OSAKA, JAPAN -- Now in its 20th edition, the World Branding Awards continues to spotlight the world’s most impactful and trusted brands. This year, over 1,092 brands from 66 countries were nominated as “Brand of the Year”, with less than 100 declared Winners across Global, Regional, and National tiers.

The World Branding Awards Ceremony stepped outside London for the first time, bringing its global presence to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts. The 2025-2026 edition welcomed over 80 international guests and was presented by the acclaimed Allie Sakakibara. The evening was further elevated by a keynote presentation from Miho Noguchi, who shared insights on building emotional resonance through immersive brand experiences.

Global Tier winners celebrated their outstanding branding excellence across various industries, including IKEA (Sweden), Lurpak (Denmark), Marriott International (United Kingdom), Nike (USA), Sennheiser (Germany), and Yakult (Japan). These brands consistently demonstrated strength, influence, and consumer trust on a global scale.

The National Tier celebrated brands that have become iconic names in their home countries, including Edeka (Germany), Airland (Hong Kong), Bangkok Bank (Thailand), Boots (United Kingdom), Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan), FERN-D (Philippines), Indomaret (Indonesia), KOI Thé (Singapore), Munchy’s (Malaysia), Spritzer (Malaysia), and Thai Life Insurance (Thailand) to name a few.

Only 20 brands earned the Regional Tier award, recognised for their influence in four or more countries across three or more regional markets: Amarula (South Africa), M-150 (Thailand), MR DIY (Malaysia), Nippon Rent-A-Car (Japan), Tsui Wah (Hong Kong), Vitaday (Thailand), and Watsons (Malaysia).

“The World Branding Awards goes beyond celebrating success; we spotlight the unwavering effort, vision, and emotional resonance behind it. Every brand is honoured on a global pedestal, recognised not just for what it sells, but for what it stands for,” said Mr Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum.

Over 91,000 consumers worldwide participated in this year’s nomination process. With an average of just five winning brands per country, securing a World Branding Award remains a highly distinguished achievement.