President
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 President Premila Jina said the appointments come at an important time for the organisation as it heads into its next chapter.
“𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺.” That’s the reality for so many technology innovators, founders and researchers who show up every single day. Hear from the community why recognition from the INCITE Awards matters.
Six weeks to go: WA’s technology community is coming together for the 17th annual putt4dough, raising vital funds for Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation. Find out what’s happening on the day and how you can get involved.
Nurturing growing Western Australian minds is behind a new partnership between Inspiring WA and the 2026 Game Changer Awards, the region's premier student STEM innovation program presented by WAITTA.
INCITE Awards partner CERI has welcomed a new cohort of WA tech innovators into its Concept to Creation program - with registrations for 2027 now open!
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From floppy disks to AI, to WA being home to two of the world's supercomputers - listen to what seven INCITE Awards attendees have to say about the future of WA tech innovation.
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From soul sisters found in unexpected places, to cultural pride worn openly in a room full of peers, to the quiet joy of presenting an award for the first time - this is what the 35th INCITE Awards felt like from the inside.
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Western Australia has had a night to remember at the 2026 Australian iAwards, held at the ICC Sydney - one of the strongest Team WA results in recent history with six WA projects taking home national accolades.
Western Australia's Jim Owens has been an active participant in the State's technology community for more than four decades, and has spent the past 10 years documenting its people, ideas and innovations through photography and storytelling. In conversation with WAITTA's Shri Alagappan, he explains why he continues to follow the WA tech story.
35 years, one incredible community. Thw 2026 INCITE Awards brought together the region's brightest minds to recognise innovation that's making a real difference - for our economy, our communities, and the next generation of WA talent.
Part four - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐫𝐚 (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐–𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔) - is out now, and it's the final chapter in our series. This is the era of the program's biggest refresh yet - and features the people shaping what comes after 35 years of backing WA talent.
Part three of the 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲, commissioned to mark 35 years of the INCITE Awards, picks up the story as WAITTA became an independent organisation and WA teams solidified our region's reputation for competing - and winning - at the iAwards and Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards.
Perth Children's Hospital Foundation and WAITTA have launched Tech4SickKids, a strategic initiative bringing together WA’s technology, data, AI and innovation sectors to collaborate on technology to support our most vulnerable Western Australians.
Part two of our 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 & 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟑–𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟐) picks up the story as the awards scaled in size and professionalism - and as WA tech talent started stepping onto national and international stages through the iAwards and Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards.
Part one of our 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐫𝐚 (𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟏–𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟑) takes you back to 1991 - the same year the Internet was born - when Jim Ellis OAM and the founding committee decided Western Australia's tech innovators deserved to be celebrated, not overlooked.
Join leaders from across healthcare, technology, government and industry for the official launch of Tech4Sick Kids, a strategic partnership between WAITTA and Perth Children's Hospital Foundation.
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WAITTA has announced the winners of the record-breaking 35th INCITE Awards, with Professor Iain Murray AM named 2026 Achiever of the Year.
View the photo gallery from the 2026 INCITE Awards Finalists Networking Reception, held on 2 July 2026 at The Stables Perth, sponsored by Steltek.
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The City of Perth has been announced as a Major Sponsor of the 2026 INCITE Awards, backing Western Australia's premiere technology innovation awards as the program marks its milestone 35th year.
Meet one of WAITTA's newest Board Directors, David Smith, in this quickfire Q&A! Find out why David put his hand up to be a WAITTA Board Director, and his aspirations for WA's technology innovation talent and ecosystem.
The 35th INCITE Awards is delighted to announce the Western Australian Government via the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification as Major Sponsor of this year’s record-breaking program.
Do you want to get involved in this year's Game Changer Awards? This annual STEM experience for Western Australian students relies on the generosity of the technology industry giving their time. Sign up as a judge or event volunteer!
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Finalists of the 35th INCITE Awards, Western Australia's premier technology innovation awards, have been announced. Spanning AI, digital government, start-ups, research and development, and more, winners will be announced 17 July.
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Now in its 17th year, we invite you to get involved in WAITTA's putt4dough campaign aiming for our biggest milestone yet: Reaching the $1 million raised milestone for Perth Children's Hospital Foundation.
Meet one of WAITTA's newest Board Directors, Dr Valentina Tiporlini, in this quickfire Q&A! Find out why Vale put her hand up to be a WAITTA Board Director, and her aspirations for WA's technology innovation talent and ecosystem.
Highlights of last year's program included a 67% increase in STEM project submissions, 25 participating schools, more than 760 student participants, and new and evolved pathways for Game Changer Awards students to take their solutions to the world.
![Partner News: WiTWA Tech [+] Awards Kick-Off](/media/website_posts/134/c16e4e22-77af-48c6-aff9-e7de11cd1037.png@responsive-2000.webp)
Launch of the 2026 WiTWA Tech [+] Awards: This event focuses on how the Tech [+] Awards work and provides practical nomination tips from past winners. Hear their experiences, gain useful insights, and connect with a community of women and allies in tech.
Join the WA State Government's SMARTT network. Connect Western Australian technology innovators with industry, academia, and government to shape WA's innovation future. Subscribe today.
Hot off the press: Nominations for the 35th INCITE Awards now close 15 April 2026!
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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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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.
WAITTA has released its 2025 Annual Report sharing insights into its three core programs as well as ongoing strategic work to uplift Western Australia's technology sector.
Six teams. Big ideas. One stage. At the West Tech Fest Young Entrepreneurs Showcase, six Game Changer Awards finalists stepped up and showed WA what the next generation of tech innovators looks like.
Presented by INCITE Awards Chief Judge Celia Jordaan, this free online briefing will help prospective nominees understand how to prepare a strong entry.
WAITTA and CERI have announced a new partnership for the 35th INCITE Awards, offering this year's Research & Development Award winner a major prize package worth $8,000!
Follow our step-by-step guide to nominating in the INCITE Awards, from what information to prepare through to presenting to the judges to awards night.
The Western Australian Innovation, Technology & Talent Alliance (WAITTA) has appointed five new Board Directors, marking a significant milestone as the organisation celebrates 35 years of championing WA technology innovation.
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This year's 35th annual INCITE Awards have been bolstered with the Cook Government providing $25,000 in sponsorship.
Celebrate the WA tech innovators in your life! Shoulder tap a mate for the 35th INCITE Awards, and help recognise the hard work and dedication of your colleagues, friends, and industry peers.
Nominations have opened for INCITE's Honorary Awards as part of the 35th program, recognising individuals and organisations who have made sustained and significant contributions to Western Australia’s technology innovation ecosystem. Find out how to nominate and key dates.
The 35th INCITE Awards have introduced a refreshed category framework designed to better reflect how technology is being developed, applied and scaled across Western Australia today. Learn more about the changes, and why now.
Nominations are open for the 35th INCITE Awards. Celebrating Western Australian technology innovation, the revamped categories offer stronger pathways to the national iAwards and APICTA. Enter now.
Buy your tickets for the milestone 35th INCITE Awards, Western Australia's pathway to the national iAwards and celebrating innovation, technology and talent excellence in our region.
Thinking about nominating for the INCITE Awards but unsure how to translate research into a strong submission? Our nomination masterclass - featuring two-time winner Curtin University's Healthy Connections - shares practical insights from their experiences.
Following 2019’s devastating Black Summer bushfires - triggered by small, undetected electrical issues on rural powerlines - Professor Ahmed Abu-Siada of Perth turned to technology to find a way to predict and prevent disaster.
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Watch highlights from the 10th annual Game Changer Awards - nurturing the next generation of Western Australian STEM leaders.
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From Minister for Science & Innovation Stephen Dawson, to former WA Chief Scientist Lyn Beazley AO and more, hear from the Game Changer Awards community about why STEM skills matter in Western Australia.
2026 Rhodes Scholar and MC of the 10th Game Changer Awards, Jamie Erak, shares how his different approach to pursuing a STEM career can inspire students who may not see themselves reflected in traditional pathways.
Former Game Changer Awards winner Cassidy Morgono shares how the program helped put her on the right career pathway.
WAITTA acknowledges Traditional Custodians of country across the region. We pay respects to Elders past and present.
