New York: The One Club for Creativity has officially opened entries for the 2026 edition of the ONE Asia Creative Awards 2026, continuing its focus on recognising innovative creative work across the Asia-Pacific region.
Founded in 2021, ONE Asia has rapidly established itself as one of APAC’s prominent creative awards platforms, known for following the same judging standards applied to The One Club’s globally recognised The One Show and ADC Annual Awards.
The organisation said entries are now open, with the early bird deadline set for June 5, 2026, followed by regular, extended and final deadlines on July 17, August 28 and September 18 respectively. Finalists are expected to be announced in the fall, with winners revealed in November 2026.
ONE Asia winners will also earn points toward the annual Campaign Brief Asia Rankings and The One Club Global Creative Rankings.
This year’s call-for-entries campaign, titled “Where Taste Matters”, has been created by Muma Malaysia, recently recognised as Malaysia’s most awarded agency at the 2026 One Show in New York.
The campaign argues that in a content ecosystem increasingly shaped by AI-generated work, human judgment, instinct and creative taste remain the defining factors separating memorable ideas from forgettable ones. According to the organisers, every element of the campaign was crafted manually without the use of AI tools, emphasising intentionality and human creativity.
Commenting on the campaign, Choo Chee Wee 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 positions ONE Asia as a platform that celebrates creative discernment, originality and authentic storytelling within the APAC creative ecosystem.
Adam Izen 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.”
The 2026 edition also introduces several new disciplines and category expansions. These include a new Creator Content discipline focused on creator-led storytelling, a Luxury, Fashion and Lifestyle discipline recognising brand-building through culture and design, and a consolidated Production & Craft category. The Creative Use of Artificial Intelligence category has also been expanded to reflect the evolving role of AI in creative work.
For the first time, judging for ONE Asia will take place in Kuala Lumpur, continuing the awards’ practice of rotating judging locations across APAC markets. The judging sessions are scheduled for October 17–19, 2026 at The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, with DirectorThinkTank serving as the exclusive judging sponsor. A student masterclass with Level Up will also take place on October 20.
Speaking about the decision to host the awards in Malaysia, Tay Guan Hin 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.”
Campaign Credits:
Muma Malaysia
ECD: Choo Chee Wee
CD: Kong Wei Wen
Art Directors: Liew Su Anne, Angel Lam
Designers: Zoey Hii, Liang Xin Ru, Jeselyn Tan
Copywriter: Kong Wei Wen
Motion Graphic: Jeselyn Tan
