Entries open for 2026 CommsCon Awards as PR claims seat at the leaders’ table
The CommsCon Conference and Awards return in March 2026, bringing together communications leaders, senior brand marketers, and agencies to explore the future of PR, influence and reputation.
Attendees at the 2025 CommsCon conference
Mumbrella can today reveal the dates for CommsCon 2026, the dedicated communications and public relations event, now in its 12th year.
Entries also are now open for the 2026 CommsCon Awards, recognising excellence, innovation and impact across Australia and New Zealand’s PR and communications industry.
This year’s program reflects a pivotal moment for the profession. As organisations confront an era defined by AI, automation and mis- and disinformation, the role of communications is increasingly strategic.
Tinder’s Kirsty Dunn addresses CommsCon 2025
Communications professionals now sit at the heart of business leadership, tasked with navigating complexity, building trust, and shaping the narratives that define reputation and public confidence.
CommsCon 2026 marks a return to the event’s original curation process, ensuring the conference program is once again built by the industry, for the industry. The original curator, Mumbrella’s Cat McGinn, will lead event curation with the guidance of an expert advisory panel who help shape both the conference and awards agenda, including:
- Celia Harding, managing director, LEOprd
- Rob Lowe, founder, Poem
- Belinda Noble, co-founder, Comms Declare
- Peter Wilkinson, managing director and founder, Wilkinson Butler
- Sam Kelly, CEO, Hello Social
- Rochelle Burbury, principal, Third Avenue
- Nic Christensen, founder, Hello Disco
Together, they bring diverse perspectives from agency leadership, corporate affairs, social impact, and creative strategy, ensuring CommsCon 2026 reflects the profession’s expanding remit and urgent priorities: strategic leadership, brand trust, and talent.
McGinn said “It’s an honour to return to CommsCon and help deliver a program that reflects the strategic importance of comms and PR, in a world where trusted voices, storytelling and verifiable information have never mattered more.”
Tickets for the CommsCon conference are available now.
The CommsCon Awards now include new categories recognising this transformation.
Strategic Communications has been launched to recognise teams driving reputation, stakeholder influence and long-term corporate trust.
Non-Traditional Campaign of the Year has been redefined to highlight communications thinking applied to behaviour change, customer experience and innovation.
Best Influencer Strategy is updated to Best Use of the Creator Economy, reflecting the evolution of earned influence and brand collaboration with creators.
This year the Emerging Talent award will be free to enter, reflecting Mumbrella’s commitment to supporting the next generation shaping the future of the profession.
Entries will be judged under a strengthened framework that gives greater weight to effectiveness and impact, with measurable results now accounting for a greater share of the total score, aligning CommsCon with global standards of effectiveness.
Entries are open now at mumbrella.com.au/commsconawards.
The standard entry deadline is 13 December 2025, with late entries closing 23 January 2026.
CommsCon is open to submissions of content and speakers for the conference program. Contact Mumbrella’s head of curation Cat McGinn.
