This award recognises a startup using innovation and strong business fundamentals to create measurable environmental or sustainability impact. Open to businesses in any sector, it celebrates models addressing challenges such as climate, waste, energy, resources, or broader sustainability outcomes through long-term thinking and scalable solutions. 

Judges will look for clear evidence of impact, innovation and commercial viability. Nominations should demonstrate measurable improvements, a sustainable growth strategy, and how the startup is contributing to a healthier planet and a more sustainable future.

This award recognises an early-stage startup, less than two years old, with a bold vision and strong potential to make a meaningful impact in its sector. Open to businesses at any stage, including pre-revenue or pre-funding, this award celebrates innovation, originality, and clear problem-solving. 

Judges will look for a compelling idea, market opportunity, and the strength of the founders’ vision and execution. Nominations should demonstrate how the startup could create positive change and the progress already made towards that goal.

This award recognises an outstanding CTO or technology leader whose vision, expertise, and execution have been critical to a startup’s success. 

Judges will look for evidence of technical excellence, strategic leadership, product or platform innovation, and measurable impact on growth, performance, or customer outcomes. Nominations should demonstrate innovation with the potential to shape industries or improve the way people live and work.

This award recognises an outstanding first-time founder demonstrating early promise and meaningful impact. It celebrates an entrepreneur who’s identified a clear market opportunity and is building innovative solutions with ambition, resilience, and strong execution. 

Judges will look for evidence of bold thinking, customer traction, product development, and the ability to turn ideas into action. Nominations should demonstrate the founder’s vision, leadership, and commitment to solving important problems, alongside the growth potential and the likelihood of creating lasting positive change.

This award recognises a startup or scaleup using artificial intelligence to deliver meaningful transformation across workflows, business operations, data analysis, customer experience, or the way people interact with technology. 

This award celebrates practical and impactful AI applications that solve real-world problems, improve efficiency, unlock new capabilities, or create entirely new ways of working. Judges will look for clear evidence of innovation, measurable outcomes, and broad potential impact across industries or communities. Nominations should demonstrate how AI is delivering tangible benefits, driving growth, or reshaping markets.

This award is for the scrappy marketing teams who've delivered genuine impact with a startup-sized budget and a dream, whether that's a campaign, social account, email nurture flow, or other marketing initiatives. 

Entries should detail before and afters with clear deliverables, which could include conversion rates, pipeline, MQLs, press coverage, or other tangible marketing metrics.

This award celebrates the often-unsung people whose work helps startups scale and succeed. The winner will demonstrate individual achievement, as well as embodying values such as adaptability, collaboration, ambition, and a willingness to go beyond the scope of their role to help the company thrive.

It’s open to employees at any level (excluding founders and co-founders) who’ve demonstrated exceptional performance, leadership, innovation, or impact in their role to deliver growth, resilience, or competitive advantage.

This award recognises the programs, organisations, and coworking communities that play a critical role in helping startups launch, grow, and succeed. It’s open to accelerators, incubators, startup hubs, and coworking spaces in ANZ.

Nominations should demonstrate how the organisation has created an environment where startups can develop faster, connect more effectively, and improve their chances of long-term success.

Entries will be assessed on the quality, innovation, and impact of programs, services, and founder support, including the strength of mentoring networks, educational programming, investor access, community engagement, and any unique or innovative approaches to supporting founders, such as tailored programs, new delivery models, industry partnerships, or specialised resources.

This award recognises an emerging leader in the ANZ ecosystem showing exceptional potential to become an influential voice, advocate, and changemaker. It’s open to founders, operators, and ecosystem contributors early in their startup careers. 

Judges will look for evidence of impact beyond their immediate role, including mentoring, community-building, thought leadership, advocacy, or ecosystem engagement. Nominations should demonstrate vision, influence, and a clear commitment to helping shape the future of the sector.

Get Shit Done is an industry impact award for an organisation and/or individual, honouring their contribution to the overall success of the tech ecosystem and track record in transforming things for the benefit of many.

It may be an industry or group, an accelerator, a startup, or founder/s, investor/s, or others who have assisted in making the sector thrive in any number of ways, from lobbying to policy setting, support, investment, philanthropy, culture setting, and most importantly, just getting shit done (GSD).

For this particular award, the judges will be able to nominate people and/or organisations they believe are worthy of recognition.

This award recognises an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to strengthening and advancing the Australian startup ecosystem. 

Open to founders, investors, and industry leaders, this award celebrates those whose impact extends beyond their own commercial interests to support the broader community. 

Judges will look for evidence of leadership, advocacy, mentorship, ecosystem-building, and a demonstrated commitment to helping others succeed. Nominations should highlight meaningful contributions that have improved opportunities, access, or outcomes for startups, driven by generosity and a genuine commitment to the sector’s growth.