Australia and New Zealand are represented on the jury of creatives and marketers for the 2026 ONE Asia Creative Awards, part of The One Club for Creativity.
Confirmed judges from Australia include Finch CEO and EP Rob Galluzzo, AKQA Australia national ECD Sarah McGregor and Havas Host ECD Anna Yates.
Representing New Zealand on the jury is The Sweetshop CEO Melanie Bridge and McCann New Zealand art director Kat Tadaki.
Entries to this year’s competition can be submitted now, with fees increasing after each deadline. The regular deadline July 17, 2026, extended deadline August 28, 2026, and final deadline September 18, 2026.
A hallmark of ONE Asia is its commitment to engagement with the creative community by holding judging in a different APAC country each year. After past editions in Seoul, Manila, and Shanghai, this year the awards head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Judging will take place October 17-19, 2026 at The Majestic in Kuala Lumpur, with production company DirectorsThinkTank serving as this year’s exclusive judging sponsor. A student masterclass with Level Up is scheduled for October 20.
Finalists will be revealed in the fall, with winners announced in November 2026. ONE Asia winners have their points recognized in the annual Campaign Brief Asia Rankings, as well as in the ONE Asia Creative Rankings and The One Club’s Global Creative Rankings.
Three new disciplines join the awards this year, alongside an expanded AI category.
Creator Content is a new discipline recognising the growing influence of creators and creator-led platforms in brand storytelling.
The Luxury, Fashion and Lifestyle discipline will recognise the unique creative approaches of luxury, fashion, and lifestyle brands. It will celebrate the work that builds brand culture through storytelling, design, experiences, collaborations, and community engagement.
Production & Craft is a newly consolidated discipline, bringing together the former Moving Image and Sound Craft and OOH, Print and Digital Craft categories.
Creative Use of Artificial Intelligence has been expanded and refined to better reflect how AI is transforming creative work.
As part of this year’s partnership with Malaysia, this year’s call for entries was created by Muma Malaysia Petaling Jaya.
Entitled ‘Where Taste Matters’, the campaign makes the case that in a world flooded with generated content, taste is the only thing left that separates the memorable from the forgettable.
“This year’s jury brings together senior leaders behind some of the region’s most recognized work, brand marketers who know the impact of every decision, and a new generation with fresh perspectives. They all come from a range of agencies, brands, countries, and cultures, and all are held to the same high standard of Taste,” said The One Club for Creativity APAC regional director Tay Guan Hin.
