VMO reveals 2026 Ultimate Media Champions

VMO has named the 2026 Ultimate Media Champions after a six-week training program and state-based finals in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on October 14th. 

The six media agency professionals will take home prizes worth more than $60,000 in total.

Now in its third year, the Ultimate Media Champion (UMC) competition aims to bring agency professionals together around health and wellness. VMO again partnered with Fitness Lifestyle Group (FLG), owner of Fitness First and Goodlife Health Clubs, to run it across select clubs. Those clubs are also locations of VMO Active, VMO’s health and wellness media network.

Over six weeks, 250 media agency professionals across the three cities took part in a program covering physical and mental wellbeing. Fitness First and Goodlife Health Clubs personal trainers led team sessions.

Participants also had access to online modules on mental fitness, run by Gotcha4Life; sleep health, delivered with MOOD and sleep expert Lisa Maltman from The Sleep Connection; breathwork; and nutrition.

One male and one female competitor from each city were crowned champions at the finals. 

Each of the six winners receives 320,000 WORLD360 Rewards points, a 12-month Platinum gym membership to Fitness First or Goodlife Health Clubs valued at $1,938, and the 2026 Ultimate Media Champion title and belt, valued at $1,100.

Second place in each category receives a $2,000 G Adventures voucher. Third place receives a $300 Muscle Nation voucher and a Theragun Relief Massage Gun.

Paul Butler, Managing Director of VMO, said: "Three years in, the Ultimate Media Champion continues to show what's possible when our industry puts health and well-being first.

"Week after week, we watched participants push themselves, encourage each other and build real connections across agencies. Through VMO Active, we're proud to keep championing initiatives that make a genuine difference to people's physical and mental well-being.

"Thank you to every participant for your energy and commitment, and congratulations to our 2026 Ultimate Media Champions."

2026 Ultimate Media Champions:

NSW Winners

• Steph Simmons – UMWW
• Simon Martin - Dentsu

Second place

• Sydney Cramb – OpenMind
• Jeremiah Mullard – Nunn Media

Third place

• Natalie Armstrong – EssenceMediacom
• Thomas Grainger – Wavemaker
   

VIC Winners

• Georgie Lanyon – OMD
• Max Timmermans – OMD

Second place

• Hannah James – Starcom
• Delwin Lim – Initiative

Third place

• Michaela Tan – WPP Media
• Charles Ly – Zenith Media

QLD Winners

• Sophie Vennells – Omnicom Group
• Campbell Macwhirter – OMD

Second place

• Haylee Russell - OMD
• Padraig Stone – Omnicom

Third place

• Kate Klibbe - OMD
• Jai Kuruvita – Dentsu

Andy Chamoun, Executive General Manager of Fitness Lifestyle Group Australia, said: "Watching 250 people from across the media industry train side by side for six weeks has been a highlight of our year.

"Our personal trainers love being part of UMC, and the VMO Active network has once again shown how a shared goal can bring a whole industry together. Congratulations to this year's champions and to every participant who gave it their all."

Supporting partners were Fitness First and Goodlife Health Clubs, WORLD360 Rewards (part of Flight Centre Travel Group), G Adventures, Muscle Nation, UnLtd, Gotcha4Life, MOOD, The Sleep Connection, Quest Nutrition, Hydralyte, 2XU, NIVEA and Elastoplast.