The Asian Academy Creative Awards launch a Duanju category

The Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA), which annually recognize the best audiovisual productions in the Asia-Pacific region, have announced the creation of a "Best Micro-Drama" category starting with their 2026 edition.

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From 2018, the best of the best from the region's content industry will gather each December, in Singapore, when the Lion City acts as the annual host of the Asian Academy Creative Awards.

The Asian Academy Creative Awards are headed by Fiona McKay, Chief Executive Officer, alongside Michael McKay, founder of the organization and a key figure in the Awards' history.

For the Academy, the format, consisting of episodes of 30 seconds to five minutes, is experiencing rapid growth driven by the development of vertical platforms and new mobile uses.

The award will be presented at the Asian Academy Creative Awards ceremony on December 3, 2026, in Singapore. The category is supported by RisingJoy, a company specializing in the distribution of vertical micro-dramas, which will also host a panel dedicated to the sector at the National Winners Conference. Among the jury members is French producer Guillaume Sanjorge.

The decision to add this new category stems from several years of observing market trends. It considers that micro-drama is now a fully-fledged narrative format, sufficiently developed to deserve an award on par with classic television and digital productions, such as drama series, feature films, or documentaries.

Productions can be submitted in several artistic and technical categories, such as acting, directing, editing, or cinematography, with criteria adapted to the format. For micro-drama series, applicants will generally need to submit ten consecutive episodes to allow the jury to evaluate the work as a whole.

Eligible works must have been broadcast between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026. Registration will remain open until August 1, 2026.