Senior marketers, strategists, creators and platform leaders from Australian brands and organisations will decide the winners of the inaugural Content Summit Awards in 2027.
The 31-person judging panel includes senior marketing and content leaders from Canva, LinkedIn, Reddit, Pinterest, Kantar, Specsavers, Aware Super, Meat & Livestock Australia, Brisbane City Council, The Cheesecake Shop, NTI and Guide Dogs NSW, alongside some of Australia’s leading creators and independent industry voices.
They will assess entries across the Content Summit Awards, a new national awards program recognising work across content marketing, social media and the creator economy.
Launching in Content Summit’s fifth year, the awards span two tracks and 18 categories, recognising work by brands, agencies, in-house teams, individual practitioners and creators.
Winners will be announced in front of hundreds of industry professionals at Brisbane Powerhouse on Wednesday 10 March 2027, following the second day of Content Summit.
Content Summit founder and The Content Division managing director Brittanie English said the judging panel had been assembled to reflect the breadth of the industry the awards were created to recognise.
“We wanted judges who understand great content from different perspectives, whether they’re leading marketing for a major brand, building communities on some of the world’s biggest platforms, developing strategy or creating the work themselves,” English said.
“The quality of an awards program ultimately depends on the people assessing the work, so it was important to us to bring together people with genuine experience and strong points of view about what good looks like.
“We also wanted a panel that would look beyond the biggest budgets, follower counts or production values. These awards are about the thinking behind the work, how well it was executed and the difference it made.”
Entries will be assessed against criteria tailored to each category, with judges considering factors including creative and strategic excellence, execution, originality, audience understanding, measurable impact and industry leadership.
Several judges have already shared what they will be looking for when entries come before the panel.
Ryan France, head of brand strategy at Kantar, said entrants should make the relationship between their strategy and results clear.
“Don’t just show me what you did. Show me why it was the right thing to do, and how you know,” France said.
Giorgina Venzin, founder of Darvella Patisserie, said standout work did not necessarily require the largest audience or highest production values.
“I’m looking for a great idea, executed well, that genuinely connected,” Venzin said.
Plungie chief marketing officer Nic Fry said she would be looking for the “human fingerprint” behind the work.
“Technology can broaden reach, but the expertise, the thing that actually teaches someone something in a way that benefits the brand and the category, has to stay human,” Fry said.
For multidisciplinary artist, radio host and influencer Rachael Sarra, a distinctive creative identity will also be important.
“I’ll be looking at the creator’s voice and how it connects authentically with their audience,” Sarra said.
“A strong, defined and authentic voice is key to navigating this space and maintaining a sustainable creative brand in a world that becomes saturated easily.”
Entries for the 2027 Content Summit Awards are open to Australian-based brands, agencies, teams and individuals for eligible work published or active between 1 December 2025 and 30 November 2026.
Entries close on 30 November 2026, with the shortlist to be announced on 8 February 2027. Winners will be presented at Brisbane Powerhouse on 10 March as part of Content Summit 2027.
2027 Content Summit Awards judging panel:
Zhoe Low – Fractional CMO, ex-July
Anri McHugh – Head of Marketing Awareness & Consideration – ANZ, Specsavers
Maddie King – Product Marketing Manager, Canva
Austin Macfarlane – VFX/CGI Director, Macfarlane Brothers
Lachlan Macfarlane – VFX/CGI Director, Macfarlane Brothers
Alice Harris – Marketing Lead, On the House
Anne Shea – Product Owner, Social Media, Aware Super
Callum Wood – General Manager Destination, Marketing & Brand, Brisbane Economic Development Agency
Daisy Braid – Content Creator, Textile Artist & Author
Danielle Zikman – Director LTS Marketing JAPAC, LinkedIn
Dimity Edwards – Senior Marketing Manager, Bevilles
Elly Strang – Head of Marketing, Appetise
Erin Core – Managing Director, Veracity Research
Giorgina Venzin – Founder, Darvella Patisserie
Hayley Saddleton – Country Lead, Business Marketing ANZ, Reddit
Jason Kibsgaard – Executive General Manager, Marketing & Proposition, NTI
Jodie Powderly – Manager of Marketing, Brand & Creative, Brisbane City Council
Karen Robinson – VP of Growth and Marketing, Shorthand
Kurt Sanders – Head of Brand and Growth, Envigor
Lindsay Thompson – Art Director, The Star
Michael Apte – General Manager, Strategy, Guide Dogs NSW
Mitch Dale – Content Creator & Comedian
Namita Sopal – Agency Lead, Pinterest
Nic Fry – Chief Marketing Officer, Plungie
Monique Myintoo – Senior Brand Creative Manager, Hommey
Nathan Low – Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Meat & Livestock Australia
Phoebe Miller – Head of Marketing, MADE Group
Rachael Sarra – Multidisciplinary Artist, Radio Host and Influencer
Rebecca Barnes – Chief Marketing Officer, The Cheesecake Shop
Ryan France – Head of Brand Strategy, Kantar
Richard Brosnan – General Manager Brand and Marketing, Container Exchange
Sofie Spelta – Marketing Consultant and Creator
Zach Mander – Content Creator and Comedian
