We’re incredibly proud to have been named Agency of the Year (Under 50 Employees) at the 2026 Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) Marketing Excellence Awards.
It’s the fourth time Paper + Spark has received the Agency of the Year title, following wins in 2020, 2022 and 2024. The agency has evolved considerably since that first win. Our team has grown, our capabilities have expanded and clients are trusting us with broader and more multifaceted challenges, while the principles behind how we work have remained consistent.
This year we were finalists in all 10 categories we entered, with work recognised across healthcare, financial services, utilities and B2B marketing. We were also delighted to see two Sparks recognised individually: Rhianna Lieu, our Integrated Media Manager, was a finalist for The Lisa Ronson Emerging Marketer of the Year, while Margot Alais, our Head of Creative + Production, was a finalist for Future Leader of the Year.
The feedback the AMI Head Judge gave for Agency of the Year made us particularly proud: “Paper + Spark was recognised for bringing together great people, great ideas and work that makes a real difference. The agency turns complex challenges into clear, human and impactful communications, combining strategic thinking and creativity with genuine care for clients and audiences. Its success is built on strong relationships, meaningful work and a culture where people thrive.”
That description reflects a lot of what has shaped P+S over the past year. We’re at our best when the problem doesn’t fit neatly into one discipline, bringing together the right mix of strategy, creative, communications, media, digital and specialist expertise around the challenge.
The range of new clients that have joined us, and the way our team has grown alongside them, have also made 2026 particularly significant. Clients are increasingly looking for connected thinking across disciplines, supported by new capabilities such as AI where they genuinely improve the work. For us, that means continuing to evolve the agency around the problems clients need us to solve.
What we’re most proud of is being able to grow without losing the kind of agency we want to be. The talent, commitment and curiosity of our Sparks, together with the trust our clients place in us, are ultimately what sit behind this award.
Awards are never the reason we do the work, but they do provide a rare opportunity to stop and recognise the people behind it. Agency life moves quickly, so having the AMI recognise the whole team gives us a good reason to take stock of what we’ve built together.
A huge thank you to our Sparks, our clients and the Australian Marketing Institute, and congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners.
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