ADFEST 2026

AWARDS

Rules & Eligibility

ENTRY RULES
ENTRY SUBMISSION Entries cannot be made without the prior permission of the advertiser/owner of the rights of the commercial or advertisement. Only one party may enter a particular work into a given sub-category. It must be agreed in advance between the parties concerned. If a work is entered twice in the same sub-category, ADFEST will accept the first entry submitted. ADFEST reserves the right to move entries to a more appropriate Lotus category or sub-category. Entrants must provide all required documentations as specified in the Required Materials. Entries which might offend national or religious sentiments or public taste will not be accepted. Entries which have infringed any of its country of origin's voluntary or regulatory codes of practice will not be accepted.
USE OF AI
Ethical AI & Transparency Statement ADFEST upholds the principles of creative integrity, human originality, and recognise AI as a valuable creative aid but reaffirm that authentic human creativity, decision-making, and authorship remain at the heart of all award-eligible work. Use of AI must be in accordance with the rule of law, human rights and ethical values including transparency, fairness and privacy. Disclosure AI may be used as a supporting tool within the creative process, provided it does not replace human authorship or conceptual leadership. Entrants must disclose fully and truthfully how AI is used in the creation of the work in the AI Disclosure Declaration as part of their submission. Verification & Compliance ADFEST reserves the right to request supporting materials to verify the authenticity. ADFEST reserves the right to appoint independent AI ethics or forensic reviewers to evaluate compliance. The AI Disclosure Declaration may be published in festival communications to promote transparency and industry trust.
DISQUALIFICATION OF ENTRIES Entries that have been run purely to make them eligible for competition will be disqualified and the submitting organisation may be banned from ADFEST competitions for a period of 3 years. ADFEST reserves the right to disqualify entries that: Are inappropriate and offensive Fail to provide required documentations to verify the work’s legitimacy Fail to disclose information or intentionally misleading disclosure of information Fail to make full payment before judging commences No refund will be given for wrong entries, withdrawn entries or disqualified entries. All points associated with disqualified entries will be voided.
CREDIT & MATERIAL REVISIONS Entry credits CANNOT be revised after Friday 30^th January 2026. Any requests for changes are subject to the approval of the Organiser. A fee of THB 2,000 per request will be charged for each change including revisions for credit revisions, written submission and material replacements.
USE & PUBLICATION OF ENTRIES During or after the festival, any changes to the permission for the Use & Publication of Entries (includes exhibition, award presentation, winners showcase, and sharing with third parties to promote the festival) is subject to a fee of THB 2,000 per request.
ELIGIBILITY
Entry submissions to ADFEST are open to companies involved in advertising, communications, and production industry throughout Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. The company must be based in the region regardless of where the entry was designed, implemented, published or aired. Works created for clients in the region, but by companies based elsewhere are not eligible. All Brand Communication must have been commercially launched between 1^st December 2024 and 31^st December 2025. Except: Works can be launched between 1^st January 2024 and 31^st December 2025 (in the past 2 years): Brand Experience Lotus: Customer Acquisition & Retention (BE23) Commerce Lotus: Customer Acquisition & Retention (CM17) Direct Lotus: Customer Acquisition & Retention (DM21) Effective Lotus (except EF08 Long-Term Creativity and Lotus Roots sub-category (LREF)) New Director Lotus Works can be launched between 1^st January 2023 and 31^st December 2025 (in the past 3 years): Creative Strategy: Long-Term Strategy (CS13) Effective Lotus: Long-Term Creativity (EF08) Sustainable Lotus: Long-Term Brand Platform (ST11)*NEW* Works that have entered ADFEST in the past years are not eligible, except for entries into: Brand Experience Lotus: Customer Acquisition & Retention (BE23) Commerce Lotus: Customer Acquisition & Retention (CM17) Direct Lotus: Customer Acquisition & Retention (DM21) Effective Lotus: EF01-EF13 All Brand Communication must be designed for public exposure except: INNOVA Lotus: Innovation in Prototype Technology (IN03)
While entries submitted to Innovation in Prototype Technology (IN03) do not need to be public,
they must have at least been launched or tested to a small group of people and executed to some extent not merely a prototype idea. New Director Lotus: Portfolio/Passion Project (ND09), Film School (ND10) All Brand Communication must have been made within the context of a paying contract with the client, except: Self-Promotion sub-categories: for Self-Promotion or works for non-profit organisations, the works must be endorsed and approved by the client. New Director Lotus: Portfolio/Passion Project (ND09), Film School (ND10), and Short Films for ADFEST 2026 by The Fabulous Five (ND11)