ANDY Awards Offers Free Regional Entry to Agencies
Advertising agencies can enter the Asia Regional Competition at no cost before the December 1, 2026 deadline.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Advertising
The International ANDY Awards named Katrina Alvarez-Jarratt and Rachael Ford-Davies to the Asia Jury for its Regional Competition. Entry to the Regional Competition is free, with a December 1, 2026 deadline, and does not affect eligibility for the global competition, which remains open to all agencies.
Why it matters
The ANDYs introduced Regional Competitions to break down cost as one of the biggest barriers in the industry, and free entry comes as agency entry budgets face scrutiny this year. For operators weighing awards submissions, the change lowers the price of getting work in front of a regional jury.
The Asia Jury totals 13 members, including its chair, Thasorn 'Pete' Boonyanate. Regional entry is free, and the Regional deadline of December 1, 2026 comes ahead of the February 2, 2027 Global Early and March 9, 2027 Global Final deadlines.
The players
The International ANDY Awards
An international advertising awards program that judges agency creative work across regional and global competitions.
Thasorn 'Pete' Boonyanate
Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy Thailand who leads the Asia Jury for the Regional Competition.
Katrina Alvarez-Jarratt
Executive Creative Director at Le Truc in Australia, named to the Asia Jury.
Rachael Ford-Davies
Managing Partner and Producer at Collider in Australia, named to the Asia Jury.
The details
Agencies submit work to their region's jury through the Regional Competition before advancing to the global stage. Entry to the Regional Competition is not required to enter the global competition, so agencies can enter globally without first passing through a regional round. The free regional tier removes an upfront cost for agencies that want an early read from peers in their own market.
Timeline
December 1, 2026: Regional Competition entry deadline
February 2, 2027: Global Early Deadline
March 9, 2027: Global Final Deadline
April 2027: Global judging
May 2027: Winners celebration
Market Landscape
The ANDYs introduced Regional Competitions specifically to address entry cost as one of the largest barriers agencies face in awards programs. Free regional entry extends that decision into a year when agencies are scrutinizing their entry budgets closely.
Agencies weighing awards submissions should calendar the December 1, 2026 Regional deadline and the February and March 2027 global deadlines to plan entry budgets. Free regional entry means the first round of competition carries no fee, though global entry costs are not addressed in this announcement.
The takeaway
Advertising operators can use the free Regional tier to test work with a regional jury before committing budget to global entry. Track the December 1, 2026 deadline and the February and March 2027 global deadlines against your agency's entry calendar.
What happens next
December 1, 2026 is the Regional Competition entry deadline, followed by the February 2, 2027 Global Early Deadline and the March 9, 2027 Global Final Deadline, with global judging in April 2027 and a winners celebration in May 2027.
Further reading
For context on how awards entries fit into agency marketing budgets, see the Advertising section.
