Australia is dominating the shortlists for the 2026 CICLOPE Asia Pacific Awards with 12 finalists in Direction; 9 in Production; 7 in Post-Production; and 7 in Ideas.

The Awards that shine a spotlight on the outstanding talent, unique creativity and those who are benchmarking craft excellence in Asia and the Pacific, 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, commented, “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.”

View all finalists here.

View the individual shortlists:

The 2026 edition of CICLOPE Asia Pacific takes place at Sydney’s Rebel Theatre on Thursday 28. Passes are available here.

Winners will be announced at the CICLOPE Asia Pacific Awards Ceremony, following 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.