Asia TOPA honoured at Melbourne Awards for redefining the city’s cultural landscape

Asia TOPA has been recognised as one of Melbourne’s most important cultural forces, taking home the 2025 Melbourne Award for Arts & Events at a gala ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall on November 15.

The win cements the festival’s role not only as a major arts event, but also as a powerful connector of communities across the Asia-Pacific region.

Creative director Jeff Khan accepted the award alongside creative producer Nisha Madhan and senior Arts Centre Melbourne leaders Melanie Smith and Alisia Romanin. Khan said the acknowledgment came at a time when the role of arts in fostering unity had never felt more urgent.

In an increasingly turbulent world, art brings people together and inspires us to think differently about our future,” he said. “Asia TOPA and Arts Centre Melbourne are honoured to be recognised for our contribution alongside such esteemed peers and colleagues, and this award inspires us to grow our contribution to the life of this beautiful city even further.

After a five-year hiatus, the 2025 edition of Asia TOPA – Melbourne’s Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts – returned in spectacular form. Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne, the festival took over 20 venues across the city, from major theatres to university campuses, nightclubs, galleries and outdoor public spaces. More than 410 artists and collectives from 17 countries participated, reinforcing Melbourne’s place as a nexus for creativity, experimentation and cultural exchange.

Across its season, Asia TOPA drew a staggering 750,000 attendees, with audiences embracing a program that spanned contemporary dance, experimental performance, queer futurism, multimedia installations, live art and cutting-edge collaborations between Australian and Asia-Pacific artists. The festival’s capacity to bring people together across generations, languages and cultural backgrounds was a defining feature of its success.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said Asia TOPA’s win underscored the values the Melbourne Awards were created to celebrate.

“The Melbourne Awards are about recognising the incredible Melburnians who push the envelope and go above and beyond to make our city the best and fairest it can be,” he said.

Chair of tourism and events Cr Mark Scott praised the festival’s impact on the city’s cultural identity and global profile.

“This year’s finalists represent the spirit of Melbourne – inclusive, creative, innovative and deeply community-minded,” he said. “From sustainability champions to arts leaders, every finalist is making our city stronger, more connected – and doing us all proud.”

Founded as a joint initiative between the Sidney Myer Fund and Arts Centre Melbourne, Asia TOPA was conceived to celebrate the depth and diversity of the Asia-Pacific region and Australia’s place within it. The festival quickly established itself as a key event in the national arts calendar, with its 2017 and 2020 editions presenting nearly 2,000 artists and more than 600 individual events. •

With planning already under way for its 2026–28 cycle and the return of its Asia TOPA Radar showcase series kicking off this week, the award arrives at a pivotal moment as the festival prepares to expand its footprint and deepen its partnerships across the region.