Vercel and Queensland startup Cleo were among the winners at the Qld AI Festival 2026 Awards in Brisbane, with Vercel's v0 taking three trophies, including the top prize.
In the technical awards, v0 won Best Consumer AI Tool, Best Enterprise AI Tool and Best in the World, awarded to the overall best submission. Cleo, founded by Leon Hayes and Eugene D'Hagé-Craig, was named AI Startup of the Year.
Festival Director Matt Kirby said the volume and quality of entries exceeded expectations in the event's first year. Organisers reached their targets early and extended the festival to a second day.
"We hit our targets very early on, which was pleasing, but what was more pleasing was the quality of those submissions, which gave us the confidence to add a 2nd day to the Festival in its inaugural year," Kirby said.
He also pointed to the presence of international entrants in the awards program.
"Being able to attract world class companies to the Qld AI Festival 2026 Awards early on meant we knew we were on the right track," Kirby said.
Cleo was one of the local winners in the technical section. The startup uses AI to create marketing strategies and content, then run and track campaigns.
Kirby highlighted the commercial focus of its product.
"Cleo is incredible technically, but what makes it stand out is the real world need for the platform, which startups often forget," he said.
Creative awards
The creative categories covered animation, art, advertising, music, film and social media work made with AI tools. Winners included a mix of Australian and international teams and individuals.
Best in AI Animation went to Christina the Astonishing, directed by Alex Lang. Best in AI Art was awarded to The Tale of the Peony, directed by Yuqing Liu and Jintao Sun.
The Breath of the Valley, commissioned by ByteDance and CapCut and directed by Aaron Liberman, won Best in AI Commercial / AI Campaign. Best in AI Music/Music Video went to My name is Xia, directed by Daqian Wu.
In film, Ceremony, directed by Mark Wachholz, won Best in AI Short Film. Best AI Social Media Content was awarded to EMILYS, directed by Jerome Alizard.
Kirby said attitudes toward AI tools in the creative sector were shifting as more professionals incorporated them into their workflows.
"When the creative AI tools started appearing, there was noticeable backlash, but we're seeing the industry starting to really embrace it - you can either do an all-nighter to meet a deadline to deliver something which the client may reject anyway, or you can let AI assist to make sure you go home at a reasonable hour," he said.
Special prizes
Alongside the category winners, the festival handed out three special awards across the broader field of entries. Rising Star went to Marion Michele for the AI animation Excuse Me.
The Best in Australia trophy was awarded to Erase, directed by Ash "forevercoast" Phillips. The award recognised work judged to have strong impact within the domestic AI sector.
Best in the World went to Vercel for v0, adding a third trophy to the company's night. Organisers said the submission stood out across the full awards field.
The results underline the range of AI work now being recognised by festivals, from software tools for business and consumer use to creative projects in film, music and visual art. They also show how Australian organisers are attracting entries from local companies and overseas groups as interest in AI competitions grows.
Vercel's success came through a single product line. The company's founder and Chief Executive Officer is Guillermo Rauch.
For Cleo, the award placed a Queensland company alongside larger international names in the technical categories. Its win was also one of the local results in a program that included several overseas creative recipients.
This year's winners reflected a broad AI ecosystem spanning startups, larger businesses and creative practitioners. That spread was visible in the final list, where application-building software sat alongside short films, artwork and commercial commissions.
"Congratulations to all the winners and finalists. We will see you all again at Qld AI Festival 2027, but you'll see us again sooner than that with Australian AI Festival 2026 and another AI multiday event being announced shortly. The Australian AI industry is growing in leaps and bounds, which we love being part of, so we want the celebrations to continue," Kirby said.