McCann, Special, and Colenso lead 2026 Effie Awards Aotearoa finalists

The Comms Council has announced the finalists for the 2026 Effie Awards Aotearoa, held in association with TVNZ. The finalists represent various works within the New Zealand advertising and marketing industry, spanning 124 finalist places across 25 categories.

McCann New Zealand leads the group with 23 finalist placements, followed by Special New Zealand with 16, Colenso BBDO with 13, and TBWA№ New Zealand with 10. Other notable agencies include EightyOne, Motion Sickness, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Quantum Jump.

The most-shortlisted campaign is Special’s ‘How Exposed Am I?’ for the National Cyber Security Centre, which is a finalist in five categories. Other highly recognized campaigns include Bad Magic’s ‘The Recorder That Moved a Government’ for NZEI Te Riu Roa and McCann New Zealand’s ‘Cheat Codes’ for Mercury, both with four finalist places.

The Effie Awards evaluate marketing effectiveness based on strategic thinking, creative execution, and delivered results. Winners will be announced at the 2026 Effie Awards Aotearoa on Thursday, 22 October.