The Sunday Times GenNext Awards, South Africa’s leading youth brand preference and consumer behaviour survey, marks a major milestone: 21 years of tracking the pulse of South African youth. This year’s event will celebrate the coolest brands across more than 60 categories over the past decade.
The 2025 Sunday Times GenNext event will take place in Joburg on October 23 2025, and will include an interactive showcase, insights sessions, an awards ceremony and the publication of the Sunday Times GenNext supplement, to provide brands and marketers with valuable insights into the evolving preferences of South African youth aged eight to 30.
This year’s results have been compiled using data from the annual Sunday Times GenNext Coolest Brands reports published between 2015 and 2024. The research focuses on the top five brands in each category, offering a comprehensive view of youth sentiment over the past 10 years.
“As we celebrate 21 years of the Sunday Times GenNext Awards, we reflect on the incredible journey of understanding and engaging with South Africa’s youth,” says Lyndon Barends, MD of strategic partnerships at Arena Holdings. “Their changing preferences have consistently guided marketers, brand managers and product developers in shaping strategies that resonate with the next generation. GenNext has become more than just a campaign — it’s a movement that empowers brands to stay relevant. Arena Holdings and the Sunday Times are proud to continue championing this initiative and we look forward to the next chapter in this dynamic story.”
The interactive showcase will host between 350 and 450 youth, offering brands the opportunity to engage directly through activations, competitions and immersive experiences. The insights sessions will allow partners to engage directly with youth and industry experts to explore brand relevance and future trends. The highly anticipated awards event will be an exclusive evening event celebrating the coolest brands as voted by South Africa’s youth.
The Sunday Times GenNext supplement will be published in the Sunday Times on October 26, reaching more than 2.7-million readers. For more information, partnership opportunities or media enquiries, contact Odette George at georgeo@arena.africa.
The big take-out: GenNext has become more than just a campaign — it’s a movement that empowers brands to stay relevant.
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