ONE Asia Creative Awards Opens 2026 Call for Entries

May. 26, 2026

Celebrating the most innovative creative work from across APAC, the 2026 ONE Asia Creative Awards is now open for entries.  

Founded in 2021 by The One Club for Creativity, ONE Asia has quickly become one of the most respected creative awards in the region, recognised for applying the same rigorous judging standards as The One Club's global One Show and ADC Annual Awards, with juries assembled from the top creative talent across APAC.

Entries to this year’s competition can be submitted now, with fees increasing after each deadline. The early bird deadline is June 5, 2026, regular deadline July 17, 2026, extended deadline August 28, 2026, and final deadline September 18, 2026.  

ONE Asia 2026 juries, made up of the region’s top creative leaders, will be announced in July.  Finalists will be revealed in the fall, with winners announced in November 2026.  ONE Asia winners have their points recognised in the annual Campaign Brief Asia Rankings, as well as The One Club Global Creative Rankings.

"Where Taste Matters” campaign by Muma Malaysia

This year's call for entries was created by Muma Malaysia Petaling Jaya, who were just named Malaysia's most awarded agency at the recent 2026 One Show in New York.

Entitled "Where Taste Matters”, the campaign makes the case that in a world flooded with generated content, taste — the kind that comes from instinct, experience, and genuine human judgment — is the only thing left that separates the memorable from the forgettable.  

Every piece of content in the campaign was hand-crafted, with no AI tools used. The agency devoted weeks of careful, deliberate work to ensure that the authentic, imperfect texture of human making comes through in every frame.

Choo Chee Wee, Muma Malaysia Co-founder and Creative Partner said:

“AI generates things very fast, and that’s quite exciting for our industry. But volume is not the same as value. What really makes the difference is taste.  It’s the ability to recognise what feels true, what is crafted with intention, and what will stay with people.  Instead of generating a thousand options in a second, knowing which one is the one… that's still a deeply human act.”

 

The campaign identifies ONE Asia as that place where taste is both practised and recognised, honoring the region’s creative minds who guide, choose, and refine to bring meaning, craft, and authenticity to the work.  In a world where making is easy, judgement is everything. This is where taste gets its due.

Adam Izen, Chief Awards Officer at The One Club for Creativity said:

“Great work doesn’t happen by accident.  It comes from people with perspective, instinct, craft, and something meaningful to say. This campaign is a celebration of the creative voices shaping culture across APAC, and a reminder that originality, discernment, and human insight remain at the heart of truly impactful ideas.  We’re excited to see the region’s creative community share the work that reflects not just what can be made, but what deserves to be made.”

 

New for ONE Asia 2026

Three new disciplines join the awards this year, alongside an expanded AI category.

• Creator Content is a new discipline recognising the growing influence of creators and creator-led platforms in brand storytelling. 
• The Luxury, Fashion and Lifestyle discipline will recognise the unique creative approaches of luxury, fashion, and lifestyle brands, celebrating work that builds brand culture through storytelling, design, experiences, collaborations, and community engagement.
• Production & Craft is a newly consolidated discipline, bringing together the former Moving Image and Sound Craft and OOH, Print and Digital Craft categories.
• Creative Use of Artificial Intelligence has been expanded and refined to better reflect how AI is transforming creative work.

Kuala Lumpur takes centre stage

A hallmark of ONE Asia is its commitment to deep engagement with the creative community by holding judging in a different APAC country each year.  After a successful edition in Manila two years ago supported by the Philippine creative community, and ONE Asia’s 2025 partnership with Seoul's Korean creatives, this year the awards head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Judging will take place October 17-19, 2026 at The Majestic in Kuala Lumpur, with production company DirectorThinkTank serving as this year’s exclusive judging sponsor.  A student masterclass  with Level Up is scheduled for October 20.

Tay Guan Hin, APAC Regional Director, The One Club said:

"Malaysia has genuine cultural richness and a multilingual consumer base. Every year, ONE Asia partners with a country we genuinely want to engage and grow with. The creative community has always been warm, welcoming, and we're thrilled to bring this year’s judging experience for the first time to Kuala Lumpur.”