Will DMAP Southeast Asia Expansion Redefine Digital Creative Benchmarks?

The Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines expands its flagship Boomerang Awards across Southeast Asia under the theme InterPlay

Significant for the development of digital marketing in the Philippines, the DMAP Southeast Asia expansion moves the Boomerang Awards from a local to a regional event. With assistance from the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines, the 2026 awards invite agencies, brands, and digital innovators from surrounding countries to participate with the theme “InterPlay: Digital Innovation Playground for Southeast Asia”.

The people in charge of the event want to make it easier for people to participate. So they have made some changes to the judging process.

Extended Eligibility: The time range for their campaigns has been expanded to ensure more entries could be added, making campaign events from May 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026 eligible to join.

Online Submission: The submissions will have the entry for all the digital campaign submissions at the One Club for Creativity portal.

Evergreen Brand Identity: A permanent Boomerang symbol is added to show long-term goals for the region.

Explaining the vision driving this movement, Kit Ramos Disini, DMAP Boomerang Awards Co-Chair and Vice President for Internal Affairs, highlighted the deliberate nature of the shift.

“Under the core theme InterPlay: Digital Innovation Playground for Southeast Asia, Boomerang steps decisively into the regional arena. This is not a soft expansion, but a clear declaration of intent: the platform is no longer defined by local boundaries.” - Kit Ramos Disini.

The judging will use groups of judges from across Southeast Asia. The said groups comprise directors, chief marketing officers, and tech leaders. The judges will decide based on three categories, including Innovation, Creativity, and Measurable business impact; the event will be held on October 16, 2026, at the Sheraton Manila Hotel in the presence of industry leaders.

The growing convergence of technology, media, and consumer behavior across Asian markets is seen in introducing award stages to a regional competition. Setting shared goals helps agencies try ideas and work together across countries. CIO Bulletin views this development as a decisive step in making Southeast Asian digital creativity known around the world.