AACTA REVEALS 2026 AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD NOMINEES

AACTA REVEALS 2026 AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD NOMINEES AS FANS DECIDE THEIR FAVOURITE FILMS & TV SHOWS, ACTORS PODCASTS, & DIGITAL CREATORS

Margot Robbie, Hamish Blake, The Kid LAROI, Joseph Zada, Abbie Chatfield, Stranger Things and Wicked: For Good among the nominees for the 2026 AACTA Audience Choice Awards

A mix of the global and Australian Film and TV superstars and the Internet’s most-beloved creators have today been revealed as nominees for the  2026 AACTA Audience Choice Awards, with the winners announced on Friday 6 February. 

Fans voted across ten categories to determine their favourite films, television series, music videos, podcasts, digital creators and more, and  the shortlist can now be revealed.  

The Biggest Shows. Biggest Movies. Biggest Names.

Australia’s Favourite TV Shows shortlist can be announced as: Stranger Things, Wednesday, Ginny & Georgia, The Summer I Turned Pretty ,Adolescence and The Pitt. 

In Favourite Film, the shortlist is: Wicked: For Good, KPop Demon Hunters, Sinners, Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon and Regretting You are among the year’s most-loved titles.

Australia’s star power is front and centre, as Margot Robbie, Sarah Snook, Isla Fisher, Phoebe Tonkin, Rebel Wilson and Rose Byrne compete for Favourite Australian Actress, while Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman, Jacob Elordi, Joseph Zada, Sam Reid and Dacre Montgomery face off for Favourite Australian Actor.

Australia’s Favourite Media Personalities shortlist includes:, Abbie Chatfield, AACTA Awards host, Celeste Barber, Dr. Chris Brown, Hamish Blake, Robert Irwin and Sophie Monk.

The nominees for Favourite Digital Creator saw some returning fan-favourites including Abbie Chatfield, Bridey Drake, Luke and Sassy Scott, Jiny Maeng, Olly Bowman. They are joined by Deja Clark, Mekonnen Knife and SophaDopha to round out the category. 

New Categories Reflect How Audiences Watch… and Listen

In a major evolution for the awards, AACTA introduced four new Audience Choice categories recognising podcasts, online channels, music videos and the ‘Rabanne Breakthrough Artist’ Award.

Australia’s favourite podcasts cover a variety of genres with Hamish & Andy, Shameless, Australian True Crime, Hear Me Out, Life Uncut, Toni & Ryan, Big Small Talk and She’s On The Money all named as nominees. 

While viral powerhouses How Ridiculous, Lazer Beam, Aunty Donna, Norris Nuts, Dr Esme Louise James, HowToBasic, Tom Harris and Chloe Ting make up a stacked Favourite Online Channel category.

The Favourite Australian Music Video category saw The Kid LAROI picking up a double nomination for A Cold Play and She Don’t Need to Know, Tame Impala, 5 Seconds of Summer, Keli Holiday and Vance Joy, also made the shortlist.

Rabanne Breakthrough Artist: The Next Global Stars

The inaugural Rabanne Breakthrough Artist Award spotlights Australia’s fastest-rising talent, with nominees including Milly Alcock, Felix Mallard, Samara Weaving, Maia Mitchell, Josh Heuston, Mekonnen Knife, Odessa Young and Joseph Zada, showcasing the performers shaping the future of Australian storytelling on the world stage.

The winners for the AACTA Audience Choice Awards will be announced on Friday 6 February alongside the 2026 AACTA Awards Ceremony. The Ceremony will be broadcast in Australia on Channel 10 at 7.30pm AEDT, Friday 6 February. A special extended AACTA Awards broadcast, including all awards from the ceremony, will be available from 7:30pm on Saturday 7 February on BINGE and Foxtel (Famous and available On-Demand). 

Key Dates

• Location: HOTA, Home of the Arts - Gold Coast, Queensland

• AACTA Festival: Wednesday 4 February – Sunday 8 February 2026

• AACTA Awards Industry Gala: Wednesday 4 February 2026

• AACTA Festival Industry Conference Day: Thursday 5 February 2026

• AACTA Awards Ceremony & Official After Party: Friday 6 February 2026

• AACTA Awards Broadcast: 7.30pm AEDT on Channel Ten

• AACTA Screen Careers Expo: Saturday 7 February 2026

• For information on the AACTA Festival, click here.

Nominees for the 2026 AACTA Audience Choice Awards:

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Film:

• How to Train Your Dragon

• KPop Demon Hunters

• Lilo & Stitch

• Regretting You

• Sinners

• Wicked: For Good

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite TV Series:

• Adolescence

• Ginny & Georgia (Season 3)

• Stranger Things (Season 5)

• The Pitt (Season 1)

• The Summer I Turned Pretty (Season 3)

• Wednesday (Season 2)

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Actress:

• Isla Fisher

• Margot Robbie

• Phoebe Tonkin

• Rebel Wilson

• Rose Byrne

• Sarah Snook

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Actor:

• Chris Hemsworth

• Dacre Montgomery

• Hugh Jackman

• Jacob Elordi

• Joseph Zada

• Sam Reid

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Podcast:

• Australian True Crime

• Big Small Talk

• Hamish & Andy

• Hear Me Out

• Life Uncut

• Shameless

• She's On The Money

• Toni and Ryan

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Music Video:

• 5 Seconds of Summer - Boyband

• Keli Holiday – Dancing2

• Tame Impala – Dracula

• The Kid LAROI – A Cold Play

• The Kid LAROI – She Don't Need to Know

• Vance Joy - Fascination in the Dark

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Rabanne Breakthrough Artist:

• Felix Mallard

• Joseph Zada

• Josh Heuston

• Maia Mitchell

• Mekonnen Knife

• Milly Alcock

• Odessa Young

• Samara Weaving

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Media Personality:

• Abbie Chatfield

• Celeste Barber

• Chris Brown

• Hamish Blake

• Robert Irwin

• Sophie Monk

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Online Channel:

• Aunty Donna @auntydonna

• Chloe Ting @ChloeTing

• Dr Esme Louise James @dr.esme.louise

• How Ridiculous @howridiculous

• HowToBasic @HowToBasic

• Lazer Beam @lazarbeam

• Norris Nuts @norrisnuts

• Tom Harris @tomharrisfootball

AACTA Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Digital Creator:

• Abbie Chatfield @abbiechatfield

• Bridey Drake @brideydrake

• Deja Clark @more.dejankat

• Jiny Maeng @jinymaeng

• Luke and Sassy Scott @lukeandsassyscott

• Mekonnen Knife @mekonnen_official

• Olly Bowman @mrmelk_

• SophaDopha @sophadophaa

AACTA FESTIVAL TICKETS AND INFORMATION

Running 4 - 8 February 2026, AACTA Festival transforms HOTA, Home of the Arts, into a five-day hub of immersive screen culture, attracting over 15,000 visitors and 300 on-stage participants across 100+ events. From in-depth movie deconstructions, global premieres, interactive workshops, talent meet-and-greets, music showcases, masterclasses with renowned filmmakers, outdoor screenings, and a variety of family-friendly activities. The Festival, including the Screen Careers Expo, offers an unmissable program for screen lovers, emerging creatives, and industry leaders alike.