Malaysia – MARKETECH APAC has officially announced the finalists for the inaugural Content Marketing Awards Asia Pacific (CMAA) 2026, highlighting standout campaigns, brands, agencies, and individuals shaping the future of content-led storytelling across the region.
Positioned as a celebration of dynamic and impactful content marketing, the CMAA 2026 programme recognises work that goes beyond creative execution to demonstrate strategic thinking, cultural relevance, and measurable business impact.
The initiative highlights Asia Pacific’s excellence in content marketing, spotlighting how content continues to drive deeper audience connections and community building in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
The 2026 edition features 50 categories spanning Marketing Campaigns and Industry-Focused Campaigns, along with Grand Prix honours for the highest-scoring entries across the programme.
Strong regional participation across Asia Pacific
The inaugural edition of CMAA attracted strong participation from marketing organisations across the region, with 61 organisations submitting entries, resulting in a total of 73 finalists.
Malaysia leads the region with 49 finalists, followed by Singapore with 36, and the Philippines with 30. Indonesia recorded 24 finalists, while Hong Kong followed closely with 23.
Other participating markets include Thailand, India, Vietnam, Australia, and Mongolia, underscoring the awards’ regional breadth and cross-market representation.
Brands and agencies leading the field
This year’s nominations reflect strong competition across both brand and agency categories, with several organisations emerging as clear front-runners.
Among brands, Malaysia Airlines leads with 22 nominations, followed by Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) and Cebuana Lhuillier (Philippines), each securing 12 nominations.
On the agency side, Volare Advertising Network tops the list with 11 nominations, closely followed by GrowthOps with 9 nominations.
Top nominated brands
- Malaysia Airlines – 22 nominations
- Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) – 12
- Cebuana Lhuillier – 11
- Citiplaza Hong Kong – 10
- Hong Kong Tourism Board – 10
- Scoot – 9
- BOSCH HOME APPLIANCES (SINGAPORE) – 6
Top nominated agencies
- Dentsu Hong Kong – 11 nominations
- GrowthOps – 9
- LÈNGUA – 7
- Zeno Group – 7
- ADA Data AI Solutions Pte. Ltd. – 6
- Leo Burnett Hong Kong – 8
- VML Singapore – 5
See full list for finalists HERE.
Judging panel brings senior marketing leadership across APAC
Winners will be selected by a jury of senior marketing and advertising leaders from across the region, ensuring a balanced evaluation of creativity, strategy, execution, and measurable business impact.
The judging process is structured across four category groupings, with the Marketing Campaign Categories divided into three specialised divisions alongside the Industry-Focused Campaign Categories, each overseen by dedicated jury heads.
The Head of Jury appointments and categories are as follows:
- Tim Green, Chief Creative Officer APAC, Edelman (Singapore) – Marketing Campaigns Categories (Brand, Storytelling & Cultural Impact)
- Andrew Pinto, Vice President, Unifi Brand and Marketing, Telekom Malaysia – Marketing Campaigns Categories (Integrated Campaigns, Partnerships & Impact)
- Rajat Basra, Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom Media Group (Indonesia) – Marketing Campaigns Categories (Performance, Platforms & Growth)
- Simone Tam, CEO Greater Bay Area, dentsu (Hong Kong) – Industry-Focused Categories
Other jury members include senior leaders from Burger King India, Discovery Hospitality, Doctor Anywhere, Ducati Asia Pacific, Edelman, Goldilocks Bakeshop, Harcourts International, Havas Asia Pacific, Mindvalley, Pos Malaysia, Telekom Malaysia, VIVAIA, VML Thailand, and Volare Advertising Network.
Full list of jury HERE.
Commenting on the finalist line-up, Joven Barceñas, Founder and CEO of MARKETECH APAC, said, “The Content Marketing Awards Asia Pacific was established to spotlight excellence across the region’s fast-evolving content landscape. This year’s finalists reflect the strength of creativity and strategy coming from brands and agencies that are pushing the boundaries of what content marketing can achieve.”
The CMAA 2026 Gala Night will take place on 9 July 2026 at Sheraton Petaling Jaya Hotel in Malaysia, where winners across all categories will be unveiled, alongside Grand Prix recognitions for top-performing entries.
Participating brands, agencies, and martech organisations are now invited to secure their seats for the Content Marketing Awards Asia Pacific 2026 Gala Night. For inquiries, please contact [email protected].
