MEGA 2026 International Creative Media Festival announces winners

The 6th Media, Exhibition, Graphics, and Arts (MEGA) International Creative Media Festival has announced its winners, highlighting a growing trend of creators integrating artificial intelligence, virtual production, and spatial media into cultural storytelling.

Hosted by the Academy of Film and Creative Technology at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, the festival saw a 45.5% increase in submissions compared to the previous year, totaling 2,014 entries from 189 institutions across 10 countries and regions. A significant portion of the entries—473 works—focused on AI and immersive media.

Notable award recipients include Yuqing Liu from the University of Hong Kong, who won Best AI Short Film for ‘The Tale of the Peony’, a work that utilizes AI-generated keyframe animation to reimagine the life of Tang dynasty poet Yu Xuanji. Siyi Zhang of the Beijing Film Academy received the Best Immersive Media Short Film Director award for ‘Demian’, an immersive installation combining projection mapping and AI-generated visuals.