AGENCY AWARDS
Advertising Agency
Special
Special is one of the greatest advertising agencies in the world, not just Australia or its New Zealand homeland.
Its work for clients is incredibly impressive. Special’s Uber and Uber Eats work is some of the finest in the market, with its ‘Get Almost, Almost Anything’ brand platform for Uber Eats leading to some of the most memorable ads over the last year, featuring global celebrities such as Jason Alexander, Andy Murray and even Cher. Beyond simply being smart, clever campaigns the platform has generated significant business results for Uber Eats.
It also helped launch HBO Max in Australia. In an incredibly crowded market, it managed to ut through with its ‘All Killer, No Filler’ positioning, taking aim at other streamers with a litany of forgettable content.
Beyond that, Special created one of the advertising moments of the year on both sides of the Pacific, employing Robert Irwin to front the campaign to launch Bonds in the US. It would cause more than a stir, to say the least. We could go on, waxing lyrical about work for the likes of Origin Energy, Coopers Brewery, Smiths and Kitchen Warehouse. As one of our judges noted, “What set Special apart was its ability to consistently deliver brilliant work across all clients, all shapes of work and all budgets”.
That creative excellence was reflected in an enviable selection of client wins for its core advertising business, including the aforementioned HBO Max, following a highly competitive pitch. In fact, it would notch eight new clients in Australia and seven in New Zealand. Revenue and profit would grow across nearly all of its offices in Australia and New Zealand, despite the very tough market.
A very, very Special year indeed.
Aotearoa New Zealand Agency
Thompson Spencer
All of Thomson Spencer’s work shares the same DNA: it’s built on human truths and brave ideas.
This year, the agency assembled a team of tech futurists and data analysts who have taken the mandate to build an agency for tomorrow, with tech and humans working simultaneously.
That approach has supercharged Thompson and has seen the agency’s revenue grow and partnerships deepen. To put it more plainly—the Auckland-based agency has gone gangbusters.
Its work for Honda New Zealand reignited brand love among Gen Z and Millennials with ‘The Perfect Union’, a robot love story that spanned cinema, TV, social, influencer activations and out of home, delivering record-breaking engagement for the automaker.
Another client, Auckland Transport, used humour to spark safer school gate behaviour with comedian Karen O’Leary, creating a campaign praised by parents, teachers and media alike. It’s now being considered for nationwide rollout.
Commercially, Thompson Spencer has seen significant revenue growth, expanding into Australia and winning more than a dozen major accounts, including the likes of KFC, Goodman Fielder, PwC and Wattyl. In fact, its client portfolio nearly doubled over the judging period.
The agency also prides itself on long-tenured clients and staff, with many of its employees from diverse backgrounds reflecting the many cultures of Aotearoa.
It is also expanding through strategic acquisitions with business divisions including an in-house production suite, social media, influencer marketing, Chinese social media, creative and production, performance, data and analytics, and media planning and buying.
It’s little wonder Thomson Spencer is one of the fastest growing indies across the Tasman.
Branding, Design & CX Agency
Akcelo
Akcelo knows that ads and comms are just one facet of consumer-brand interactions. That’s why branding, design and CX are so fundamental to the experiences it brings to life for clients.
From digital interfaces to packaging and user experience to member experience, Akcelo is intentional in every detail it designs.
Last year, Akcelo put that vision into practice like never before, creating game-changing work for icons including McDonald’s, TikTok, PepsiCo, Amazon and PlayStation.
By reimagining Jetstarʼs retailing and loyalty models through the customers’ eyes, Akcelo made customer decisions on Jetstar’s bookings systems feel simple, personal and valuable, while building the enablers that would let the airline deliver it at scale.
As hype was building for Squid Game season 2, Akcelo put the iconic Dalgona Candy Challenge into the hands of millions of fans, recreating the showʼs game with a special Maccaʼs twist—a McDonaldʼs ‘Mʼ candy shape.
Akcelo designed a bespoke Squid Game meal box, recruitment cards handed out by ‘Pink Guards’ around Australia and cryptic Korean out of home, capturing fans’ attention and driving mass user participation across Australia.
While much of the industry pulled back, cutting costs and staff, Akcelo pushed forward—achieving 25 per cent revenue growth, 100 per cent client retention and a 15 per cent team expansion. It became fully carbon neutral, launched an EV program, and achieved 50:50 gender leadership across departments.
At just four years old, Akcelo isn’t following the industry, it’s setting the standard for it. Powered by creativity, culture and code, the agency is already determining what’s next.
Consumer PR Agency
Supermassive
At a time when attention is at high demand but short supply, brilliant PR agencies have never been more important. None have made more noise than Supermassive this year.
The agency has had a stellar year, headlined by driving a world-first legislation to change the age teens can access social media. Supermassive led the PR and government engagement strategy for social change initiative ’36 Months’, pioneered by radio host Michael ‘Wippa’ Wiplfi and Rob Galluzzo, founder of FINCH.
The campaign demonstrated the power of earned-first, advocacy-led creativity. From parental concern to world-first law to the global stage, it is proof that strategic, culture-led campaigning can change not just minds, but systems, and safeguard an entire generation’s right to grow up on their own terms.
But it wasn’t all ’36 Months’. The global ‘Lifetime of Greatness Project’ campaign brought together marine scientists, First Nations Australians, schools, tourism bodies, national organisations and advocates from all over the world for a remarkable project. It sought to convince the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to recognise the Great Barrier Reef as the first non-human but certainly alive Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of a millennia of service to the planet and its inhabitants.
Supermassive engaged audiences through immersive digital experiences, and targeted the UNEP right outside their headquarters with out of home.
The campaign sparked significant media coverage around the world, with the website gaining over 1.2 million supports. It brought people together for something that unites all of us.
In just two years, Supermassive has proven that creativity, when built on disciplined strategy, can drive cultural, commercial and systemic change.
Corporate PR Agency
Orizontas
Orizontas was founded nearly four years ago but in the agency’s annals, 2025 will likely be remembered as a critical year.
In the last 12 months, the agency truly hit its stride delivering important pieces of work across some of the most complicated communications topics around such as the energy transition, geopolitics, defence, healthcare and even space.
Considering Orizontas has just seven employees–the three founding partners and four other staff, though ably supported by a trusted, specialist subcontractor–its impact is very impressive.
It delivered more than 15 complex projects over the course of the year involving corporate affairs, policy and regulatory strategy crisis and issues management, and creative execution. This breadth of work was exemplified by pieces of work that couldn’t be more different.
It helped secured UNESCO World Heritage listing for WA’s Murujuga site, supporting local Indigenous leaders in their campaign.
It also worked to protect Australia’s hot water industry, and the jobs it creates, by positioning new technology to decarbonise steelmaking as a climate and economic solution. It even helped Gilmour Space Technologies with Australia’s first sovereign orbital rocket launch.
Its model might be unconventional but the results and impact Orizontas generates are enviable, to say the least.
Creator Agency
Social Soup
For more than 17 years, Social Soup has been quietly doing what many agencies only now claim to understand: turning creators from a trend into a strategic marketing discipline.
At a time when the industry was debating whether influencers were a fad, Social Soup was building the foundations, the technology and the proof to show that creator-led communication could shift behaviour, build advocacy and shape buying decisions at scale.
Fast-forward to today, and that pioneering spirit hasn’t slowed. Over the last year, Social Soup has once again redefined the category. Rather than positioning creators solely as storytellers, the agency reframed them as crucial links in brand ecosystems.
This evolution was made possible by the launch and scaling of new intelligence and execution tools such as Shop & Scan, Content IQ and the Smart Platform.
These innovations mark a shift away from gut-feel talent selection and vanity analytics, moving the industry toward accountable, data-driven outcomes.
But technology is only part of the story.
What anchors Social Soup’s success is culture. As a founder-led, majority-female business, the agency embodies the same authenticity it asks creators to champion.
The team invests heavily in learning, future skills, flexible working and leadership pathways, resulting in long-term client relationships (some more than seven years strong) and a roster of passionate talent who believe in the creator economy’s potential.
With 193 campaigns delivered, 996 creators activated, and 21 new clients joining in the past year, Social Soup has consistently been the one pulling the industry forward.
Direct Response / Performance Agency
Jaywing
In a market reshaped by AI and generative engine optimisation (GEO), Jaywing has redefined what it means to be a performance agency.
Shifting from channel execution, Jaywing offers consultancy-first partnerships that connect media, data, creativity and technology to deliver measurable commercial impact for ambitious brands.
Over the judging period Jaywing has invested in senior strategists with brand, media and digital expertise to guide clients through end-to-end growth. It’s also evolved its pricing model, moving away from channel-based fees to outcome-led models that prove ROI at the business level.
This has helped the agency attract tier-one clients and expand long-term partnerships with the likes of Myer, QuickBooks, Crocs, New Balance and InvoCare. Other wins include Caroma, Real Insurance and Lyka Pet Food.
Having built proprietary solutions for more than 15 years, Jaywing has embedded AI across media, CRO, analytics and content delivery, ensuring it drives efficiencies and smarter decisions.
The disruption created by GEO has further validated its model, with integrated, brand-led strategies now outperforming siloed approaches.
Jawing has had a barnstorming year on the commercial front. Its sharpened market positioning and consultancy-first approach has fuelled strong momentum, with income up 56 per cent, revenue increasing 31 per cent and EBITDA rising 33 per cent year-on-year.
The agency integrated media and performance agency RQ Media and creative marketing agency Three Scoops, following its acquisition by the Merchantwise Group earlier this year.
Bringing RQ Media and Three Scoops under the Jaywing umbrella unites expertise across media, performance and creative, expanding Jaywing’s capabilities and adding clients, including Disneyland Paris, Fiji Airways, Healthylife and Soundbay.
Emerging Agency
Swan Studio
In less than two years, Swan Studio has carved out a space of its own as a social creative agency.
It combines performance rigour with bold ideas, proving that good social creative supercharges business outcomes. That philosophy has helped brands Pilot, Cashrewards, and Immutable cut through crowded feeds and show up where it matters.
Built on the philosophy that “great content is universal,” it delivers value to audiences in ways that resonate, not just making noise.
In under two years, Swan Studio has scaled its annual revenue, has grown to more than 20 people and its client retention is up significantly year-on-year. It’s achieved all that without spending on marketing.
The work speaks for itself. For Pilot, one of Australia’s leading digital health brands, it produced comedy skits and high-production formats alongside UGC. This creative mix unlocked a new 40+ audience segment and delivered 10 ads that ranked among its top 25 performers within the first month.
Its ability to produce consistently unique and bold work is thanks to its studio model, which ensures that creative control is in the team’s hands end-to-end, from strategy and scripting through production, editing, and deployment. It also offers integrated media buying to ensure creative and distribution work seamlessly together.
But underpinning all this, most importantly, is its culture. Made up of a young and diverse team, they are united by a drive to raise the standard for how brands show up on social. With innovation a core value and AI embedded across workflows, Swan is defining the next chapter of social creative agencies.
Experiential / Promotional Agency presented by Displaywise
Akcelo
Over the last year, Akcelo has created some spectacular work and its work for global icons including McDonald’s, TikTok, PepsiCo, Amazon, Tinder and PlayStation, in particular, was impeccable.
In total Akcelo’s campaigns ran in 26 countries, with each one delivering ideas that moved culture and scaled impact across markets, platforms, and audiences.
Its work for McDonald’s was brilliant, but its work for Disney+ set a new standard for activations. To bring the horror of the Alien franchise to life, it transformed one of Sydneyʼs busiest pedestrian laneways
into a living, breathing Xenomorph nest.
Working with the showʼs production team, Akcelo recreated HR Gigerʼs iconic nightmare in meticulous detail with organic resin dripping from the walls, cocooned hosts and Ovomorph eggs pulsing in the dark and Facehuggers waiting to pounce. A bespoke multi-directional soundscape completed the terrifying illusion.
With campaigns like this, it’s no surprise why Akcelo achieved 100 per cent client retention, and a 15 per cent team expansion.
But the year wasn’t just about growth. It was about staying true to what the agency believes in.
Akcelo remained Carbon Neutral throughout the year and launched an EV program for staff. It built a team that reflected the world it creates for—including a neutral 50/50 gender leadership across all departments.
Independent Agency - Fewer than 50 Employees
Born
Last year’s Emerging Agency of the Year, Born’s relentless rise continues.
Its narrative theory approach to creative work and brand strategy is bearing fruit having won clients including Unity Bank, Yo-Chi, Dymocks, Sony Music and more. It helped Unity Bank–the agency’s first retained client–return to its roots with its ‘The Bank that Works for Workers’ narrative. This change in approach to the market has helped transform it to one of the fastest growing banks in Australia. Following its merger with G&C, Born deepened its relationship with the bank, batting away other agencies during a competitive pitch.
Its work for Yo-Chi, meanwhile, showed the breadth of the agency’s capabilities. It created a narrative for the frozen yoghurt brand, transforming it to ‘The Positive Action Company’. This might sound like typical ad agency waffle, but it’s an organising idea that the brand has put to use throughout its business from store design to partnerships, comms and staff culture initiatives. Born also designed a unified brand system which will allow the fro-yo brand to flex and grow as it scales, having expanded to Singapore this year.
Born started as an agency of three people in a tiny office. Now, it’s grown to 12, with staff housed in a fancier Surry Hills office. It has also opened a studio in Adelaide, after spotting a gap in the market. Over the judging period, it has added a litany of genuinely big name clients to its list. Its revenues have grown at a spectacular rate.
Despite that growth, the agency has maintained its culture focused on work-life balance. Staff arrive at 9am and leave at 5pm–a fact it puts down to realistic project planning as much as anything else. Despite its small size, Born sent its art director to AWARD School and plans for all creatives to do the same. It still offers low-bono services to brands supporting LGBTQI+ initiatives.
Every agency says it isn’t like other agencies. But Born is one of only a handful that can say it with a straight face.
Independent Agency - More than 50 Employees
Special
Special has become one of the rare independent agencies that operates with the scale and influence of a global network, without losing the agility, creative edge and cultural heartbeat of an indie.
In a year defined by economic pressure, shrinking budgets and heightened competition, Special has only accelerated its position.
What makes Special exceptional is the consistency and breadth of the work it puts out into the world. While many agencies point to one defining campaign, Special delivered world-class creative across 10 markets, powered by eight offices born from ANZ and driven by teams working across categories, channels and time zones.
Creatively, Special had arguably its strongest year to date. Two of the clearest demonstrations of that in action were Shift 20 and the continued evolution of Special’s global partnership with Uber.
With Shift 20, Special helped dismantle one of advertising’s long-standing blind spots, disability representation. By transforming TikTok into the world’s first open-source casting platform and partnering with some of Australia’s biggest brands, the agency rewired pipelines, increasing the known talent pool with disability by 70 per cent and setting a new industry benchmark for inclusive casting.
At the opposite end of the spectrum in scale and cultural reach, Special’s long-term creative platform for Uber continued to expand globally, from Super Bowl campaigns to APAC rollouts.
With values grounded in being Open, Brave and Kind, Special has built an environment where talent thrives.
In the past year, leadership has evolved, representation increased and flexible working, wellness initiatives and professional development were prioritised alongside output.
The result is world-class work delivered by world-class people, many of whom actively shape the industry through teaching, judging, advocacy and community leadership.
Special proves that independence can be a competitive advantage, one that allows them to move faster, think bigger and make work that influences culture.
Media Agency
Wavemaker
The Positive Provocation agency has done it again.
After winning in 2023, Peter Vogel and his charges have recaptured their Media Agency of the Year crown on the back of an outstanding culture, commercial success and, most importantly, powerful work.
Wavemaker boasts one of the most inclusive workplaces in the industry with 98 per cent of staff fully aligned with its DE&I agenda. It has relatively low churn rates by industry standards and staff live and breath by the Positive Provocation culture that fosters curiosity and collaboration.
The agency manages complex multi-channel campaigns for major brands including Colgate, Mitsubishi and Hungry Jack’s.
Two standout campaigns include ‘Bref City2Surf’ campaign, which achieved a 76 per cent sales increase and 11 per cent Brand Power Score uplift by transforming a mundane product, toilet cleaner, into a culturally resonant experience.
The ‘Audible Sex Therapy S2’ campaign successfully re-launched content, boosting landing page visits by 10 per cent and listening starts by 11 per cent on Amazon’s Audible product.
The agency was ranked the number one media agency globally for Audible, Mondelēz and Colgate-Palmolive, while also being awarded Hungry Jack’s Best Supplier Partner of the Year.
Commercially, Wavemaker has increased revenue and profit by high double digit figures well above the market. And on the new business front, Wavemaker has significant new business wins totalling $138 million, including Amazon and L’Oréal Influencer, and also boast strong client retention, securing over $150 million in billings through contract extensions.
Judges described Wavemaker’s presentation as “energetic” and from a “clearly proud team” with “great camaraderie”.
Another judged added: “They showcased the breadth of work and business growth to match the needs of the market. There was also a strong demonstration of giving back through pro bono work, and I loved the team celebrating big and small wins.”
Outstanding work, a positive provocative culture and impressive commercial success has powered Wavemaker to another B&T Media Agency of the Year trophy.
NSW Agency
Special
It has never been more important than now for our industry to showcase the full power and possibility of creativity. Creativity that makes a contribution not clutter, that entertains not pollutes, that creates change not supports the status quo.
That’s where Special comes in. The agency harnesses creativity to make an undeniable and meaningful difference to commerce, culture and careers.
Its three values: open, brave and kind guide who it hires, how it works, and the culture it builds. It’s a culture where different views are encouraged, roadblocks are rare, and structure is happily sidestepped.
In the past year, Special launched ‘Work Better Feel Better,’ a psychosocial initiative addressing workplace stress through surveys, focus groups and action plans. Alongside EAP support via Select Wellness, it introduced Relationship Charters and HBDI profiling with clients to strengthen collaboration.
It also launched HBO Max in one of the toughest streaming markets in the world with ‘All Killer, No Filler,’ achieving the most successful international launch outside the US. That’s no mean feat in an extremely crowded streaming market.
It built brands with enduring value for Virgin, IGA, Smiths, Mutti, and Coopers, proving creativity isn’t clutter, but contribution.
Commercially, it was Special’s strongest year yet. Sydney led integrated growth across PR, design, and production, delivering significant revenue and profit margin lifts.
It doesn’t stop there—as clients scale back, Special welcomed nine new clients, many without a pitch.
Most importantly, it continued to create a culture where talent thrives. The leadership team is now 60 per cent female, and the agency achieved an 86 per cent retention rate.
Special’s world-class talent continues to reimagine what an independent creative agency can look like.
Production Company
Entropico
Entropico is rewriting the playbook for modern production by merging culture, craft and technology to create work that entertains and drives impact.
Entropico has scaled with intention and proven that independence can coexist with global ambition. Its year was highlighted by YouTube’s ‘Analog Horror Project,’ a viral cultural moment that generated more than 14 million views.
Entropico’s work for Google’s ‘Black-Owned Friday’ celebrated Black-owned businesses and reshaped consumer behaviour during one of the year’s busiest shopping days.
By centring the campaign around influential Black musicians and figures including Druski, GloRilla and Jayda Cheaves, the campaign celebrated Black-owned businesses and created a culturally resonant experience, garnering nearly 20 million views.
The remarkable feature-length documentary Lane Violation for Hahn aired during the NBA Finals, exploring the rivalry and respect between Luc Longley & Andrew Bogut. The film embedded Hahn authentically into basketball culture and launched a platform with significant reach.
At the heart of Entropico’s success is its people-first ethos. The company has introduced progressive workplace policies including competitive and supportive parental leave, menstrual and menopause leave, comprehensive mental health programs and salary equity reviews. Its paid apprenticeship program has also created pathways for underrepresented talent, directly launching emerging creatives into full-time roles. And its roster of directing and photographic talent is diverse and inclusive.
With fearless work, exponential growth and a culture built on equity and innovation, Entropico is an absolute production powerhouse.
QLD/Other States/Territories/ Agency
Publicis Worldwide
Queensland-based Publicis Worldwide has been a smart, sharp performer in the market for years. And that market extends beyond the Sunshine State, too.
The 52-person agency has delivered impressive business results for clients based in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Darwin and, of course, Brisbane. This work has led to agency revenue climbing consistently over the last decade and 12 per cent growth in the last 12 months–some feat in the depressed market we’re experiencing.
The agency says much of this is down to the way it approaches client problems. The market changes at speed these days, and its small size, integrated strategy, creative and business units (supported by the might of the Publicis Groupe’s raft of platforms) allow Publicis Worldwide to meet these challenges head-on with intelligent creative executions.
It’s an approach that has driven impressive results for the likes of Subway, which on the back of declining results, was repositioned and reimagined with a renewed focus on freshness and, well, size. It also created the ‘Unplyabl’ road safety campaign to reach young men (a notoriously hard-to-reach demo) in Queensland to warn them of the dangers of drink-driving, no mean feat when public transport options are limited in much of the state.
All told, Publicis Worldwide notched some 15 new client wins over the course of the year and it continues to be recognised as one of the best places to work in the country, with an impressive record of social impact and inclusivity programs.
With the 2032 Brisbane Olympics not that far away (in the grand scheme of things), Publicis Worldwide looks set to continue its impressive, market defying trajectory.
Research Agency presented by Aptitude Recruitment
Nature
Nature enters this year not as the same agency that last won Research Agency of the Year in 2020, but as a significantly expanded, evolved and future-focused strategic advisory business.
In the space of just a few years, Nature has more than doubled in size, diversified its capability and shifted its role in the industry from insight provider to strategic partner, while remaining proudly independent and purpose-led.
Nature introduced a new brand strategy and cultural intelligence function to unlock upstream value and influence decision-making earlier. It embedded the Nature consulting model across the organisation, ensuring every team member, from junior to partner level, operates with the same structured approach to diagnosing problems, shaping insights and influencing stakeholders.
The establishment of a full, in-house qualitative practice has added depth, new methodologies and new revenue within its first nine months, further elevating Nature’s hybrid research and consulting capability.
Technology has also taken a meaningful leap forward. With the creation of Aurora, a proprietary AI tool developed under its new head of AI, Nature has embedded intelligence, acceleration and efficiency across the insight journey while ensuring the final output remains distinctly human, thoughtful and strategic.
Momentum is visible across the business: a new Brisbane presence, Nature’s first New Zealand engagement, Sydney office expansion and its biggest sales month in history in June 2025.
Yet perhaps Nature’s most defining investment remains its culture. With 93 per cent of employees recommending it as a great place to work and turnover at half the industry norm, the team’s wellbeing, growth and purpose are as central as commercial results.
In 2025, Nature is shaping decisions, accelerating organisational change and helping brands act with confidence, clarity and conscience.
VIC Agency
Howatson+Company
Howatson+Company is on a mission to harness the intersection of creativity to produce work that excites and emboldens. At just four years old, the agency has been recognised across the industry for doing just that. This year has been the agency’s biggest yet.
In the last year, Howatson unveiled Plus Also studios, an AI-led production studio offering brand asset creation, personalisation and automated orchestration, with complete performance attribution. Endeavour Group came on as its foundation client. The sister agency has already delivered significant revenue and is set to deliver even more.
The agency established new film, photography and sound recording capabilities in Sydney and Melbourne, employing a full-time production team of more than 25 directors, photographers, stylists and set designers.
In the past year, Howatson added 26 new clients, including Myer and ABN, adding significant revenue to the agency.
It unveiled a new brand platform for Allianz, which sought to revive its positioning in the market through ‘Care You Can Count On’. The campaign was voted Australia’s favourite ad in several surveys. The agency also launched a UNICEF cricket appeal for gender equality and supercharged Petbarn to the top of the pet category with its ‘Puppy and Kitten Club’.
But what sets Howatson+ Company apart isn’t just the numbers and growth—it’s the agency’s ethos. With a no house style approach, the agency prioritises intersectional creativity to drive commercial impact while shaping culture. Its guiding principle, “Care Fiercely” blends human empathy with relentless ambition.
Howatson’s mark is one of human creativity and collaboration, a space where bold and fun ideas flourish.
