Pacific Fair Shopping Centre has taken out the prestigious Sabina Rust Memorial Prize for Campaign of the Year at the 2026 Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) Marketing Awards, with its innovative OFFLINE campaign recognised as the industry’s standout marketing initiative.
The winners were announced at the SCCA Marketing Awards Gala Dinner, held on Thursday 22 October at the ivy Ballroom in Sydney, celebrating the creativity, innovation and strategic thinking driving shopping centre marketing across Australia and New Zealand.
This year’s awards attracted a record number of nominations, with more than 280 submissions and 82 finalist campaigns competing across five disciplines: Compelling Experiences, Retailer Marketing, Brand & Partnerships, Innovation and Community.
Managed by The GPT Group and owned by ACRT, (Cbus Property and UniSuper), Pacific Fair’s winning OFFLINE campaign transformed an underutilised former storage space into a sought-after retail destination for digital-first brands.
Designed to reconnect with younger consumers increasingly engaging with brands online, the initiative created a physical platform for emerging and globally relevant social media brands to connect directly with customers. The campaign demonstrated how innovative marketing and leasing strategies can unlock value from underutilised retail space while attracting new audiences.
Chadstone Shopping Centre, owned by Vicinity Centres and Gandel Group, was named runner-up for its Light to Night campaign.
The cultural festival was developed to reinforce Chadstone’s evolution beyond a traditional retail destination, bringing together entertainment, art and immersive experiences to strengthen its positioning as a major cultural and lifestyle destination.
SCCA Chair Elliott Rusanow congratulated this year’s nominees, finalists and winners, acknowledging the important role marketing continues to play in connecting shopping centres with customers, retailers and communities.
In his message published in the official winners booklet, Rusanow said the record number of nominations was a testament to the talent, passion and ingenuity across the industry.
He also paid tribute to the legacy of former Shopping Centre News Managing Editor Sabina Rust, whose contribution to the industry is honoured through the annual Campaign of the Year award.
Rusanow said Pacific Fair’s OFFLINE campaign demonstrated bold thinking and strategic innovation, reflecting the creativity, courage and willingness to challenge convention that Sabina championed throughout her career.
The GPT Group enjoyed a successful evening, receiving six awards across 14 finalist campaigns, further highlighting the breadth of marketing initiatives being delivered across its retail portfolio.
Beyond the overall Campaign of the Year award, the program recognised outstanding campaigns across five disciplines and centre classifications, showcasing initiatives ranging from community engagement and strategic partnerships to immersive customer experiences, retailer collaboration and marketing innovation.
Among the category winners were Westfield St Lukes Magic Makers campaign, Townsville Shopping Centre’s Trevor the Travelator, QV Melbourne’s QV Food Hall – Casual Dining Day to Night, and QIC Real Estate’s portfolio-wide Come For, Stay For campaign.
The annual awards continue to provide an important platform for recognising the teams and campaigns contributing to the performance, relevance and evolution of shopping centres.
Shopping Centre News was proud to support the 2026 SCCA Marketing Awards as Official Media Partner, with SCN’s Managing Editor also represented on the external judging panel.
Congratulations to all the 2026 winners, runners-up and finalists.
- View the full 2026 SCCA Marketing Awards Winners Booklet here
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