Entries are now open for the 2027 adfest Lotus Awards, with the Asia-Pacific and Middle East creative festival introducing new categories recognising gaming, sports, humour and the growing role of AI in creative production.
The awards are part of adfest2027, themed 30&BEYOND, which will run from 18–20 March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.
The new Gaming & Sports Lotus joins the awards line-up, while Use of Humour has been introduced as a subcategory across 12 Lotus categories.
The changes also extend to the craft awards. Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus has been renamed Creative Craft Lotus to recognise craftsmanship across a broader range of disciplines, while Digital Craft Lotus has expanded to include additional AI Craft categories.
Two new Special Awards will also be introduced: Film Production Company of the Year and Campaign of the Year.
Film Production Company of the Year will be calculated separately from Production Company of the Year, using results from film-based categories. Campaign of the Year will go to the campaign achieving the highest score across finalists and winners in all Lotus categories.
The changes also affect agency awards. Media Agency of the Year and PR Agency of the Year will now be calculated using results across all Lotus categories, rather than only the Media Lotus and PR Lotus respectively. Digital Agency of the Year has been discontinued.
ADFEST is calling for work that challenges expectations, demonstrates strong craft and connects with audiences across cultures, as the festival marks its 30th anniversary and looks towards the next phase of regional creativity.
The early bird entry deadline is 18 December 2026, followed by the regular deadline on 15 January 2027 and the final late deadline on 29 January 2027.
The Lotus Awards recognise the best creative work from across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
