WEO Awards 2026 Celebrate Outstanding Achievements Across Global Egg Industry

The World Egg Organisation (WEO) has announced the winners of its 2026 Awards, recognising outstanding leadership, innovation, marketing excellence, and contribution to the global egg industry.

The awards were presented during the WEO Global Leadership Conference in Singapore on Thursday 10 September, bringing together egg industry leaders from around the world to celebrate the people and businesses helping to shape the future of the sector.

The 2026 WEO Award winners are:

• Denis Wellstead Award for International Egg Person of the Year: Franz Hofer, Austria
• Golden Egg Award for Marketing Excellence: Sundaily Farm, China
• Clive Frampton Egg Products Company of the Year Award: Ovobel Foods Limited, India

Denis Wellstead Award for International Egg Person of the Year

The Denis Wellstead Award was presented to Franz Hofer, in recognition of more than two decades of exceptional service and commitment to the global egg industry and WEO, through his role as CEO of Ovotherm, Austria.

Known for his commitment to collaboration, connection, and knowledge-sharing, Franz has been a familiar and valued presence at WEO conferences, rarely missing an event and renowned for sitting front row for speaker sessions.

In presenting the award, Juan Felipe Montoya Muñoz described Franz as an “unwavering advocate, a trusted partner, and an energetic voice for our industry”, adding that he “truly embodies the spirit of this award.”

On receiving the award, Franz Hofer said: “Thank you so much. I love to work for you, I love this business, I love all these partnerships we have, all the respect that is in this business. Whether you are a big company, or a small company, all the respect we get from you, the nice words we get from you, the challenges we get from you… that is the reason why I’m doing it.”

Golden Egg Award for Marketing Excellence

The Golden Egg Award 2026 was presented to Sundaily Farm, China, for an outstanding campaign that demonstrated creativity, consumer engagement, and measurable return on investment.

The Egg Marketing Showcase took place on Wednesday 9 September at the WEO Singapore Conference, featuring presentations from this year’s entrants.

Announcing the winner, Emily Metz (member of the judging panel) said: “I want to thank all the entrants for this year, because they were all truly incredible – and we have a bright future ahead of us with those bright minds marketing on behalf of our industry.

“But there was one stand-out entrant. This year’s winner demonstrated the new marketing techniques that are going to advance the egg industry for the future, including integrating into culture, delivering a strong return on investment, having a forward-looking long-term strategy and clear set of goals, measurable performance indicators, and all-around creativity. Congratulations, Sundaily Farm!”

Marketing Manager, Ivy Ma, accepted the award on behalf of the company. Sundaily Farm are the first Chinese company to win the Golden Egg Award.

Clive Frampton Egg Products Company of the Year Award

This year’s Clive Frampton Award was presented to Satish Babu and Sharad Satish, the father-and-son team representing Ovobel Foods Limited, India.

Ovobel Foods has a deep heritage in the egg industry, with the family behind the company involved in egg farming since 1965 and egg processing since 1996.

Presenting the award, Henrik Pedersen said: “When the Award Committee considered this year’s candidates, we were looking for a company that did more than simply perform well. We were looking for a company that demonstrated ambition, resilience, innovation, and a clear commitment to the future of our industry.

“A company that has successfully combined generations of experience with modern technology. A company that has expanded its production capabilities, developed international markets, invested in sustainability and, at the same time, remained firmly rooted in the fundamentals of our business: the egg, the farmer, the customer, and quality. Congratulations, Ovobel Foods!”

Ovobel Foods are the first company in India to receive this recognition.

Source: WEO press release