Clearwater Wins at the 2026 Global Search Awards
Clearwater Agency wins Best Use of Search – Finance (SEO) at the 2026 Global Search Awards
We're proud to share that Clearwater Agency has won Best Use of Search – Finance (SEO) at the 2026 Global Search Awards for our work with Melbourne private wealth firm Hewison. The winners were announced on 23 September 2026 at The Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin, Ireland.
We went into the night with six finalist spots across four categories, for three clients. The Hewison campaign, "From Search to Bank", took home the trophy, a big moment for the whole team. Zach Mackay flew the Clearwater flag in Dublin and accepted the award on behalf of the team.
The winning campaign
Hewison has looked after the wealth of Australian families, business owners and charities since 1985. Private wealth is a niche, high-trust category where every new client relationship counts.
It means a lot to have the judges recognise the commercial focus behind "From Search to Bank":
"A strong, revenue-first campaign delivering impressive results in a challenging niche market. The phased, strategic approach demonstrated a clear understanding of commercial constraints and achieved outstanding outcomes within a limited timeframe."
Revenue-first is how we approach SEO. We measure success by what search adds to the business, not by rankings alone.
Our 2026 finalists
Making a global shortlist six times is something we're proud of in its own right. Our 2026 finalists:
· Best Use of Search – Finance (SEO): Hewison, "From Search to Bank" (winner)
· Best Use of Search – Finance (SEO): Leasexpress, "From the pits, to pole position"
· Best Use of Search – Finance (PPC): Leasexpress, "From Brochure to Business Generator"
· Best Integrated Campaign: Leasexpress, "Four Channels. Xpress Leads. Built From Nothing."
· Best Integrated Campaign: Urban Smile, "Three Clinics Outperforming Five"
· Best Use of Search – Health: Urban Smile, "Smiling all the way to the bank"
A big thank you to Hewison, Leasexpress and Urban Smile for trusting us with the work behind these entries, and congratulations to the Hewison team on a win that's as much theirs as ours.
Our recent awards
It's the latest in a strong run for the team. This win follows Best Use of Search – Third Sector / Not-for-Profit at the 2026 APAC Search Awards earlier this year, and our two wins at the 2025 Global Search Awards. Our first Global Search Awards trophy came in 2023, when our Wilson Parking campaign was named Best Local SEO Campaign. You can see the full list on our awards page.
See the moment on our LinkedIn post from the night.
About Clearwater Agency
Clearwater is a Melbourne-based, performance-led digital marketing agency, founded in 2012. We help ambitious brands grow through SEO, AI search optimisation, paid search, paid social and digital strategy, with every channel tied to commercial results.
Want search that adds to your revenue? Talk to our team.
