ASIAN ACADEMY CREATIVE AWARDS
A Best Micro-Drama category from 2026
The Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA), which honour the best audiovisual productions in the Asia-Pacific region every year, have announced the creation of a Best Micro-Drama category starting with their 2026 edition. Led by Fiona McKay, Chief Executive Officer, alongside Michael McKay, founder and chairman of the organisation, the AACA consider that the format, made up of episodes lasting 30 seconds to five minutes, is growing rapidly, driven by the rise of vertical platforms and new mobile viewing habits.
The award will be presented on December 3, 2026, at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore, during the Asian Academy Creative Awards ceremony. The category is supported by RisingJoy, a company specialising in the distribution of vertical micro-dramas, which will also host a panel dedicated to the sector on December 2, during the National Winners Conference. The jury includes French producer Guillaume Sanjorge.
This new category follows several years of market trend monitoring: for the Academy, micro-drama is now a narrative format in its own right, developed enough to deserve recognition alongside traditional television and digital productions: drama series, feature films or documentaries.
Productions can compete in several artistic and technical categories (acting, direction, editing, cinematography, etc.), with criteria adapted to the format. For micro-drama series, entrants will generally need to submit ten consecutive episodes, so the jury can assess the work as a whole.
Eligible works must have been released between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026. Entries remain open until August 1, 2026.