- The Cook Government continues its sponsorship of the WA Innovation, Technology and Talent Alliance (WAITTA)'s INCITE Awards, with the initiative now in its 35th year
- Nominations for the INCITE Awards are now open and close on 7 April 2026
- INCITE provides a pathway for recipients to the Australian iAwards along with other international awards
This year's 35th annual INCITE Awards have been bolstered with the Cook Government providing $25,000 in sponsorship.
The INCITE Awards celebrate excellence in WA digital technology innovation and align with the WA Government's priorities of accelerating digital transformation and growing the State's digital sector and capabilities to support economic development and diversification.
Categories featured in the 2026 INCITE Awards include:
- WA Tech Achiever: a person who has made an exceptional and sustained contribution to WA's technology and digital ecosystem;
- Industrial Technology: engineering-led and applied technology solutions for real-world industrial environments, delivering improvements such as productivity and safety across sectors such as manufacturing, health and agriculture;
- Artificial Intelligence: AI-first solutions that deliver new or improved capability; and
- People & Planet: technology-led solutions that deliver positive outcomes for people, communities and the planet through digital innovation.
The awards strongly align with the goals of the WA Government's Digital Industries Acceleration Strategy and serve as WA's pathway to the iAwards, a national competition which aims to put winners on the world stage.
The sponsorship funds will be provided via the $40 million New Industries and Innovation Fund (NIIF).
This year's winners and merit recipients will be announced at the INCITE Awards gala ceremony on 17 July. For more information see: The INCITE Awards | Celebrating Western Australian technology excellence
As stated by Science and Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson:
"It is a privilege to provide sponsorship on behalf of the WA Government to support this year's INCITE Awards, and to celebrate WAITTA's work as a long running local organisation and technology awards program.
"Past winners and merit recipients from the awards have been able to secure further profile and global opportunities through the INCITE program.
"Innovation drives progress and opens up new job opportunities for Western Australians, supporting the Cook Government's commitment to ensuring our workforce is prepared for jobs now and into the future.
"WA is at the forefront of innovation and, through initiatives such as INCITE Awards, we are able to reflect on the achievements of our local technology ecosystem."
