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Vercel’s AI-powered development platform v0 collected three trophies at the Qld AI Festival 2026 Awards in Brisbane, including the overall prize for the event’s top submission across all categories.
The awards ceremony, held at the Capri by Fraser, was the closing event of the two-day Qld AI Festival 2026, which ran across multiple venues in Brisbane from 28 to 29 May. The festival featured both technical and creative AI categories, drawing entries from Australian and international organisations and individuals.
v0, which allows users to design, iterate and scale full-stack applications using AI, won Best Consumer AI Tool, Best Enterprise AI Tool and the grand prize of Best in the World. Vercel was founded by Chief Executive Guillermo Rauch.
Queensland-based AI startup Cleo, founded by Leon Hayes and Eugene D’Hage-Craig, took home the AI Startup of the Year award. The platform uses AI to build marketing strategies and content, then runs and tracks the resulting campaigns.
Festival exceeds early targets
Qld AI Festival Director, Matt Kirby, indicated the volume and calibre of submissions had outpaced initial projections for the inaugural event.
“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 second day to the Festival in its inaugural year,” Kirby explained.
The festival’s ability to draw international entrants alongside local participants was a key marker for organisers.
“Being able to attract companies like Vercel to the Qld AI Festival 2026 Awards early on meant we knew we were on the right track,” he added.
On Cleo’s win, Kirby observed that the startup stood out for its practical application as much as its technical capability.
“Cleo is strong technically but what makes it stand out is the real world need for the platform which startups often forget,” he noted.
Creative AI awards
The creative side of the awards programme recognised work at the intersection of AI and storytelling, spanning animation, art, film, music and advertising.
Best in AI Animation was awarded to Christina the Astonishing, directed by Alex Lang.
Best in AI Art went to The Tale of the Peony, directed by Yuqing Liu and Jintao Sun.
Best in AI Commercial/AI Campaign was awarded to The Breath of the Valley, commissioned by ByteDance/CapCut and directed by Aaron Liberman.
Best in AI Music/Music Video went to My Name is Xia, directed by Daqian Wu.
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Best in AI Short Film was awarded to Ceremony, directed by Mark Wachholz.
Best AI Social Media Content went to EMILYS, directed by Jerome Alizard.
Kirby pointed to the creative categories as evidence of a shift in how the industry views AI tools.
“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 remarked.
Special awards
Three special awards recognised individual and organisational achievement across all categories.
The Rising Star award was presented to Marion Michele for the AI animation Excuse Me, recognising emerging talent in AI-driven creative work.
The Best in Australia trophy went to Erase, directed by Ash “forevercoast” Phillips, for its impact within the Australian AI landscape.
Best in the World, the overall grand prize, was awarded to Vercel for v0 and its capacity to use AI to build full-stack applications that would otherwise take significantly longer through conventional development methods.
More events flagged for 2026
Kirby signalled that the festival’s organisers are planning further events before the next Queensland edition.
“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,” he commented.
“The Australian AI industry is growing which we love being part of, so we want the celebrations to continue.”
The Qld AI Festival covers innovation, collaboration and the advancement of artificial intelligence across industries and creative disciplines.
Last Updated on June 1, 2026 by Nick Ross
