Creative Economy Agency

The creative economy has become one of the key engines driving the global economy. Thailand’s creative economy is currently valued at THB 1.63 trillion, underscoring that creativity is no longer merely a source of inspiration, but a strategic resource capable of strengthening competitiveness and creating new opportunities for people, businesses, and the nation.
 
The Creative Economy Agency (Public Organization) or CEA, is advancing a new benchmark through the Creative Excellence Awards 2026, now being organized for the fourth consecutive year. The awards honor 15 awards and 16 outstanding creative works that have successfully applied creativity to generate economic value, improve quality of life, and drive the development of cities, businesses, and society, while supporting Thailand’s ambition to become a regional hub for the creative economy.The Creative Excellence Awards 2026 ceremony was presided over by Mr. Napintorn Srisunpang, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, and attended by Mrs. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Board Member of the Creative Economy Agency, CEA executives, and representatives from creative organizations and networks.

Mr. Napintorn Srisunpang, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, stated that the creative economy has become a key engine for Thailand’s next phase of economic growth. The integration of creativity, innovation, and cultural capital into products, services, as well as urban and community development, will create greater added value and strengthen Thailand’s competitiveness on the global stage in a sustainable manner.

Thailand’s 15 creative industries, encompassing design, fashion, food, film, music, digital media, software, games, crafts, art, advertising, architecture, and cultural tourism, currently generate economic value exceeding THB 1.63 trillion, accounting for 8% of the country’s GDP and creating employment for nearly one million people. These figures demonstrate that the creative economy has become one of the key drivers of Thailand’s economy by connecting cultural capital, creativity, and innovation with value creation, enhanced competitiveness, and sustainable national development, Mr. Napintorn said.

Mrs. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Board Member of the Creative Economy Agency, said that the Creative Excellence Awards 2026 are intended not only to recognize award recipients, but also to establish a new benchmark for Thailand’s creative economy by identifying and honoring exemplary initiatives that apply creativity to generate tangible economic, social, and environmental outcomes. The awards also aim to inspire the public sector, businesses, communities, and the next generation of creative talents to expand these ideas and amplify their impact.
 
The Creative Excellence Awards not only celebrate the achievements of award recipients, but also serve as a mechanism for gaining international recognition for Thai creative works. Outstanding projects participating in the program are further supported in their progression toward international awards platforms. In 2026, works by Thai designers and organizations recognized through the Creative Excellence Awards 2025 received three awards at the Paris Design Awards 2026 in France, a prestigious international design competition, as well as one award at the Creative Tourism Awards in Spain. These achievements reflect the continued ability of Thai creatives to compete internationally and consistently meet global standards, Mrs. Kobkarn added.

In addition to the awards ceremony, the event featured an International Keynote Session titled “Design as the Pillar of ‘Made in Italy’ Global Prestige,”delivered by Perla Gianni Falvo, Executive Board Member of the Association for Industrial Design (ADI), Italy, as well as a panel discussion titled “From Thai Roots to Global Recognition.” The sessions provided perspectives and shared experiences on transforming cultural capital, design, and creativity into greater economic value and strengthening Thailand’s international competitiveness.
 
This year, the Creative Excellence Awards 2026 presented awards across three main categories, covering 15 awards and a total of 16 award-winning works: Creative City Awards, Creative Business Awards, and Creative Social Impact Awards. The awards demonstrate that creativity extends far beyond art and design, serving as a powerful force for value creation and development across every dimension — from urban transformation and business competitiveness to positive social and environmental impact.

Creative City Awards 
The Creative City Awards recognize the use of creativity in the development of cities, public spaces, and communities to enhance quality of life and stimulate local economic growth through design, public participation, and place identity. The award recipients are as follows:

• Creative City Festival Award: DEATH FEST. – A Fair Bringing Together Services and Knowledge for Meaningful Living and the Best Possible End-of-Life Experience by Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Peaceful Death,The Cloud, and Choojai & Friends. The project applied experience design to create a learning space and foster constructive conversations about death, helping people of all ages develop greater understanding and preparedness for end-of-life issues.
• Creative City Branding Award: Brand Identity for Nakhon Phanom by Provincial Community Development Office of Nakhon Phanom, designed by TWODOORS STUDIO The project used city branding as a strategic tool to enhance tourism value, create a distinctive identity, and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of a secondary city.
• Creative City Policy Award:City Expo – The Pitching 2025 by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB. The initiative applied creative economy principles to policy development and transformed local festivals from short-term events into long-term platforms for economic development and urban transformation.
• Creative City Regeneration Award: Two projects received joint recognition.                  
  (1) ARTCHANGEBURI by d Kunst Art Space, designed by Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch. The project used contemporary art as a tool for urban regeneration and community economic revitalization in Ratchaburi Province. (2) A Decade of the Bangkok Flower Market Regeneration by Humans of Flower Market by Arch SU, designed by Assoc.Prof.Dr. Supitcha Tovivich and design partners. The long-term placemaking initiative has transformed the Pak Khlong Talat district into a vibrant creative neighborhood and one of Bangkok’s key cultural and tourism destinations.
• Creative City Collaboration Award: Proactive Highland Empowerment by Chiang Mai Highland People Development Center, Department of Social Development and Welfare.
  The project demonstrates the power of integrated collaboration among government agencies, local communities, and partner organizations in systematically improving the quality of life of highland communities.

Creative Business Awards
The Creative Business Awards recognize businesses driven by “creativity” across design, production processes, value creation through products and services, and innovative business models. The awards also honor projects with strong growth potential and international competitiveness, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility. The award recipients are as follows:

• Creative IP Award: EKOBLOK – Sustainable Lightweight Masonry for Urban Architecture by Ekoconcrete Co., Ltd., designed by Thanakorn Prisawong. The project developed an innovative lightweight masonry block that uses rice husk ash from biomass power plants as an alternative raw material, adding value to agricultural waste while advancing the construction materials industry toward greater sustainability.
• Creative Transformation Award: G Collection: Glass-Leg Furniture Series by TAKEHOMEDESIGN, designed by Paphop Wongpanich. The collection combines contemporary design with local materials and traditional craftsmanship to create distinctive products capable of competing in international markets.
• Creative Data Award: Routes to Roots by the Center of Excellence in Social Design, Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, designed by Asst.Prof.Dr. Nattapong Punnoi. The project analyzed mobile phone travel data (Call Detail Record: CDR) to develop new tourism routes, support income distribution to secondary cities, and improve the effectiveness of tourism planning.
• Creative Campaign Award: KANIVA No Pet Beauty Standard by Choojai & Friends and KANIVA Pet Food. The campaign harnessed the power of communication to raise public awareness and shift social attitudes in order to reduce pet abandonment while creating shared value between the brand and society.
• Creative Commerce Award: Spacely AI by Spacely AI Co., Ltd. The Thai-developed Generative AI platform leverages artificial intelligence to enhance architectural and interior design processes, creating new opportunities for Thai businesses to compete in global markets.  

Creative Social Impact Awards
The Creative Social Impact Awards demonstrate that creativity is a powerful force for solving social challenges and improving quality of life. The awards recognize initiatives capable of generating tangible and sustainable positive impact at the community, provincial, or national level. The award recipients are as follows:

• Creative Inclusivity Award: Charoen Krung (Old) School by In Our Hood from Punpromotion Co., Ltd. The project created a learning space that connects younger generations with the wisdom, stories, and entrepreneurial heritage of long-established local businesses in the Charoen Krung - Talat Noi district, generating new value for the community through learning and participation.
• Creative Well-Being Award: Dogs & the CITY by BKK Dog Society. The initiative uses dog walking as a starting point for highlighting issues related to public spaces and pedestrian infrastructure while encouraging the development of a more inclusive and pet-friendly urban environment.
• Creative Equality Award: Baan Im-jai: A Homeless Oasis and Reintegrating Human Capital by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), designed by Bangkok City Lab, School of Architecture and Design, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (AAD-KMITL), The Mirror Foundation, Issarachon Foundation, Housing Development Foundation (HDF), Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ), and “Sookaphawa Roadside”: Medical Respite Care for Homeless People. 
  The project represents a model social innovation space that improves quality of life and restores the potential of homeless people through human-centered spatial and service design that supports dignity and social reintegration.
• Creative Education Award: TORTHAI by Napat Kwanmuang. The educational learning tool communicates knowledge of traditional Thai architecture through modular construction toys, enabling children and young people to learn about cultural heritage through active learning.
• Creative Green Award: Next Use Project by Looklen Architects. The project designed pavilions for ASA ARCHITECT EXPO 2026 based on the concept of “Designing for Dismantling from Day One,” ensuring that every material can be reused, reducing waste generated from exhibition construction, and promoting the principles of the circular economy.

The Creative Excellence Awards 2026, now in its fourth consecutive year, was organized to honor individuals, organizations, and creative works that have successfully transformed “creativity” into economic, social, and environmental value. The awards aim to elevate Thailand’s standards of creative excellence and establish role models that inspire further innovation and collaboration across all sectors. The event also reflects a new direction for Thailand’s creative economy, in which creativity extends beyond the development of products and services to become a driving force for urban development, enhanced business competitiveness, and positive social impact through the integration of creativity with public policy, technology, and the nation’s cultural capital.
 
All award-winning works will receive continued support through a range of initiatives, including exhibitions, collaborative networking opportunities, business matching, and connections to international creative platforms in order to expand economic opportunities and strengthen international visibility.
 
CEA aims for the Creative Excellence Awards to become more than an awards platform. The initiative is designed to serve as a key mechanism for building a “creative economy ecosystem” that connects creative professionals, businesses, government agencies, and society to foster sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness.
 
For more information, please visit 
Website: www.cea.or.th 
Facebook: Creative Economy Agency

Posted in news-en on ส.ค. 18, 2026