Innovator of the Year  (1)

Awarded to Australia's most outstanding innovator, this category recognises the most forward-thinking, innovative, and disruptive product, service, or business enhancement of the year. This award is particularly focused on celebrating innovation driven from within established, scaling, and enterprise organisations - recognising that transformative innovation happens at every level and every size of business, not just at inception.

Eligibility Criteria

The person eligible for this award must:

  • The person eligible for this award must:

  • Identify as She/Her, She/They, or They/Them

  • Reside in Australia

  • Be driving innovation within an established organisation with an Australian ABN - this includes scaling businesses, large organisations, and enterprise companies
  • The organisation they own or work for must have been trading for a minimum of two years
  • Either the nominee for this award or the organisation they work for must be the legal or authorised owner of the innovation, or have the permission of the owner to enter this award
  • The organisation must be commercially successful - as measured by revenue and/or profitability
Assessment Criteria

 What we are looking for in the entry:

  • Clear and concise communication of the innovation and the organisational context in which it was delivered

  • A level of disruption and wow factor — particularly the ability to drive meaningful change from within a large or complex organisation

  • Innovation in the use of digital technology

  • Future potential and scalability — ideally the innovation has the potential for multiple applications or organisation-wide adoption

  • Resilience and adaptability in navigating the complexities of innovating within an established organisation

  • Measurable impact at scale — we want to hear about outcomes that have moved the needle for the business, its customers, or its industry

  • Commitment to continuous professional development and an appetite for learning

  • Active involvement in the digital community

Tip: When responding to questions, please provide as many numerical measures as possible - quantifying your success will help contextualise your submission for the industry judges.

 

Nomination Questions
  1.  Full Name (first and last name)

  2. Role Title

  3. Organisation

  4. LinkedIn URL

  5. Bio (150 words)

  6. Share the organisation's elevator pitch (50 words)
  7. Describe the innovative product, service, or business enhancement you have championed. What was the organisational challenge or opportunity, and what impact has it had at scale? (250 words)
    Tell us the story of this innovation — how, why, and when did it begin, and how did you navigate driving it from within your organisation? What made it possible to deliver meaningful innovation in your context? (300 words)
    How were digital technologies used and applied in this innovation? (200 words)
    What strategies and approaches were implemented in developing and scaling the innovation internally? How did you bring stakeholders, leadership, or teams along on the journey? (200 words)
    What challenges did you face in driving adoption of this innovation within your organisation or industry, and how did you overcome them? (250 words)
    How do you foster a culture of innovation within your organisation to ensure ongoing development, adoption, and scale? (200 words)
    Please provide a link or testimonial that highlights your contributions to the tech industry or gender equity.
Nomination Fee 
 To continue growing and elevating the Women in Digital Awards, this year we have introduced a fee of $199 per award nomination. If you are a Women in Digital Member, you receive one free nomination as part of your membership benefits! To access this benefit, entrants must be a confirmed Women in Digital member at the time of submission. You can find your exclusive discount code in the Member Portal. Not a member? Join today!

Previous Winner
Hayley Saddington

 Hayley Saddington 

Founder/CEO
Peak Medical

Key Dates

Nominations Open
27 May 2026 at 09:00 AM
Nominations Close
19 Jul 2026 at 11:30 PM
Finalist Judging Day
13 Aug 2026 at 09:00 AM
Finalists Announced
2 Sep 2026 at 09:00 AM
Winners Announced
6 Nov 2026 at 05:30 PM
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