The Winners of the 2026 CICLOPE Asia Pacific Awards have now been announced.
This year’s Award-winners were celebrated at the first CICLOPE Asia Pacific Festival to be held in Sydney, which took place at The Rebel Theatre on Thursday 28 May. The Awards Ceremony followed an expanded Festival program, which gathered the region’s leading storytellers and innovators for bold conversations that will help shape the future of the industry.
This year’s Winners have set the region’s new benchmark for excellence in craft across 23 different categories, with two Grand Prix’s awarded to:
DIRECTION – The Shirt Off Your Back
Entrant Co: Good Oil
Production Co: Good Oil
Director: David Robinson-Smith
Director of Photography: Jaclyn Paterson
Editing: ARC
POST-PRODUCTION – CRAFTMAN.SHIPS
Entrant Co: HAKUHODO Gravity
Production Co: HAKUHODO CABIN
Agency: HAKUHODO Gravity
Director: Atsushi Makino
Client: SHIPS
Animation: ROBOT COMMUNICATIONS
CICLOPE Asia Pacific also honored those behind culture-defining craft and creativity, with the 2026 Special Awards going to:
- Production Company of the Year: FINCH
- Agency of the Year: Hakuhodo
- Director of the Year(s): Patrick Fileti, David Robinson-Smith, Atsushi Makino
- Brand of the Year: Telstra
Juan Maria Fernandez, CICLOPE Partner & Director of Awards said:
“Congratulations to the 2026 Winners! This year at CICLOPE Asia Pacific, one word came up again and again when discussing the work: emotion. The winning work stood out for its exceptional craft, but mostly for its ability to make people feel something. We’re also delighted to have officially launched CICLOPE Asia Pacific in Sydney. Australia is a key player both in the region and on the global stage, so we’re excited to see the regional Festival and Awards continue to grow from here.”
This year’s Award-winners were decided by a Jury of the region’s top directors, producers, creatives and marketing specialists. The Jury panels were chaired by international leaders and 2026 Jury Presidents: Medb Riordan (Academy Films), Nils Schwemer (Iconoclast Germany), Rebecca Skinner (Superprime Films), Mandy Harris (Untold Studios) and Matt Murphy (72andSunny).
They selected the Winners from work submitted from across Asia Pacific including Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, China, Indonesia, India and Taiwan.
