As I reflect on 2025, I'm filled with pride at what we've achieved together, and profound optimism about where we're headed. |
Premila JinaPresident |
This has been a watershed year for WAITTA: we've evolved our identity, celebrated record participation across our programs, and deepened our commitment to ensuring technology serves humanity, not the other way around.
In April 2025, we formally became the Western Australian Innovation, Technology & Talent Alliance - a name that honours our 35-year legacy while capturing our expanded mission.
We're no longer just about information technology; we're about cultivating the full innovation ecosystem, from primary school coding clubs to global-scale enterprises, from quantum computing to compassionate community care.
The theme that united us this year was simple but powerful: Impact That Matters. Every award we presented, every student we inspired, every dollar we raised for Perth Children's Hospital Foundation reminded us why we do this work.
Technology is never the end goal, it's the enabler. The true measure of our success is the lives we improve, the opportunities we create, and the future we build together.
330+
Attendees celebrated technology innovation excellence
640+
Young Western Australians showcasing 100+ innovative projects
$850,000
Raised for Perth Children's Hospital Foundation over 17 years
On July 18, 2025 at The Westin Perth, over 330 attendees gathered for the 34th INCITE Awards including Acting Premier Hon. Stephen Dawson MLC. Our community bore witness as 13 outstanding innovations were selected to represent Western Australia at the national iAwards.
Across 35 years, we've received 1,750+ nominations - each one representing someone brave enough to believe their idea could change the world.
In our honorary awards, we celebrated those driving our society toward an equitable future and technology companies playing at the global level in new domains including artificial intelligence.
Tina Ambrose and Kay Hargreaves: For transforming Women in Technology WA into a powerhouse for STEM equity.
Norwood Systems: 14 years of world-class innovation developed entirely by Western Australian engineers.
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The 10th Game Changer Awards finals brought more than 640 students from 40 Western Australian schools to Edith Cowan University Joondalup on November 3, 2025.
Students showcased 100+ projects in front of more than 850 attendees, including 90 industry judges. These young people showcased solutions such as AI mental health support gadgets, $7-cost price tsunami detectors, space debris collectors, and agricultural bee drones for monitoring crops.
Since 2016, we've directly impacted 10,000+ young Western Australians - the inventors, entrepreneurs, and ethical technologists of tomorrow. This year, we took our impact to the next level with our partners.
We launched Game Changer Academy in partnership with Bloom, the centre for youth innovation. This professional development opportunity supports educators to deliver design thinking and innovation skills back into the classroom.
We also sent six Game Changer Award teams to West Tech Fest's Young Entrepreneurs Showcase, and one of our all-girls teams attended the annual Women in Technology WA Tech [+] Conference.
640+
Students
From 40 WA schools
100+
Projects
To global challenges
850+
Attendees
At the finals
10,000+
Impacted
Since 2016
Technology is accelerating at breakneck speed. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, automation - the pace of change creates both exhilaration and anxiety. As we sprint toward tomorrow, we face a critical question: Are we bringing everyone along?
WAITTA's mandate is clear: bridge the digital divide. Innovation must be human-centred, ethical, and inclusive. We must ensure that every Western Australian - regardless of location, background, or circumstance - can participate in and benefit from technological advancement.
Our programs support Western Australians at transformative times in their lives. From fundraising to support pediatric technology research to early childhood STEM education and engagement, to recognising achievement across all phases of the professional experience. This is how WAITTA is making an impact.
supporting pediatric technology research
Design thinking and innovation skills
nurturing STEM careers
celebrating innovation excellence
Skilled & ethically grounded innovators
None of our achievements would be possible without strategic partners who share our vision.
Kinetic IT has been our platinum sponsor since 2021, demonstrating sustained commitment to WA's innovation future.
Educational institutions like Edith Cowan University provide platforms for young talent. Government
agencies advance digital transformation. Industry sponsors enable program delivery. Volunteers, judges, and
ambassadors contribute countless hours of expertise and passion.
As a non-partisan alliance, WAITTA convenes the ICT and digital ecosystem - industry, academia, government, and community -
facilitating collaboration, knowledge transfer, and collective problem-solving.
Our strength lies not in what any single organisation can do, but in what we achieve together.
To our sponsors and partners: Thank you for believing that investing in innovation is investing in Western Australia's future.
To our volunteers, judges, and ambassadors: You are the heart and hands of WAITTA. Your expertise, time, and passion make everything we do possible.
To our finalists, students, and innovators: Thank you for the courage to challenge convention, to fail forward, to dream audaciously.
To our Board Directors: Your governance, strategic wisdom, and unwavering commitment guide us through complexity toward clarity.
To founder Jim Ellis OAM and Patron Professor Lyn Beazley OA: Your visionary leadership created the foundation on which we stand.
And to the entire WAITTA community: You are the reason Western Australia doesn't just compete - we lead with purpose and with heart.
2025 taught us that transformation isn't about abandoning who we are. It's about becoming more fully ourselves.
Our name change clarified our mission. The INCITE Awards celebrated innovation. The Game Changer Awards inspired the next generation. putt4dough showcased our compassion.
As we celebrate our 35th anniversary, one thing remains unchanged: WAITTA is a community for changemakers who believe that technological innovation should serve humanity.
Every line of code, every business model, every award we present, and every student we encourage must be guided by purpose and impact that truly matters.
Tools will change. Buzzwords will shift. But our North Star remains fixed: Technology innovation with heart.
That is who we are. That is what Western Australia stands for. And that is what WAITTA will always be: a catalyst for technology that uplifts, empowers, includes, and transforms lives.
Thank you for your support. We are just getting started.
WAITTA Patron Professo Lyn Beazley AO reflects on Western Australia's innovation achievements across 2025, and the organisation's renewed identity as the Western Australian Innovation, Technology & Talent Alliance.
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Co-Chairs Jess Etheridge and Cameron Zivkovic reflect on the 2025 INCITE Awards, celebrating Western Australia's innovation and technology talent with record attendance, national recognition, and community impact.
President Premila Jina reflects on the 2025 year for WAITTA, from a new name and renewed purpose, to growing STEM impact and celebrating success.
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