The 2026 Beacon Awards in association with QMS recognised the campaigns, organisations and individuals behind some of the year's strongest media work across Aotearoa.
Held at the Viaduct Events Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau, this year's awards brought together agencies, media owners, clients and industry leaders to celebrate excellence across New Zealand's media industry. From 112 finalists, judges awarded 17 Gold, 21 Silver and 19 Bronze Beacon Awards, alongside eight executive awards recognising outstanding organisations and individuals.
The awards recognised work that combined strategic thinking, creativity and strong commercial outcomes in a challenging and fast-changing media environment.
TVNZ was named Media Business of the Year, with judges recognising its bold strategy and decisive action in an industry experiencing significant disruption.
VAST Billboards received Sales Team of the Year, with judges recognising the team's ability to turn its market position into a competitive advantage.
Best in Show was awarded to PHD Aotearoa and Pak'nSave for Anything Can be a Gift at WRAP'nSAVE. The international judging panel said the campaign stood out by identifying a media opportunity where consumer relevance was at its peak, combined with flawless execution. Together and Goodman Fielder also received a Highly Commended honour for Fantasy Herd.
Barbara Stone of MediaStone received the Inspiring Individual Award, presented in honour of Sandy Smith, recognising her contribution to New Zealand's media industry.
This year also introduced two new awards recognising emerging talent. David Stock (NZME) received Emerging Talent – Media Business, while Henry Sneddon (PHD Aotearoa) received Emerging Talent – Media Agency, recognising professionals already making a significant contribution to New Zealand's media industry.
Together was named Media Agency of the Year. Judges praised the agency's business vision, commitment to its people, client development, industry contribution, creativity and innovation.
“The past year has brought significant change across our industry, making moments like the Beacon Awards more important than ever. They give us the opportunity to pause, recognise the outstanding work being produced across Aotearoa, and celebrate the people, partnerships and creativity behind it. As the new naming partner of the Beacon Awards, QMS is proud to support an event that recognises the very best of our industry. Congratulations to all of this year's winners and finalists,” said Ben Gibb, National Sales Director, QMS NZ.
“Those looking to gauge the temperature of our industry should look no further than the Beacon Awards. This year's winners show a wealth of creative thinking, strategic smarts, and collaboration that delivers out-sized client outcomes,” said Simon Lendrum, CEO, Comms Council.
The complete list of 2026 Beacon Awards winners and finalists, including Gold, Silver and Bronze recipients across every category, is now available.
View the 2026 Beacon Awards results →
The 2026 Beacon Awards in association with QMS were made possible through the generous support of QMS, TVNZ, Meta, NZME, Stuff, MediaWorks, The Radio Bureau, Nielsen, Are Media and The Spinoff.