The supernatural folk horror film Bring Her Back emerged as the top winner at the 2026 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, securing ten awards including best film. Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi and Sarah Snook received individual honors, while The Narrow Road to the Deep North miniseries followed with nine wins. The ceremony celebrated achievements in film, television and other screen categories on February 6.
The 2026 AACTA Awards, presented by the Foxtel Group, took place on February 6 and were broadcast at 7:30 p.m. AEDT, with an extended version available on Binge and Foxtel the following day. This event forms part of the AACTA Festival, running from February 4 to 8, which highlights film, television and pop culture.
Bring Her Back led the pack with victories in ten of its sixteen nominations. Directed by an unspecified filmmaker, the film won for best film, best direction, best lead actress for Sally Hawkins, best cinematography, best costume design, best editing, best original score, best sound, best casting and best hair and makeup. It outperformed other entries in the film category, where Richard Roxburgh took best lead actor for The Correspondent, and Julian McMahon won best supporting actor for The Surfer.
In television, the miniseries The Narrow Road to the Deep North earned nine awards, including best lead actor for Jacob Elordi, best direction in drama or comedy, best cinematography, best costume design, best editing, best original score, best production design and best sound. The drama series The Newsreader secured four wins, such as best drama series and best screenplay. Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar was named best miniseries and won for best casting in television.
Individual accolades included the AACTA Trailblazer Award for Sarah Snook for her contributions to the screen industry. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were voted favorite Australian actress and actor in the audience choice awards, respectively, while Robert Irwin won favorite media personality. The podcast Shameless received the inaugural best podcast award, and Stranger Things season 5 was chosen as favorite TV show, with Wicked: For Good as favorite film.
Other notable wins spanned documentaries like Journey Home, David Gulpilil for best documentary, and short films such as I'm The Most Racist Person I Know for best short film. The awards recognized broader talents, including the Longford Lyell Award for Bruce Beresford and the Byron Kennedy Award for Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings.
