The Mumbrella Awards 2026 shortlist is hot off the presses

Behold, the 2026 shortlist for the Mumbrella Awards, representing the very best and brightest stars in the marketing, media and PR industry.

Howatson + Company leads an extremely strong field this year with a whopping 22 nominations across all categories.

There’s far too many to list off here, but they are competing for Creative Agency of the Year, Full Service Agency of the Year, and PR Agency of the Year for a start, plus vying for Experiential and Live Campaign of the Year, Mumbrella Award for Innovation, and Creative Effectiveness. In a number of categories they competing against themselves (as well as against others) which will make for an interesting evening.

Droga5 is up for ten awards, including the Mumbrella Award for Bravery, Omnichannel Campaign of the Year, and Content Marketing Strategy of the Year, while Team Inspire IPG Media Brands are also up for ten — which many of their nods for work done with H+C.

Check out the full list of last year’s winners here

Last year’s big winner BMF (who scooped four awards in 2025) is up for three trophies, including Creative Agency of the Year, and Media Campaign of the Year, while last year’s most-nominated agency Thinkerbell (with 11 nominations) are up for five awards this time around, including Design and Visual Craft, Full Service Agency, and Creative Agency of the Year.

The winners will be decided by a jury stacked with over one hundred executive marketing leaders, from brands such as Pepsico, Bonds, NAB, Kraft Heinz, The Iconic, TPG, Flight Centre, Subway, and Michael Hill, plus the great Thomas Barta as the jury chair.

Those in the shortlist will be pitching to them at a high octane live judging day, on May 21 at the Hilton in Sydney.

Our 2025 jury was tough to impress

The 2026 Mumbrella Awards will take place at Sydney Event Centre on July 23. Tickets can be purchased here.

The full 2026 Mumbrella Awards shortlist:

Social-First Idea of the Year

• Ausify Your Algo – Bureau of Everything with Versus, Rumble Studios & Vandal for Music Australia
• If You Can Take It, It’s Yours – Howatson+Company with Scoundrel & Team Inspire IPG Mediabrands for Selleys
• INCOMMON – Howatson+Company for Sydney Jewish Museum
• Made for Down Under – Special for Bonds
• Redhead Redemption – Today the Brave with Burson for Wendy’s
• Robert Irwin Lookalike Contest – Visit Sunshine Coast with IVY PR

Mumbrella Award for Bravery

• Great Sex Starts With Consent – ACT Government
• If You Can Take It, It’s Yours – Howatson+Company with Scoundrel & Team Inspire IPG Mediabrands for Selleys
• Love Letters to Alice – Tourism & Events NT with Edelman & Going North
• PHAARC – Saatchi & Saatchi with Clockwork, Studiotonic, i4 Casting & Initiative for Youfoodz
• The Ad that Could Only Be Seen on SBS – Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song with The Sweetshop for Special Broadcasting Service

Mumbrella Award for Collaboration

• Bandanna Day – ARN with UM, SCA & Nova for Canteen
• Smooth Collaborators Churn Up the Heat – Mediahub with Ten Paramount for Lurpak
• The Family Roast – Carat with Colenso BBDO, News Corp Australia & Mamamia for Medibank
• The Pepsi Recycling Rethink – Special with TOMRA for PepsiCo
• The Suzuki Index – A Time & Place & Noisy Beast for Suzuki Australia

Mumbrella Award for Culture

• AIIMS Group
• BMF
• Equality Media + Marketing
• The Media Store
• WiredCo.

Mumbrella Award for Innovation

• Dirty Old Secrets – Howatson+Company with Good Oil, Team Inspire IPG Media Brands for Seasol International
• Honda Personalisation – Howatson+Company for Honda Australia
• Plus Also Studios x Endeavour Group – Plus Also Studios for Endeavour Group
• Test Rides – Uber Advertising with Atomic212º for BMW Group Australia
• The Pepsi Recycling Rethink – Special with TOMRA for PepsiCo

Creative Effectiveness

• Donate Your Age – Orphan with Tribal Apes & Rumble for Children’s Cancer Institute
• Go On a Robe Trip to Rotorua – jnr. for Rotorua NZ
• HiLux ‘In A Pickle’ – Saatchi & Saatchi Australia for Toyota Motor Corporation Australia
• If You Can Take It, It’s Yours – Howatson+Company with Scoundrel & Team Inspire IPG Mediabrands for Selleys
• Kia – Zombie Proof – Innocean Australia for Kia Australia

Omnichannel Campaign of the Year

• 175 Years of Leadership for Good – The University of Sydney with Today the Brave & Omnicom Media Australia
• Macca’s Grinch Meal – Wieden+Kennedy Sydney for McDonald’s Australia
• Sugar Liquidation Sale™ – Droga5 Aotearoa, part of Accenture Song with Reel Factory for Asahi Beverages & X by Long White
• Take it to TikTok – TikTok
• Test Rides – Uber Advertising with Atomic212º for BMW Group Australia

Purpose and Impact Campaign

• AAMI Driving Test – Leo Australia with Influential, PXP, Scoundrel & OMD for Suncorp & AAMI
• Don’t Mine What’s Mine – Emotive for Deep Rising
• Good Friday Appeal – Bastion Agency for The Royal Children’s Hospital
• Sunscreengate – CHOICE with ABC for Australian Consumers Who Use Sunscreen
• The Life-Changing Loo Roll – Different for Kleenex & Bowel Cancer Australia

Film and Motion Craft

• Care You Can Count On – Howatson+Company with FINCH Company & Wavemaker for Allianz Australia
• Future of Finance – Special with Accenture & Photoplay for Airwallex
• The Convoy – Akcelo for World Rugby
• The Happiest Lamb on Earth – Good Oil with Droga5 ANZ, ARC, MassiveMusic, UM & One Green Bean for Meat & Livestock Australia
• Who Cares About the Future – Princess A Creative Company with Kaimera for MLC

Design and Visual Craft

• Bikkie Belt – Saatchi & Saatchi Australia with Spark Foundry & Herd MSL for The Arnott’s Group
• Dirty Old Secrets – Howatson+Company with Good Oil, Team Inspire IPG Media Brands for Seasol International
• Halloween Hijack – Akcelo for Doritos
• INCOMMON – Howatson+Company for Sydney Jewish Museum
• Makes ‘em Mitey – Thinkerbell with Starcom for Bega & Vegemite
• The Hidden Eye Test – VML with Prospex Park, Burson & Wavemaker for 1001 Optometry

Digital and UX Craft

• ALDIfy – Tasty Trends Ad ALDI Prices – Digitas with Zenith Media for ALDI
• Audi F1 – Feel Every Second – Apparent for Audi
• Come Play For Real in New Zealand – Mindshare with Warner Bros., Mojang & Piki Studios for Tourism New Zealand
• From Complexity to Confidence: How BOQ Built Internet Banking Customer Behaviour – Bank of Queensland with Mantel Group
• Milk Your Website for More Leader – Chromatix for ConversationCow

Creative Excellence in AI and Emerging Tech

• Meant To Be – Opus Agency with 2sdm, Slalom & Treacle for Salesforce
• National Gardening League – Howatson+Company with Chee Production & Team Inspire IPG Mediabrands for Yates
• The Hidden Eye Test – VML with Prospex Park, Burson & Wavemaker for 1001 Optometry
• The Last Order – Thinkerbell for Just Eats Global & Menulog
• Transit Tales – HERO for Mastercard

Best Use of Data and Insight in Marketing

• Emotional Baggage – 2045 Agency with AFL x Mitchell & Ness
• Escape Your Pricey Telco – Avenue C for amaysim
• License to Create – Publicis Australia with Zenith Australia & Edge Australia for Personalised Plates Queensland
• Mum-nipulate the Algorithm – Hatched & Special for Kitchen Warehouse
• Transit Tales – HERO for Mastercard

Sustainability and Responsibility in Marketing

• Join the Charge & 80 Years – 3rdspace for NRMA & Boral
• One Talk at a Time – Dentsu Creative for National Office for Child Safety
• Publicis Groupe ANZ
• Setting the Benchmark for Environmentally Conscious Advertising – Benedictus Media with oOh!media & Paper Moose for Australian Ethical

Content Marketing Strategy of the Year

• Coke Studio: Uncovered – BRING for Cola-Cola
• IAC 2025 – MCI Australia for the 76th International Austronautical Congress
• Mentos: Giving Fresh Music a Voice – Havas Media with Havas Play, Vinyl Media & The Idea Shed for Perfetti Van Melle & Mentos
• Research for Good – The University of Sydney
• The Ad that Could Only Be Seen on SBS – Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song with The Sweetshop for Special Broadcasting Service
• The No Board – 2045 Agency with Paralympic Australia for Bupa

Best Use of Retail Media

• BWS Grab & Go – Uber Advertising for BWS
• Give Back With Your Backside: A Retail Media Success Story – Hatched & Cartology for Who Gives A Crap
• Opella 1 Million Points Giveaway – Terry White Chemmart with Opella for TWC Connect – Health Powered Retail Media
• SlamPay – 2045 Agency for NBA Store
• Vaseline Gluta-Hya NPD – Cartology for Unilever & Vaseline

Real-Time and Responsive Marketing

• Rally of the Day – PXP Studios, part of Publicis with Saatchi & Saatchi & Spark Foundry for Lexus
• Snoop to the ‘G – Treasury Wine Estate with Splash, Bolster & Common State for Cali by Snoop
• Super Bowl Reaction – The Better Choice – Howatson+Company with Activation Union, Hearts & Science & HAVAS Red for Diageo & Bundaberg Rum
• The Laws of Cricket – Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song with Betty Wants In for Asahi Beverages & Victoria Bitter
• The Official Voice of KFC – We Are Social with Ogilvy PR & Rumble Studios for KFC Australia

Experiential and Live Campaign of the Year

• Australia’s Deadliest Predator – Thinkerbell for Transport Accident Commission
• DiDi Kicks On – BRING for DiDi
• If You Can Take It, It’s Yours – Howatson+Company with Scoundrel & Team Inspire IPG Mediabrands for Selleys
• IKEA, Everywhere – Pop Ups – Havas Host with Mindshare NZ & AO Studios for IKEA Australia & New Zealand
• The Hard Rated Homecoming – Droga5 Aotearoa, part of Accenture Song with Eden Studios for Asahi Beverages & Hard Rated

Best Influencer or Creator Strategy

• Dirty Old Secrets – Howatson+Company with Good Oil, Team Inspire IPG Media Brands for Seasol International
• House of Credit Card Fears – Publicis New Zealand for Westpac New Zealand
• INCOMMON – Howatson+Company for Sydney Jewish Museum
• The Longest Runway – 2045 Agency for 247 Represent
• The Week-Long Layover – Connecting Plots with with Infinity Squared and PHD Singapore for Changi Airport

Small Budget, Big Impact

• Donate Your Age – Orphan with Tribal Apes & Rumble for Children’s Cancer Institute
• Perth Drop & Go – Black Raven Media for TOMRA Collections Australia
• Robert Irwin Lookalike Contest – Visit Sunshine Coast with IVY PR
• Starlight Super Swim – Merkle for Starlight Childrens Foundation
• Understanding Starts With You: World Autism Understanding Day 2025 – Autism Spectrum Australia

Pro Bono Campaign of the Year

• Blood Oil: Closing Australia’s Sanctions Loophole – Brockwell for Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations
• Boy Walking – Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song with The Post Office for Kidscan
• Change Direction – Apparent for The Westerman Jilya Institute
• Donate Your Age – Orphan with Tribal Apes & Rumble for Children’s Cancer Institute
• INCOMMON – Howatson+Company for Sydney Jewish Museum

TV Ad of the Year

• A Match Made in Seek – Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song with Revolver & The Editors
• Care You Can Count On – Howatson+Company with FINCH Company & Wavemaker
• Get Almost, Almost Anything with Jim Courier – Special with EssenceMediacom & Rabbit
• HiLux ‘Pied Piper’ – Saatchi & Saatchi Australia
• Kia Tasman – Ready to Work – Innocean Australia

Media Campaign of the Year

• All Kinds of Useful – Atomic212º for Origin Energy
• Anthelios: Owning Summer by Owning Trust – Wavemaker for L’Oreal & La Roche-Possay
• Bank of Queenslanders: It’s All in the Name – Bank of Queensland with Publicis, TeamOne & Performics
• Eye for Value – Carat Australia with Endeavour Group, BMF & Plus Also Studios for Dan Murphy’s
• NBL 26: Play It Loud – RCJ for the National Basketball League

Ad Campaign of the Year

• 50 Years – It’s Just the Start – Havas Host with Mindshare Australia & Rabbit for IKEA Australia
• Care You Can Count On – Howatson+Company with Finch Company & Wavemaker for Allianz Australia
• Dirty Old Secrets – Howatson+Company with Good Oil, Team Inspire IPG Media Brands for Seasol International
• For Real – Bastion Agency with Kellanova for Kellogg’s
• If You Can Take It, It’s Yours – Howatson+Company with Scoundrel & Team Inspire IPG Mediabrands for Selleys

Brand of the Year

• DiDi
• Kitchen Warehouse
• MYOB
• OOh!media
• Tourism Australia

Marketing Team of the Year

• Bank of Queensland
• Medibank
• MYOB
• Noumi Limited
• Tourism Australia

Sales Team of the Year

• Linkby
• oOh!media
• REA Group
• Uber Advertising
• Veridooh

Emerging Talent of the Year

• Andrew Bao & Charlie Dejean, Creative Team, VML
• Chelsea Schultz, Client Executive, Assembled Media
• Emma Davis, Search Manager, The Media Store
• Lily Tootill, Business Manager, Droga5
• Phoebe Duke, Senior Manager – Brand, Social & Sponsorship, Bank of Queensland

Industry Leader of the Year

• Andrew Raso, Founder & Global CEO, Online Marketing Gurus
• Dena Vassallo, CEO & Founder, SOCIETY
• Jo Scard, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Fifty Acres
• Madeleine Santos, Head of Brand & Marketing, Brands & Licensing, BBC Studios
• Rory Heffernan, Chief Executive Officer, Atomic212º

PR Agency of the Year

• alt/shift/
• Eleven
• Howatson+Company
• Poem
• We Are Different

Specialist Agency of the Year

• Jack Nimble
• New Moon Australia
• Plus Also Studios
• Razorfish
• The General Store
• We Are Social

Emerging Agency of the Year

• Accenture Song Media
• AiMRed
• Bureau of Everything
• Influential Australia
• jnr.

Full-Service Agency of the Year

• AIIMS Group
• Howatson+Company
• Thinkerbell

Independent Agency of the Year

• Bastion Agency
• HERO
• Poem
• Showpony
• Today the Brave

Creative Agency of the Year

• BMF
• Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song
• Howatson+Company
• Special
• Thinkerbell

Media Agency of the Year

• Avenue C
• EssenceMediacom
• Mindshare
• Spark Foundry Australia
• Zenith Media