TLDR
Uber Eats won the 2026 Australian Grand Effie with Special Australia, which was also named Effective Agency of the Year. Special US and Uber Eats won the US Grand Effie in May for a separate campaign. McDonald's Australia was named Effective Advertiser of the Year.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Uber Eats won the Grand Effie at the Australian Effie Awards in Sydney on Friday night, and its agency, Special Australia, was named Effective Agency of the Year.[1]
The winning entry, How Uber Eats Embraced "Almost" to Become an "Anything" Delivery Brand, also took Gold in the Long-Term Effects category for services and retail.[2]
"In an industry increasingly focused on short-term results, Uber Eats showed the conviction to back long-term brand building," the jury said.[1]
Judges pointed to growth in revenue, market share and profit return on investment, and to the way the brand moved beyond takeaway food without losing its identity, Mumbrella reported.[3]
The same pairing won in New York
It's the second Grand Effie for Uber Eats and Special this year. Special US won the top prize at the US Effies in New York on 27 May for Uber Eats' "Football is for Food".[4]
The two are separate campaigns, judged by separate juries. Special Australia's own haul on Friday included a Gold for Kitchen Warehouse, How Kitchen Warehouse Mumnipulated Mother's Day, in Media-Led Ideas, plus three Silvers.[1]
McDonald's named top advertiser
McDonald's Australia was named Effective Advertiser of the Year on aggregated scores across winning entries from Wieden+Kennedy, Akcelo and OMD.[1]
The title lands in the same week McDonald's pulled its Birdie ad six weeks into its run after a ruling that it targeted children.
DiDi ANZ and Sunday Gravy won the new Best New Entrant award, sponsored by Google, for Yes, I took on Goliath, DiDi. Personalised Plates Queensland, with Publicis Australia and Publicis Edge, took Best State, and the Colin Wilson-Brown Award went to Vanuatu Tourism Office, with Apparent and GTI Tourism.[1]
Judges handed out seven Golds, 25 Silvers, 35 Bronzes and six special awards, recognising 32 agencies and 33 clients.[1]
"A record number of entries this year tells us something important about where the industry is heading," Advertising Council Australia chief executive Tony Hale said.[1]
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.
