2026 Microsoft Advertising Partner Awards: APAC winners announced

Across Asia-Pacific’s fast-moving and diverse markets, AI, automation and data are reshaping advertising and opening exciting new possibilities for growth. Our partners are leading that change—turning emerging capabilities into meaningful, measurable outcomes for the customers they serve.

From AI innovation and data integration to search, omnichannel performance and emerging-market growth, the calibre of work submitted from across APAC was truly inspiring. We thank every partner who participated and warmly congratulate our finalists and winners, whose ingenuity, commitment and customer focus continue to raise the standard across the industry.

Introducing our 2026 APAC winners

AI Innovation Award: Zenith Media

Zenith brought applied AI into the heart of its work, embedding Copilot across teams and workflows to uncover richer audience insights, respond faster to changing performance and give strategists more time to focus on the decisions that create value for clients.

Data Integration Excellence Award: Simprosys InfoMedia

Simprosys set a new standard for connected commerce by unifying product, pricing, inventory and first-party audience signals. Its use of automation and AI-powered feed optimisation helped customers manage complexity, improve campaign relevance and scale sophisticated advertising with greater confidence.

Emerging Markets Growth Award: LS Digital + ACKO General Insurance and Tata AIG

LS Digital delivered standout growth in one of APAC’s most dynamic markets, combining Search, Performance Max and AI-powered solutions to help ACKO General Insurance and Tata AIG capture demand, reach new audiences and unlock new growth opportunities in India.

Omnichannel Performance Partner of the Year: Online Marketing Gurus + Psychwire

Online Marketing Gurus created a connected, full-funnel journey for Psychwire across audience, video, Performance Max and Search. Robust measurement revealed the contribution of each touchpoint, helping the customer invest with greater clarity and turn coordinated media into stronger performance.

Rising Partner of the Year: LS Digital

LS Digital’s exceptional momentum is grounded in a spirit of experimentation and a clear focus on client growth. By embracing emerging capabilities and continually testing new approaches, the team has helped customers uncover new growth opportunities and innovate with confidence.

Search Performance Partner of the Year: Online Marketing Gurus + Gift Card Store

Online Marketing Gurus combined broad match and automated bidding to help Gift Card Store discover new pockets of demand while maintaining disciplined performance. The result was a smart balance of reach, efficiency and sustainable customer growth.

Trailblazer of the Year: Nguyen Le and Kellyn Coetzee

• Nguyen Le: Nguyen has challenged convention through rigorous measurement and experimentation, helping colleagues and clients rethink established approaches, make more confident decisions and see new possibilities for growth.
• Kellyn Coetzee: Kellyn has turned AI ambition into meaningful change by making new capabilities more accessible, empowering others to experiment with confidence and creating more space for strategic thinking and customer impact.

Channel Partner of the Year: Simprosys InfoMedia

Simprosys distinguished itself through exceptional execution, deep customer focus and a determination to keep exploring what comes next—helping advertisers simplify complexity, adopt new capabilities and pursue growth at scale.

Independent Agency Partner of the Year: Sparro by Brainlabs

Sparro by Brainlabs stood out for ambitious thinking and a willingness to experiment. By continually challenging the obvious answer, the team translated curiosity into sharper strategies, stronger work and meaningful impact for clients.

Agency Partner of the Year: Publicis

Publicis demonstrated the power of partnership across APAC, bringing together senior leaders, agency teams and local markets around shared customer ambitions. That collaboration created new opportunities for clients and helped turn regional scale into locally relevant impact.

Celebrating the people and partnerships moving our industry forward

Congratulations to every 2026 APAC winner and finalist. This year’s achievements celebrate the ambition, expertise and generosity of a partner community that keeps pushing the industry forward—and, most importantly, helps advertisers solve real challenges and create new opportunities for growth.

It is a privilege to recognise this remarkable work, and we cannot wait to see what our partners and their customers achieve next.