Singapore – MARKETECH APAC has officially unveiled the finalists for the inaugural Advertising Awards Asia Pacific (AAA 2026), recognising standout campaigns, brands, agencies, and tech providers redefining the boundaries of advertising excellence across the region.
The AAA 2026 programme celebrates creativity, innovation, and measurable impact in advertising — honouring the trailblazers driving bold ideas and breakthrough solutions in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape.
The awards spotlight groundbreaking campaigns, trailblazing agencies, and high-performing teams across the Asia-Pacific region, acknowledging not only executional brilliance but also the forward-thinking strategies shaping the industry’s future.
Strong regional participation across Asia Pacific
The inaugural edition of the Advertising Awards Asia Pacific attracted broad regional participation, resulting in a total of 124 unique organisations advancing as finalists.
The finalist pool spans brands, agencies, and technology companies, with 56 brand organisations, 47 agencies, and 21 martech and adtech companies earning finalist recognition.
The Philippines leads the region with 40 finalists, followed closely by Singapore with 35 and Malaysia with 34. Thailand recorded 21 finalists, while Indonesia followed with 13.
Meanwhile, India contributed 5 finalists, with Bangladesh, Australia, and New Zealand each recording 3. Hong Kong, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and China also feature among the participating markets, underscoring the awards’ cross-market representation across Asia Pacific.
Brands and agencies leading the field
This year’s finalist nominations reflect strong competition across both brand and agency categories, with several organisations emerging as clear front-runners.
Among brands, Krungthai Bank PCL leads the field with 20 nominations. On the agency side, The Shout Group tops the rankings with 18 nominations.
Top nominated brands
- Krungthai Bank PCL – 20 nominations
- Malaysia Airlines – 8
- PalawanPay – 8
- AirAsia Philippines – 7
- RHB Bank – 7
- Prudential Indonesia – 5
- CapitaLand Investment – 4
- Tata Sampann – 4
- Dove – Unilever Philippines – 4
- PepsiCo Malaysia – 3
Top nominated agencies
- The Shout Group – 18 nominations
- Dentsu Singapore – 6
- Digitas Thailand – 6
- VML Thailand – 5
- Havas Ortega – 5
- GIGIL – 5
- iProspect – 5
- Ogilvy Manila – 4
- Streamlined Campaigns – 4
- Wavemaker – WPP Media – 4
See full list of finalists HERE.
Judging panel brings senior advertising leadership across APAC
Winners will be selected by a jury panel 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 spans four category groupings — Creative Advertising Campaigns is divided across four jury groups, while AdTech-Driven Advertising Campaigns is covered by two.
The Head of Jury appointments and categories are as follows:
- Diana Boo, Chief Marketing Officer, Boost Holdings, an Axiata Company (Malaysia) – Creative & AdTech-Driven Advertising Campaigns Categories
- Helen McRae, CEO, WPP Media SE Asia, Pakistan, S Africa & Taiwan, WPP Media (Singapore) – Creative & AdTech-Driven Advertising Campaigns Categories
- Kabeer Chaudhary, Global CEO, M+C Saatchi Performance (Singapore) – Creative Advertising & Platform Categories
- Rebecca Ang Lee, Chief Marketing Officer, MSIG Asia (Singapore) – Creative Advertising & People Categories
Other jury members include senior leaders from AEON360, Canva, Cheil Worldwide, Dentsu creative, FCB Shout, GCash, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Mondelez International, Prudential Indonesia, Publicis Groupe Hong Kong, and more.
Full list of jury HERE.
Joven Barcenas, CEO and Founder of MARKETECH APAC, said, “The Advertising Awards Asia Pacific is created to celebrate the boldness and ingenuity that defines advertising across our region. This year’s finalists are a testament to the strength of creativity and innovation coming from brands, agencies, and technology partners who are truly pushing the craft forward.”
The AAA 2026 Gala Night will take place on 29 July 2026 at One Farrer Hotel, Singapore, bringing together the region’s top advertising professionals to celebrate the best work across all categories, with Grand Prix honours awarded to the highest-scoring entries across the programme.
Participating brands, agencies, adtech organisations, and other parties interested to attend are invited to secure their seats for the Advertising Awards Asia Pacific 2026 Gala Night. For enquiries, please contact [email protected].
