FINCH, Howatson+Company, 2045 and Droga5 ANZ among Australia’s seven Gerety shortlists

Australia has secured seven shortlisted entries at the 2026 Gerety Awards, with FINCH, Howatson+Company, 2045 and Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, among the most recognised Australian entrants.

The shortlisted work spans multiple categories and disciplines, demonstrating the breadth of talent across the market. The result positions Australia among the countries competing for top honours when the Gerety Awards winners are announced. FINCH leads with three shortlisted entries for Uber ‘Can’t Do That If You’re Driving’, Telstra ‘Telstra Silent Films’ and New Zealand Transport Authority Waka Kotahi ‘Speed Demons’.

Howatson+Company has scored two shortlisted entries for Selleys ‘If You Can Take It, It’s Yours’ and Sydney Jewish Museum ‘Incommon’, whilst 2045 has one shortlisted entry for Bupa ‘The No Board’ and Droga5 ANZ with one shortlisted entry for Australian Lamb ‘The Happiness List’.

View the full shortlist here.

For this edition, judging sessions were held in London, Auckland, Toronto, New York, Paris, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, Mexico City, Bangkok, Los Angeles, Berlin, and São Paulo. These in person sessions define the shortlist before the Grand Jury comes together online to select the final winners.

The members of the executive jury for Auckland:

Isobel Kerr-Newell, CEO, Artemis Communications
Leisa Wall, Co-Chief Creative Officer, McCann
Kristal Knight, Creative Consultant
Arnya Karaitiana, Creative Director, Kaiārahi Māori, Special Group Aotearoa
Storm Day, CEO, Droga5 / NZ Lead Accenture Song
Edwina Neilson, General Manager, Marketing Green Cross Health – Unichem and Life Pharmacy
Cece Chu, Associate Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi
Melina Fiolitakis, Creative Director, Motion Sickness
Jane Sweeney, Executive Chair & Co-Founder, Anthem
Laura Cibilich, Founder & Design Director, Run Aotearoa
Michaela Chilton, Brand Strategy & Experience Manager, Mercury
Rebekah ‘Bex’ Kelly, Executive Producer, FINCH company
Penelope Brown, Managing Director, Together

This year, more than 250 judges from over 50 countries take part in the Gerety Awards, bringing together some of the most respected creative leaders from different fields of advertising, marketing, production, design, and media.

Bulgaria and Tunisia get into the shortlist for the first time at Gerety.

Craft CUT sees the most shortlisted entries with campaigns spanning from all craft types: Animation, Art Direction, Cinematography, Copywriting, Direction, Editing, Illustration,Music, Sound Design, Photography, Typography, Production Design and Visual Effects.

The most shortlisted campaign is Covert Recruiter, from Dentsu Creative France for the French Army Human Resources Directorate

The Grand jury will now choose the final winners which will be announced in the first week of September, including Bronze, Silver, Gold, Grand Prix and Regional Winners.

Taking place this week, Gerety’s global Jury Insights Panels bring together jury members alongside leading trade press titles to discuss the campaigns, creative trends, and standout work shaping this year’s shortlist.

Alongside the panels, Gerety will once again share its Shortlist Reel: a curated showcase of the highest-scoring shortlisted work from the executive jury sessions, distributed to agencies, production companies, brands, and industry leaders around the world during shortlist week.

And, as every year, finalists and jury members will be celebrated at the Gerety VIP Diamond BBQ in Cannes, with an exclusive guest list of entrants, judges, past judges, partners, and friends of Gerety.

See the full shortlist at www.geretyawards.com

To follow the 2026 jury conversations:

Jury Insights Panels — HERE

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