Agencies earn five major awards for Explore NB's Fundy Belle activation, while NATIONAL takes home three additional honours
HALIFAX, NS, October 16, 2026 – NATIONAL Public Relations and Time & Space celebrated a major night at the 2026 Ice Awards, sharing five awards, including Best of Show, for the Fundy Belle, an ambitious experiential tourism campaign created for Explore NB. The campaign also earned Gold in Out-of-Home Experiential and Use of New/Emerging Media, Silver in Other Promo, and the Fearless Client award, recognizing Explore NB's willingness to embrace bold creative ideas.
Developed in partnership with PARADE Studio, the Fundy Belle brought the world's highest tides to downtown Toronto through a custom-built lobster boat that lifted visitors 52.5 feet into the air, mirroring the dramatic tidal range of New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy.
Part billboard, part engineering feat and part immersive tourism experience, the activation was designed to make one of New Brunswick's most iconic natural wonders impossible to ignore. Over four days, the campaign welcomed nearly 5,000 visitors, generated 14 million impressions and $1.17 million in attributable visitor spending, demonstrating the impact of an approach that combined creative ambition with innovative media thinking.
"The Bay of Fundy is one of New Brunswick's greatest natural assets, but we knew that simply talking about the world's highest tides wasn't enough," said Kristie Forbes, Managing Director, Client Services, Atlantic, NATIONAL.
"We wanted to create something that would make people stop, look up and see New Brunswick in an entirely new way. It was an extraordinarily ambitious idea, and bringing it to life took tremendous creativity, collaboration and determination. I'm incredibly proud of the Best of Show recognition, but even prouder of the people whose hard work and ingenuity made it all possible."
The Fundy Belle was part of Explore NB's broader Get a Sense of New Brunswick brand platform, which invites travellers to connect with the province through its distinctive natural experiences, culture and people.
"In an increasingly competitive tourism market, destinations need to do more than tell people what makes them special. They need to create experiences that make people feel it," said John Wearing, Vice-President, Strategy, Time & Space. "The Fundy Belle demonstrates what's possible when media and creative strategy come together from the outset. We created something that people wanted to experience, talk about and share, extending the reach of the campaign well beyond those who stepped aboard."
"The best creative ideas often start by asking: what if?” said Shawn King, Senior VP, Executive Creative Director at NATIONAL.
“In this case, what if we could bring the world's highest tides to the middle of Toronto? It's the kind of bold idea that only becomes reality when you have a client with the courage to say yes. Explore NB didn't just embrace the ambition, they helped make the idea even better.”
2026 Ice Awards: Full List of Honours
NATIONAL and Time & Space
Best of Show – Explore NB, Fundy Belle
Fearless Client – Explore NB, Fundy Belle
Gold, OOH Experiential – Explore NB, Fundy Belle
Silver, Other Promo – Explore NB, Fundy Belle
Time & Space
- Gold, Use of New/Emerging Media – Explore NB, Fundy Belle
NATIONAL
Gold, Design: Publications and Collateral – AVENIR GLOBAL, Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Gold, Digital/Online: Apps/Mobile/Games – Discover Halifax, Mobile AI Planner
Silver, Film/TV/Broadcast: Single – Eastlink, Internet Security campaign
Merit, Digital/Online Website – AVENIR GLOBAL, Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Together, the eight awards reflect the breadth of creative work being developed by NATIONAL, Time & Space, and their partners, and the strength of Atlantic Canada's creative industry. The Ice Awards celebrate excellence in creative advertising and marketing across Atlantic Canada.