The winners of the 2026 AACTA Awards have been crowned.
Celebrating the year’s most outstanding achievements across film, television, documentary, online, and short form, the show, hosted by comedian Celeste Barber, saw the likes of Sarah Snook, Brian Cox, Phoebe Tonkin, and Dacre Montgomery come together.
“Bring Her Back” emerged as the night’s biggest winner, with ten wins from 16 nominations. The film, created by the Philippou brothers, took home Best Film, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Casting, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, and Best Lead Actress in Film for Sally Hawkins.
Close behind was “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” which converted 9 AACTA Award wins from 12 nominations, asserting itself as the standout television production of the year, while “The Newsreader” continued its award-winning legacy with 4 wins from 12 nominations including Best Drama Series while “Apple Cider Vinegar” picked up the Award for Best Miniseries.
Bruce Beresford was awarded the AACTA Longford Lyell Award, while Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings were awarded the AACTA Byron Kennedy Award. Kate Armon and Craig Smith took home the AACTA Red Grundy Award, and Sarah Snook was named 2026’s AACTA Trailblazer. Clare Hughes won the AACTA Brian Walsh Award.
The 2026 AACTA Audience Choice Awards were also handed out on the night, reflecting the stories and voices audiences couldn’t get enough of.
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See the full winners list below.
AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella said: “This year’s AACTA Awards recognise the remarkable depth and diversity of Australian screen talent. From critically-acclaimed productions to audience favourites, the winners showcase the strength of our industry and the stories that continue to resonate locally and globally. We’re thrilled to be able to bring the Australian screen sector together on the Gold Coast.”
Earlier in the week, the AACTA Awards Industry Gala crowned its own winners. “Bring Her Back” and “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” led the tally, each collecting seven awards, cementing their status as two of the year’s most critically acclaimed Australian productions. Animated sci-fi favourite “Lesbian Space Princess” also enjoyed a strong night, picking up two awards, as did “The Correspondent” and “The People v Robodebt.”
The 2026 AACTA Festival will run until Sunday, February 8th, offering a vast range of activities celebrating film, television, and pop culture. Festival goers can enjoy in-depth movie deconstructions, interactive workshops, meet-and-greets, music showcases, masterclasses with renowned filmmakers, outdoor screenings, and a variety of family-friendly activities.
Australian stars Yerin Ha and Dichen Lachman have been in attendance to discuss their roles in “Bridgerton” and “Severance,” respectively. And joining their producers in celebrating Australian horror, Danny and Michael Philippou attended to discuss their breakout career from YouTube stunts to Hollywood horror stardom.
“Succession” star Sarah Snook will take part in a special ‘In Conversation’ tomorrow (Saturday, February 7th). Snook’s “Succession” co-star Brian Cox is confirmed to attend the festival, as well as Dacre Montgomery, Baz Luhrmann, Sam Neill, Joseph Zada, David Wenham, Guy Montgomery, Rove McManus, Delta Goodrem, Steph Tisdell, Pia Miranda and many, many more.
Check out the full program here.
2026 AACTA Awards Winners:
Film
AACTA Award for Best Casting in Film presented by Casting Networks: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in Film: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Costume Design in Film: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Direction in Film: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Editing in Film presented by Spectrum Films: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Film: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Indie Film: “Lesbian Space Princess”
AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in Film: Richard Roxburgh – “The Correspondent”
AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in Film: Sally Hawkins – “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Original Score in Film: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Production Design in Film: “The Correspondent”
AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Film: “The Correspondent”
AACTA Award for Best Sound in Film: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in Film: Julian McMahon – “The Surfer”
AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in Film: Deborah Mailman – “Kangaroo”
Television
AACTA Award for Best Acting in a Comedy: Miranda Tapsell – “Top End Bub”
AACTA Award for Best Casting in Television presented by Casting Networks: “Apple Cider Vinegar”
AACTA Award for Best Children’s Program: “Play School: All Together”
AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in Television: “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
AACTA Award for Best Comedy Entertainment Program: “Hard Quiz”
AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performer: Tom Gleeson – “Hard Quiz”
AACTA Award for Best Costume Design in Television: “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
AACTA Award for Best Direction in Drama or Comedy: “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
AACTA Award for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television: “The People vs Robodebt”
AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program: “The People vs Robodebt”
AACTA Award for Best Drama Series: “The Newsreader”
AACTA Award for Best Editing in Television: “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
AACTA Award for Best Entertainment Program presented by Gravity Media: “Portrait Artist of the Year”
AACTA Award for Best Factual Entertainment Program: “Alone Australia”
AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama presented by BINGE: Jacob Elordi – “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama presented by BINGE: Anna Torv – “The Newsreader”
AACTA Award for Best Lifestyle Program: “Grand Designs Australia”
AACTA Award for Best Miniseries: “Apple Cider Vinegar”
AACTA Award for Best Narrative Comedy Series: “Bump”
AACTA Award for Best Original Score in Television: “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
AACTA Award for Best Production Design in Television: “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
AACTA Award for Best Reality Program presented by Network Ten: “The Great Australian Bake Off”
AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television: “The Newsreader”
AACTA Award for Best Sound in Television: “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
AACTA Award for Best Stand-Up Special: “Celia Pacquola: I’m As Surprised As You Are”
AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: Daniel Henshall – “The Newsreader”
AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Heather Mitchell – “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”
Documentary
AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in a Documentary: “The Kimberley”
AACTA Award for Best Documentary: “Journey Home, David Gulpilil”
AACTA Award for Best Editing in a Documentary: “Unbreakable – The Jelena Dokic Story”
AACTA Award for Best Original Score in a Documentary: “Journey Home, David Gulpilil”
AACTA Award for Best Sound in a Documentary: “Yurlu | Country”
Short Film
AACTA Award for Best Short Film: “I’m The Most Racist Person I Know”
Online
AACTA Award for Best Online Drama or Comedy: “A Series of Unfortunate Dates”
Other
AACTA Award for Best Hair and Makeup: “Bring Her Back”
AACTA Award for Best Original Song: “Here I Go” – “Lesbian Space Princess”
AACTA Award for Best Soundtrack: “Mix Tape”
AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation: “Tron: Ares”
Individual
2026 AACTA Longford Lyell Award Recipient: Bruce Beresford
2026 AACTA Byron Kennedy Award Recipients: Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings
2026 AACTA Reg Grundy Award Recipient: Kate Armon, Craig Smith
2026 AACTA Trailblazer Award Recipient: Sarah Snook
2026 AACTA Brian Walsh Award Recipient: Clare Hughes
Audience Choice
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite TV Show: “Stranger Things” (Season 5)
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Film: “Wicked: For Good”
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Actress: Margot Robbie
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Actor: Jacob Elordi
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Media Personality: Robert Irwin
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Podcast: “Shameless”
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Music Video: The Kid LAROI – “A Cold Play”
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Online Channel: Norris Nuts @norrisnuts
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Digital Creator: Bridey Drake @brideydrake
AACTA Audience Choice Award for Rabanne Breakthrough Artist: Mekonnen Knife