The official Shortlist for the 2026 CICLOPE Asia Pacific Awards has been announced.
The Awards shine a spotlight on the outstanding talent, unique creativity and those who are benchmarking craft excellence in Asia and the Pacific.
This year’s edition will do so on a bigger scale than ever before, with a diverse range of work submitted from across the entire region. Entries came from countries including Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Indonesia and Taiwan.
Finalists are those whose work the Jury ranked highest in each of the different craft sections. This year’s Jury panel of top-tier creatives, producers, directors and marketing leaders were led by the 2026 Jury Presidents:
DIRECTION:
Nils Schwemer, Iconoclast Germany, Partner;
Medb Riordan, Academy Films, Co-Owner & Global MD
PRODUCTION:
Rebecca Skinner, Superprime Films, MD & EP
POST-PRODUCTION:
Mandy Harris, Untold Studios, Executive Producer
IDEAS:
Matt Murphy, 72andSunny, Global CCO
Juan Maria Fernandez, CICLOPE Partner & Director of Awards said:
Every year, it’s a real pleasure to platform the incredible work coming out of Asia and the Pacific. In 2026, we were thrilled to welcome entries from a wider range of countries, which reflect the cultural richness of the region. Congratulations to all Finalists, and we look forward to celebrating the people behind the work in the Awards Ceremony, at the first ever CICLOPE Asia Pacific Festival in Sydney.
Winners will be announced at the CICLOPE Asia Pacific Awards Ceremony, which will follow the newly expanded Festival program. The talks will bring together a line up of the region’s leading voices to discuss the hot topics on the mind of the industry; meaningful diversity and inclusion, creating nuanced comedy in an increasingly global industry, and the cost of making craft that matters.
The 2026 edition of CICLOPE Asia Pacific takes place at Sydney’s Rebel Theatre on Thursday 28 May. Passes are available to attend here.
