Adman Piyush Pandey has been posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian awards, for his decades-long contribution to advertising. The announcement was made by the Union government on the eve of Republic Day 2026.
Adman Piyush Pandey, who passed away last year, has been awarded the Padma Bhushan posthumously, one of India's highest civilian awards, in recognition of his decades-long contribution to the Indian advertising industry of India. The award will be conferred by the President Droupadi Murmu, at the ceremonial functions to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan later this year.
On the eve of Republic Day 2026, the Union government announced the list of personalities who will be conferred with Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian Awards of the country. It includes Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.
Remembering the Advertising Legend
Advertising legend Piyush Pandey passed away on October 24, 2025, at the age of 70 years. According to one of the relatives, Pandey had been suffering from pneumonia for the past few weeks after he returned from a recent trip. His health continued to worsen, and he had not been responding to treatment.
A Storied Career
Pandey,70, started his advertising journey in 1982 with Ogilvy & Mather India (now Ogilvy India), beginning as a trainee account executive before transitioning to the creative side. With his talent, he literally changed the face of Indian advertising. He was the mastermind behind iconic ad campaigns like Asian Paints' "Har khushi mein rang laaye", Cadbury's "Kuch Khaas Hai", and Fevicol's iconic "Egg" film.
In 2004, Piyush Pandey etched his name in history as the first Asian to serve as jury president at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. His trailblazing contributions were later recognised with the CLIO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and the Padma Shri, making him the first figure from Indian advertising to receive the national honour.
Piyush's last rites were attended by the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan and others.
Padma Awards 2026: An Overview
Meanwhile, for the year 2026, the President has approved conferment of 131 Padma Awards, including 2 duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one). The list comprises 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 6 persons from the category of Foreigners / NRI / PIO / OCI and 16 Posthumous awardees.
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