Johannesburg-based independent agencies Faith & Fear and Retroviral have won Gold at the 2026 Ad Age Small Agency Awards for their work with Profmed on finDR, taking home GOLD Campaign of the Year: B2B.

The win follows Retroviral being named Silver International Small Agency of the Year at the 2025 Ad Age Small Agency Awards, continuing the agency’s growing recognition on the international stage.

Created for Profmed, finDR was born from a striking South African paradox: while the country faces a critical shortage of doctors, more than 1,800 qualified medical graduates are unemployed. The solution was finDR, a mobile web platform designed to connect qualified young doctors looking for opportunities with healthcare practices and facilities that need additional medical support.

The campaign combined a hero film and targeted media relations with creator-led content on TikTok’s #DocTok, taking the issue into both mainstream media and the spaces where young medical professionals spend their time.

Mike Sharman, Chief Creative Officer at Retroviral, says “Winning Silver as International Small Agency of the Year last year was a massive moment for us. To come back a year later and win Gold for a piece of work that has made a tangible difference to young South African doctors is incredibly special. finDR is exactly the kind of work we want to make: an idea rooted in culture and insight that doesn’t just communicate a problem, but helps solve it.”

The 2026 Ad Age Small Agency Awards recognise outstanding creative and business achievements from independent agencies around the world.

Watch the finDR case study below