Earned First Awards Asia-Pacific Finalists 2026
The Earned First Awards recognise communications work where credibility is earned, not bought, and where strategy, judgement and trust matter more than scale, spend or spectacle. Submissions were open from 14th April to 20th July 2026, following which the judging process took place, including scoring and virtual jury meetings. Jurors evaluated approximately 150 entries in total against four criteria: impact, outcomes and measurement (35%); earned first thinking and execution (25%); creativity and strategy (25%); and, degree of difficulty (15%).
The shortlist has now been announced. The Awards Ceremony will be held on 6th October at Cool Cats, JW Marriott Singapore. To buy tickets click here.
Campaign & Craft
01
Best Media Relations
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beyond Borders: Ideas that move Nations | British Council | MSL |
| 2 | LG Electronics – The Road to IPO | LG Electronics | Burson Genesis |
| 3 | Mission Vision: National Rentinal Health Initiative | Roche India | FINN Partners |
| 4 | Superstars of STEM - Macquarie University | Macquarie University | ImpactInstitute |
| 5 | Trust in Motion | Building Category Leadership One Conversation at a Time | Yulu | Kaizzen |
02
Best Earned Storytelling
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 Lights, One Future | Peace of Art SG | Kyrah & Song Advisory |
| 2 | Airtel Safe Network | Airtel | MSL India |
| 3 | Bridging the B-Gap: How CloudMosa Turned Digital Inclusion into Telco Strategy | CloudMosa | The Hoffman Agency |
| 4 | From Hong Kong insurer to Pan-Asian insurer: FWD's four-year earned repositioning | FWD Group | FWD Group |
| 5 | Swiggy Food You Love Delivered | Swiggy | We. Communications |
03
Earned Brand Building
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridging the B-Gap: How CloudMosa Turned Digital Inclusion into Telco Strategy | CloudMosa | The Hoffman Agency |
| 2 | From Unknown Entrant to India’s Trusted Smart Home Brand | Dreame Technology | FINN Partners |
| 3 | Intelligence Accelerated: How Micron Made Southeast Asia the Next AI Supply Chain Frontier | Micron Technology | Golin Singapore |
| 4 | The Real RSL: ANZAC Day 2025 | RSL NSW | Mahlab |
| 5 | WhatsApp Privacy Campaign - A Billboard that No One Can Read | Ogilvy PR |
04
Authentic Influencer Activation
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DXB For All | Dubai International Airport | Mojo |
| 2 | Sound of Stinggg | Sting Energy | Edelman India |
| 3 | Starbucks: Kopi Creator Kolektif | Starbucks | Edelman Malaysia |
05
Earned Crisis Response
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rapido: Karnataka Bike Taxi Ban: Turning A Corner | Rapido | Burson Genesis |
| 2 | Tiger Beer: Brewing Trust Through Change | Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore | Golin Singapore |
06
Community-Led Impact
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cipla Yurpeak #WinOverWeight | Cipla | GCI Health |
| 2 | JA SparktheDream | FWD Group | FWD Group |
| 3 | Singapore Sea Regatta 2025 | Singapore Sea Regatta | FINN Partners |
| 4 | Starbucks: Kopi Creator Kolektif | Starbucks | Edelman Malaysia |
| 5 | Sunfeast Mom’s Magic – Dear Maa Campaign | Sunfeast | Avian We. |
Innovation, Measurement & Content
07
Behavioural & Strategic Impact Through Earned
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colgate - Oral Health Movement | Colgate-Palmolive (India) | Avian We. |
| 2 | India AI Impact Summit 2026 | MeitY | MSL |
08
Measurement Excellence in Earned Media
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brilliant Moves in Real Time: How McKinsey Used AI to Shape the China Resilience Narrative | McKinsey & Company | McKinsey & Company |
| 2 | Designed for Bharat. Discussed by Bharat. | TECNO | ZENO Group |
09
Earned Innovation Award
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beyond Monitoring: Reinventing Earned Strategy Through AI and Human Judgement | Penta Group | Penta Group |
| 2 | Brilliant Moves in Real Time: How McKinsey Used AI to Shape the China Resilience Narrative | McKinsey & Company | McKinsey & Company |
| 3 | Refining earned communications in the AI era | Hotwire Global | Hotwire Global |
| 4 | Mapping Disruption | Northbourne Advisory | Northbourne Advisory |
10
Thought Leadership & Insight-Led Earned Strategy
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Vision for Change: APAC Vision Health Survey | Roche | Edelman |
| 2 | Beyond Borders: Ideas That Move Nations | British Council | MSL India |
| 3 | Bridging the Gaps: Changing the Cancer Care Conversation | Siemens Healthineers | Spurwing Communications |
| 4 | Red Hat: Leading APAC from AI Hype to Real-world Impact Through Open Source | Red Hat | Archetype |
| 5 | Seegene: From Scientific Expertise to Global Influence: An Earned Thought Leadership Engine | Seegene | The Hoffman Agency Korea |
11
Cross-Border / Cultural Intelligence
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AI Ready ASEAN | ASEAN Foundation | Vero |
| 2 | Heidrick & Struggles: Building Leadership Authority Across APAC and the Middle East | Heidrick & Struggles | The Hoffman Agency |
| 3 | Navigating Scrutiny Through Cultural Intelligence: Bigo Live’s Southeast Asian Earned-First Triumph | Bigo Live | TriOn & Co |
| 4 | RLWRLD: One Company. Three Narratives. One Global Reputation | RLWRLD | The Hoffman Agency Korea |
| 5 | When Expectation Meets Reality: Rebuilding Uber for Chinese Travelers | Uber | The Hoffman Agency |
Trust, Reputation & Strategy
12
Credibility Breakthrough
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leading the EdTech Industry Back to Trust | upGrad | MSL |
| 2 | QAI Ventures: Building Asia's First QuantumAI Ecosystem Hub in Singapore | QAI Ventures | Ellerton & Co |
| 3 | Time Nomad: How Uber Reframed Work, Time, and Choice in Taiwan | Uber | The Hoffman Agency Taiwan |
13
Long-Term Credibility & Corporate Transformation
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Climate in Value Creation | Schneider Electric | Sandpiper |
| 2 | Dettol Banega Swasth India | Reckitt | Avian We. |
| 3 | Fuelling Australia’s Future: How Airbus Became the Voice of a Sovereign SAF Industry | Airbus | Sefiani, part of Clarity Global |
| 4 | Heidrick & Struggles: Building Leadership Authority Across APAC and the Middle East | Heidrick & Struggles | The Hoffman Agency |
14
Geopolitical / Policy Impact
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Advocating for Better Creches as Public Good | FORCES | Avian We. |
| 2 | Giving an industry its voice back | Master Electricians New Zealand | Alexander PR |
| 3 | When a Robot Was Hit by a Car: How Neubility Turned a Sidewalk Incident into Policy Momentum | Neubility | The Hoffman Agency Korea |
15
C-Suite & CEO Communications (Earned)
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giving an industry its voice back | Master Electricians New Zealand | Alexander PR |
| 2 | QAI Ventures: Building Asia's First QuantumAI Ecosystem Hub in Singapore | QAI Ventures | Ellerton & Co |
16
High-Impact, Low-Budget Earned Work
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air New Zealand: Making a Long-Haul Destination Feel Within Reach | Air New Zealand | The Hoffman Agency Taiwan |
| 2 | Gulf Events Cancellation Tracker | Northbourne Advisory | Northbourne Advisory |
| 3 | Reviving Cinema in a Year of Closures | Singapore International Film Festival | Mutant |
| 4 | Ryt Bank | Ryt Bank | Mad Hat Asia |
Confidential & Specialist
17
Confidential Impact Award
| S.No | Campaign Title | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Global Technology Company Operating Across the AI and Semiconductor Sector | The Hoffman Agency Taiwan |
18
High-Stakes Sector Award
| S.No | Campaign Title | Participant / Client Organisation | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How Earned Communications Reshaped Malaysia's BNPL Conversation | Atome | Ellerton & Co |
| 2 | India AI Impact Summit 2026 | MeitY | MSL |
| 3 | Safe Blood, Save Lives | Thalassemia Policy Advocacy Group | Avian We. |
19
Earned First Leadership Award
| S.No | Campaign Title | Entrant Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caroline Hsu | The Hoffman Agency |
| 2 | HS Chung | Burson |
| 3 | James Brasher | RICE, A FINN Partners Company and FINN Partners Singapore |
| 4 | Nitin Mantri | We. Communications and Avian We. |
| 5 | Ong Hock Chuan | Maverick |