OMD UK and McDonald’s “Friend’s Festival” campaign was crowned the standout winner on the night, taking home Best Use of Cinema (Large) and the overall Grand Prix.
In a media first, McDonald's, OMD UK and DCM united Odeon, Cineworld and Vue for an unprecedented takeover of Leicester Square. Fans watched iconic episodes of Friends on the big screen, explored recreated sets, enjoyed exclusive experiences and shared the new McDonald's Friends Meal together.
To celebrate 10 years of the Awards, a public vote decided the Cinema Campaign of the Decade. Each prior Grand Prix winner was eligible to win, and it was Kia UK, Havas Media Network and Havas PLAY’s partnership with independent cinema that achieved the historic winning vote.
Kia UK’s continued support of independent cinema also earned them the Best Long-Term use of Cinema award on the night. Judges praised its distinctive use of the medium, and the campaign’s continued evolution across multiple years.
Karen Stacey, CEO of Digital Cinema Media commented, “When we created the Digital Cinema Media Awards ten years ago, I never could have imagined just how impactful it would become. 500 hundred entries, 9 Grand Prix winners and 100 bespoke copies later, and the big screen is stronger than ever. What a difference a decade can make!
“It’s a strength reflected in 2026’s incredible entries. We saw more creativity, more data, and more proof of ROI than any other year, a testament to cinema’s power as a medium."
Famille Perrin and Be Addressable won the Best Use of Cinema (Small) category, proving a highly focused budget, paired with the cultural power of cinema, can deliver outsized commercial impact.
For the Best Creative Use of Cinema, Unilever and Mindshare’s unique 4DX campaign for Lynx took the top spot. The campaign sprayed a bespoke cherry scent to cinema audiences in-screen. A unique media first.
In the same category, Unilever and Mindshare’s Pot Noodle campaign with Dead Good Films was highly commended by judges.
New to the DCM Awards, the Excellence in Cinema Effectiveness category was launched to recognise insight-led strategy and effectiveness in cinema. Confused.com and Zenith Media became the very first winners of this category, building on their ‘Just Used Confused’ campaign with excellent insight-led planning and disciplined measurement.
The individual Cinema Champion was awarded to Louis Monckton at Havas Media for his expert stewardship of Kia UK’s independent cinema partnership. And Spark Foundry’s Cinema Co-ord Team took home the team Cinema Champion prize for its effective, cinema-first initiatives.
Full list of 2026 winners
Best use of Cinema (Small)
WINNER: Famille Perrin and Be Addressable - Precision on the Big Screen: How a Small Cinema Budget Delivers Great Results
Best use of Cinema (Large)
WINNER: McDonald’s and OMD UK - The ONE Where McDonald’s Brought Friends to the Big Screen
Best Creative use of Cinema
WINNER: Unilever and Mindshare - Lynx Cherry Spritz 4DX
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Unilever and Mindshare - Pot Noodle’s partnership with Dead Good Films
Excellence in Cinema Effectiveness
WINNER: Confused.com and Zenith Media - From Zero to Hero: Transforming Cinema into Confused’s Highest ROI ATL Channel
Best Long-Term use of Cinema
WINNER: Kia UK and Havas Media - Five Years of Championing Independent Cinema
Cinema Champion of the Year
WINNER: Louis Monckton, Havas Media
WINNER: Spark Cinema Co-ord Team - Spark Foundry
Grand Prix
WINNER: McDonald’s and OMD UK - The ONE Where McDonald’s Brought Friends to the Big Screen
Cinema Campaign of the Decade
Kia UK, Havas Media Network, Havas PLAY - Driving to the Electric Future with Independent Cinema