Casterton's Kelpie Muster named Australian Event of the Year

COFFS HARBOUR, Australia, 22 October 2026 - The Casterton Kelpie Association has won Australian Event of the Year at the 2026 Australian Event Awards for the 30th Australian Kelpie Muster and Australia's Premier Working Dog Auction. The awards, in their 18th year, were presented on Wednesday 21 October at Pacific Bay Resort, Coffs Harbour, according to the organiser.

The muster also won Best Association Event and Best Community Event, giving the Casterton Kelpie Association three awards on the night, according to the published results.

MCI Australia was named Event Agency of the Year and PCO of the Year, and won Best Congress or Conference of 500 Delegates or Over for the 76th International Astronautical Congress. Aggreko was named Event Supplier of the Year and Hire Company of the Year. Michael Hassett received the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among public events, Vivid Sydney 2026 (Destination NSW) won Best Tourism Event, the Santos Tour Down Under 2025 (South Australian Tourism Commission) won Best Sporting Event, and Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2026, The Phantom of the Opera (Opera Australia), won Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event. The City of Perth won Best New Event for the Perth Multicultural Festival, and Warbirds Over Scone 2026 won the City of Coffs Harbour Best Regional Event.

In the corporate and trade categories, AWS Summit Sydney 2026, entered by Imagination, won Best Exhibition, Trade or Consumer Show, and the Google Cloud Summit 2026, entered by Sense Group, won Best Corporate Event. Imagination was also named Corporate Event Agency of the Year.

Among suppliers and teams, AV1 was named Production Company of the Year, Laissez-Faire Catering Caterer of the Year, Chopt Studio Exhibition Services or Event Build Company of the Year, and Experience Melbourne at the City of Melbourne In-House Event Team of the Year. David Atkins Enterprises won Best Technical Achievement or Innovation and Best Export for the Al Ain Museum reopening ceremony.

The full list of 2026 national winners is published at eventawards.com.au/results.