Smith & Western claims sonic branding’s top global honour at the 2026 Clio Music Awards

Smith & Western Sonic Branding has been awarded a Silver Clio Music Award, the highest honour presented in the sonic branding category this year, for its work on Australia’s Nation Brand (Austrade) created in partnership with Houston.

Widely regarded as sonic branding’s most prestigious global recognition, the Clio Music Awards represent the highest standard of creative excellence in music and sound-led branding. Founded in 1959, the Clios are consistently described as the Oscars of the advertising, design, and communications industries. A Clio win places work among the very best creative output in the world.

What makes this recognition particularly significant is the context. Smith & Western is an independent, Australian-owned studio, competing against and prevailing over some of the world’s largest global agencies and sonic branding companies. In a category dominated by multinational networks, this win underscores both the calibre of Australian creativity and the growing global influence of specialist sonic branding agencies.

At the heart of Smith & Western’s Clio-winning work for Australia’s Nation Brand was a deceptively simple question: what does Australia sound like? Tasked with introducing sound into the Nation Brand toolkit for the very first time, Smith & Western created a suite of bespoke sonic assets designed to express Australia’s identity through audio, alongside its established visual and motion system.

Working with Houston, the studio developed four immersive, studio-quality soundscapes that capture both the natural and cultural essence of the country. Drawing on environmental field recordings, sound design, and musical elements inspired by Australia’s landscapes and First Nations heritage, the work was crafted to feel authentically Australian without cliché. Each soundscape reflects a different facet of the nation, from rainforest and bushland to billabong, desert night, and ocean and harbour, creating a versatile and timeless sonic system now used globally across campaigns, presentations, and events to help Australia tell its story to the world.

Check out the case study here.

This year’s Clio Music Award winners span the very top tier of global music and culture, including Bad Bunny, Jack White, Liam Gallagher, Phish, Tyler The Creator, OK Go, David Byrne and Kenshi Yonezu. To be recognised alongside such internationally respected artists and creators highlights the expanding role sound now plays across branding, culture, and national identity.

Other winners from Australia included We Are Social with two Silvers for Samsung ‘No Bad Seats’ and Trailer Media for Sprout
‘Homegrown Sound – Munarra’.

Click here to view the full list of winners.

The award also reflects the rapid growth and rising importance of sonic branding. As brands increasingly compete in audio-first environments such as streaming, social video, podcasts, retail, and experiential spaces, sound has become a critical strategic asset rather than a finishing touch. This Clio recognition signals how central sonic identity has become to modern brand-building on a global stage.

Clio Music Awards are judged by leading creatives from around the world, making this recognition particularly meaningful. Smith & Western extends its sincere thanks to Austrade and creative partners Houston for entrusting the agency with the responsibility of shaping how Australia sounds to the world.

The Clio win follows another recent international success, with Smith & Western also awarded Gold at the Transform Awards for its sonic branding work with TPG, further strengthening the studio’s growing global recognition.

A proud moment for the Smith & Western team.

A proud moment for Australian sonic branding.

Register for FREE HERE and receive the Campaign Brief Daily Bulletin and/or the global Best Ads Best of the Week Bulletin.              Subscribe to Campaign Brief Magazine.

#More Creative News   #No paywalls   #No annual membership fees

Subscribe to Portfolio & Reel for current listings of Australian and NZ ad agency and production company leadership and key personnel