The festival was sponsored by CQS/FV Advogados, Full Cine, Getty Images and Guaraná Turismo, Spcine, SEBRAE and the City of São Paulo, as well as the international D&AD. The festival also had the support of Antfood, Canopy by Hilton, DaHouse Audio, DLKTSN, Euphoria Creative, Extreme Reach, FullCine, filmSEG, GoAd, l’oeil and Vetor Zero.
The awards were presented by members of the Council, which also included Marianna Souza, CEO of APRO and curator of WHEXT. “We are very happy to reach the 8th edition of this festival. Amidst the current scenario with the increasing use of AI in audiovisual productions, one certainty remains: what differentiates a memorable advertising piece is not the algorithm, but the creative essence that only humans possess. WHEXT has become a space to celebrate these professionals. Furthermore, holding the festival for the second time in the largest museum in Latin America is very inspiring and rewarding for all of us. It strengthens us as an industry,” summarizes Marianna.
Throughout the day, the event brought together more than 600 participants, who divided themselves among the scheduled activities. In total, the festival promoted 6 workshops and 10 panels, which featured 48 speakers. There were also 55 Business Roundtables, involving 5 international guests, including for the first time a guest from Mexico, and 15 production companies.
Among the highlights of this edition are the lectures: “AI has no taste. So what does creative excellence look like in a world flooded with AI-slop?”, curated by D&AD and led by Arif Haq, Director of Brand Learning at TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and Headliner of WHEXT 2025; “Focus on Streaming: Real Stories & True Crime”, with Vera Egito, from Paranoïd Filmes, and Júlia Prioli from Amazon, responsible for the success of the series Tremembé ; and also the panel “Expectations of CMOs for 2026”, with Alessandra Souza, CMO of Stellantis, Guilherme Martins, CMO of Diageo, and moderated by Cris Lopes, Partner & Executive Producer of Conspiração.
