23 July 2026 | The Star, Sydney
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It's time to celebrate the extraordinary

Get ready - entries are officially open for the 2026 Mumbrella Awards! These awards are media and marketing's ultimate gala celebrating the standout work, ideas and teams that, over the past 12 months, have shaped culture, driven commercial impact and pushed the industry forward.

Across 36 categories spanning marketing, advertising, media, production, PR and communications sectors, Mumbrella has introduced a clearer thematic structure, grouping categories across Campaign Excellence, Craft and Innovation, Specialist Disciplines, Agency and Team Awards, and Culture and Values. The result is a more intuitive framework for entrants and jurors alike, while preserving the breadth and prestige the Mumbrella Awards are known for.

New pinnacle awards, including Brand of the Year and Holdco of the Year, raise the bar at the top end of the program. The introduction of a live component for Industry Leader of the Year at Mumbrella360 further reinforces transparency, credibility and community engagement, while keeping the majority of scoring firmly in the hands of our expert jurors.

The ambition is simple: to recognise work that not only stands out creatively, but stands up commercially, culturally and strategically. Make sure you carefully review the refreshed entry criteria before you commence crafting your success stories.

2026 AWARD CATEGORIES

Campaign Excellence

Ad Campaign of the Year

Creative Effectiveness

Omnichannel Campaign of the Year

Small Budget, Big Impact

Purpose and Impact Campaign

Craft and Innovation

Film and Motion Craft

Design and Visual Craft

Digital and UX Craft

Real-Time and Responsive Marketing

Creative Excellence in AI and Emerging Tech

TV Ad of the Year

Specialist Disciplines

Media Campaign of the Year

Best Use of Retail Media

Social-First Idea of the Year

Best Influencer or Creator Strategy

Experiential and Live Campaign of the Year

Content Marketing Strategy of the Year

Best Use of Data and Insight in Marketing

Pro Bono Campaign of the Year

Sustainability and Responsibility in Marketing

Agency and Team Awards

Agency of the Year - NOMINATED ONLY

Creative Agency of the Year

Media Agency of the Year

PR Agency of the Year

Full-Service Agency of the Year

Independent Agency of the Year

Emerging Agency of the Year

Specialist Agency of the Year

Marketing Team of the Year

Sales Team of the Year

Emerging Talent

Brand of the Year

Holdco of the Year - AGGREGATE SCORE ONLY

Industry Leader of the Year

Culture and Values Awards

Mumbrella Award for Bravery

Mumbrella Award for Collaboration

Mumbrella Award for Culture

Mumbrella Award for Innovation

Campaign Excellence

Ad Campaign of the Year

Creative Effectiveness

Omnichannel Campaign of the Year

Small Budget, Big Impact

Purpose and Impact Campaign

Craft and Innovation

Film and Motion Craft

Design and Visual Craft

Digital and UX Craft

Real-Time and Responsive Marketing

Creative Excellence in AI and Emerging Tech

TV Ad of the Year

Specialist Disciplines

Media Campaign of the Year

Best Use of Retail Media

Social-First Idea of the Year

Best Influencer or Creator Strategy

Experiential and Live Campaign of the Year

Content Marketing Strategy of the Year

Best Use of Data and Insight in Marketing

Pro Bono Campaign of the Year

Sustainability and Responsibility in Marketing

Agency and Team Awards

Agency of the Year - NOMINATED ONLY

Creative Agency of the Year

Media Agency of the Year

PR Agency of the Year

Full-Service Agency of the Year

Independent Agency of the Year

Emerging Agency of the Year

Specialist Agency of the Year

Marketing Team of the Year

Sales Team of the Year

Emerging Talent

Brand of the Year

Holdco of the Year - AGGREGATE SCORE ONLY

Industry Leader of the Year

Culture and Values Awards

Mumbrella Award for Bravery

Mumbrella Award for Collaboration

Mumbrella Award for Culture

Mumbrella Award for Innovation

Final entry submissions are due 13 March 2026.

NOTE: the judging criteria has been streamlined, with most categories now weighted across idea, execution and effectiveness to emphasise measurable impact alongside creative quality. Craft celebrates executional excellence, while agency, leadership and culture awards retain broader criteria to recognise sustained performance.

CHAIR OF THE JURY

Thomas Barta

Chair of the Jury

Thomas Barta is a global authority on marketing leadership.

He’s the CEO of the Marketing Leadership Institute.

A former McKinsey Partner and CMO, he pioneered the world’s largest study on marketing leadership — 68,000+ assessments across 60+ countries.

Thomas has written the #1 marketing leadership book The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader (with Patrick Barwise) and founded the Marketing Leadership Masterclass.

As Dean of the global CMO Fellowship, he has guided 400+ leaders to the top.

His work appears in Marketing Week, Forbes, and Nikkei.

Thomas delivers keynotes and growth workshops internationally.

MEET THE JURORS

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Tracy_Hardwick

Tracy Hardwick

Marketing Director,

Pepsico

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Kedda_Ghazarian

Kedda Ghazarian

Head of Marketing,

BONDS

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Kate_Gildea

Kate Gildea

Marketing and Communications Director,

Estee Lauder Companies

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Elly_Bloom

Elly Bloom

General Manager. Business & Private Bank Marketing,

NAB

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Michael_Magee

Michael Magee

Chief Marketing Officer,

The Kraft Heinz Company

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Sonika_Singh

Sonika Singh

Senior Lecturer,

University of Technology Sydney

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Joanna_Robinson

Joanna Robinson

Chief Marketing Officer,

THE ICONIC

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Lisa_Cronin

Lisa Cronin

Head of Brand & Marketing,

TPG Telecom

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Megan_Henderson

Megan Henderson

Global Head of Marketing,

Flight Centre

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Nathan_Low

Nathan Low

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer,

Meat & Livestock Australia

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Sarah_Myers

Sarah Myers

General Manager, Audience & Marketing,

REA Group

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Rodica_Titeica

Rodica Titeica

Senior Director, Marketing,

Subway

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_James_Peereboom (1)

James Peereboom

General Manager, Consumer Marketing,

Commonwealth Bank Australia

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Brittany_Wickes

Brittany Wickes

Head of Event Brand Marketing,

Tennis Australia

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Matthew_Wong

Matthew Wong

Senior Brand, Marketing & Creative Director,

Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Jo_Feeney

Jo Feeney

Chief Marketing Officer,

Michael Hill

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Nicole_Zosh

Nicole Zosh

General Manager – Marketing,

Football Australia

Mumbrella_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Roshni_Hegerman

Roshni Hegerman

JAPAC Marketing Director,

Oracle

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Florence_Paoli

Florence Paoli

Marketing Director ANZ,

Reckitt Hygiene

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Kim_McConnie

Kim McConnie

Chief Marketing Officer,

Tourism and Events Queensland

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Goncalo_Pinto

Goncalo Pinto da Costa

Head of Marketing,

Swarovski

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Shaun_Briggs_2

Shaun Briggs

Director of Marketing,

Specsavers

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Johanna_Reader

Johanna Raeder

Head of Marketing,

Globus Family of Brands

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Tamara_Howe

Tamara Howe

Chief Marketing Officer,

SunRice Group

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Melanie_Kansil

Melanie Kansil

Chief Strategy Officer & Interim CMO,

MECCA

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Jayesh_Kesry

Jayesh Kesry

Senior Global Creative Content Manager,

Contiki

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Angela_Chen

Angela Chen

Head of Global Brand Marketing,

Intrepid Travel

M_Awards_JurorTemplate_300x300_Grace_Eadie

Grace Eadie

Head of Marketing,

Wesfarmers Health

KEY DATES

First Entry Deadline:

6 March 2026

Final Entry Deadline:

13 March 2026

Shortlist Announcement:

22 April 2026

Live Judging Day:

21 May 2026

Event Date:

23 July 2026

TIPS TO CRAFT THAT AWARD-WINNING ENTRY

"A great idea grabs attention, but a great insight grabs hearts. The best campaigns don’t just say something clever - they reveal something human. That’s the magic that makes your entry impossible to ignore."
Kedda GhazarianHead of Marketing, Bonds
"As a judge, you want entrants to craft submissions that stand out and are easy to comprehend. If judges need to do mental gymnastics to understand your submission, then it probably needs further review. Before submitting your entry, have someone that hasn’t been close to the work review your paper - often they’ll pick up any gaps in your narrative or results. "
Dave AnnesleyHead of Marketing & Communications, Youi Insurance
“As judges, we’re looking for clarity and proof, not hype. Start with the real business problem, show the strategy behind the work, and then demonstrate impact with credible results. The best entries connect creativity to commercial outcomes, with evidence we can trust.”
Joanna RobinsonChief Marketing Officer, THE ICONIC
“Making mention of your target customer and business objective and how you achieved it is one of the simplest ways of getting a second look. Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many entries forget to…”
Elly BloomGeneral Manager. Business & Private Bank Marketing, NAB
"The strongest entries demonstrate a unique and disruptive approach to the business problem whilst demonstrating exceptional (and where possible) sustainable results. The key is distilling your story down to its essence - clarity and simplicity bring great work to life."
Michael MageeChief Marketing Officer, The Kraft Heinz Company
"Help the jury understand the context you were operating in. Benchmarks, category norms, budget constraints or market challenges help jurors properly assess the significance of your results. We also don’t expect perfection, we value honesty. Entries that acknowledge challenges, trade-offs and learnings often feel more credible and ultimately more impressive."
Kate GildeaMarketing and Communications Director, Estee Lauder Companies
"Tell a story that makes sense to a 10 year old.  There is an art to simplicity - it's much harder to be choiceful and succinct.  But if you can do this - and make the story easily understood (vs proving every metric grew) then you will cut-through the clutter and stand out."
Tracy HardwickMarketing Director, Pepsico

THE LIVE JUDGING DAY

At Mumbrella, we want to ensure these awards remain the most rigorous in town. Should you qualify in the preliminary round of judging and make the coveted shortlist, you will take part in the live judging day at the Hilton Sydney on Thursday, 21 May, 2026. This is an incredible opportunity to get invaluable facetime with the esteemed industry jury as you present and pitch just what sets your entry apart from the competition. Convince the judges and you could end up seeing your name up in lights at The Star Sydney on 23 July, 2026.

CHECK OUT THE 2025 WINNERS GALLERY

EVENT DETAILS

23 July 2026 | The Star Event Centre, The Star Sydney

 

Timings

  • Pre-Ceremony Drinks: 6:00pm (AEST)
  • Awards Ceremony: 6:45pm - 10:30pm (AEST)
  • After Party: 10:30 - Late (AEST)

 

Getting There

80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW 2009

Click here for direction and parking information.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work and live. We celebrate the diversity of Aboriginal peoples and their ongoing cultures and connections to the lands and waters of NSW. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.