Hashtag Awards to recognise the best of social, creators and influencer marketing

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE is bringing its Hashtag Awards to Australia, a new awards show designed to recognise the brands, agencies, creators and social teams shaping the country’s fast-growing social media and creator marketing landscape.

The 2026 Hashtag Australia Awards marks the first local edition of an awards platform that has been running across Southeast Asia for the past five years.

The Australian launch comes as social and influencer marketing move further into the mainstream of the marketing mix, with creators, platform-native content, social commerce and community-led campaigns playing a bigger role in how brands build relevance and drive commercial outcomes.

In its debut year, Hashtag Australia will launch with 32 categories covering the breadth of social and creator-led marketing, including platform-native ideas, creator collaborations, social commerce, community building, AI experimentation and campaigns built for measurable business impact.

SEE MORE: All the Hashtag Australia Awards categories

The awards are open to brands, agencies, publishers, platforms, creators and marketing teams that have delivered standout work across Australia’s social and digital ecosystem.

Entries will be judged by an independent panel of senior marketers, agency leaders, creators and social media specialists, with each submission assessed on the quality of the work rather than the size of the brand, budget or following.

The awards launch with a stellar line up of jury members, include Emma Losco, PR leader at IKEA Australia and New Zealand; Briony Kent, head of marketing at Salomon Australia and New Zealand; Jayesh Kesry, senior global creative content manager at Contiki; Cat Wilkinson, general manager at Influential Australia and Tommy Cehak, executive creative director at Leo Australia.

Also joining is Hollie Lowe, head of digital and CX at Red Rooster; Erica Valenti, integrated marketing director at Live Nation Australia and New Zealand; Narine Salmasi, general manager of marketing at Omoda Jaecoo Australia and Skye Lambley, CEO of Influence Practice at Publicis Groupe.

Sharyn Smith, founder and executive director at Social Soup and Denny Handlin, executive creative director at VaynerMedia Australia and New Zealand, round out the first wave of Hashtag judges. More will be announced in the coming weeks.

The programme is designed to recognise work that cuts through the feed, earns attention, delivers beyond vanity metrics and builds communities, not just impressions.

The launch follows the growth of MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s Hashtag Awards in Southeast Asia, where the programme has built a strong reputation for recognising social media, influencer and digital culture work across the region.

Finalists for the Australian edition will be announced in September, with Gold, Silver and Bronze winners revealed at an awards reception in Sydney in November.

Entries close on 23 July 2026. For full details check the official website.