.svg)
Professor Murray has spent nearly 35 years quietly rebuilding what's possible in tech. In 2002 he founded CAVI at Curtin University, proving blind Western Australians could earn industry-standard Cisco certifications once thought out of reach. Today, CAVI graduates land jobs at 75–90%, against a national blind employment rate of just 62%.
Presented by not-for-profit organisation, the Western Australian Innovation, Technology & Talent Alliance or WAITTA, the INCITE Awards are both Western Australia’s longest-running technology awards and WA's exclusive pathway to participate in the national iAwards.
Those named a winner or awarded a Merit at INCITE (which is given when a finalist is within 5% of the winning product) gain automatic entry to the national iAwards. Those who participate in the iAwards could gain entry to the international Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA).
This year's program is made possible thanks to the New Industries and Innovation Fund via our Major Partner, the Western Australian Department of Energy and Economic Diversification. Thanks also to Major Sponsor City of Perth for continuing to backing local innovative tech talent as a long-term partner of INCITE and WAITTA.
This year marks 35 years since WAITTA’s flagship awards program began, established by Jim Ellis OAM in 1991. The gala, held at The Westin Perth and hosted by Christina Morrisy, was themed Legacy meets Future, featuring a retelling of the program's history and milestones, as well as presenting the community's vision for the future of the WA technology ecosystem.
Adding to the milestone program’s festivities, two new awards were presented for the first time at the 35th INCITE Awards: The Chief Judge Award and the Lead Judges’ Choice Award.
Professor Iain Murray AM has been named 2026 Achiever of the Year at the historic 35th INCITE Awards, Western Australia’s longest-running technology awards program, presented by WAITTA. Nominated by his own student - and fellow INCITE Awards finalist - Shanelle Tennekoon, Professor Murray received the Awards' peak honour in front of 350 guests at the gala event at The Westin Perth on Friday 17 July 2026. Professor Murray has spent nearly 35 years quietly rebuilding what's possible in tech. In 2002 he founded CAVI at Curtin University, proving blind Western Australians could earn industry-standard Cisco certifications once thought out of reach. Today, CAVI graduates land jobs at 75–90%, against a national blind employment rate of just 62%.
CorePlan took home the Dr Mal Bryce WA Tech Company of the Year Award, presented by WAITTA President Premila Jina. The company also received a Merit in Technology & Business Solution of the Year, presented by City of Perth. CorePlan is a drilling operations platform that connects planning, scheduling and field execution in one system. By replacing spreadsheet chaos with live operational control, it frees geologists and drilling teams to focus on discovery, improve productivity and run better drilling programs with faster decisions and fewer delays.
Professor Girish Dwivedi was named WA Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year, presented by Rick Harvey on behalf of the Pearcey Foundation. Professor Dwivedi was recognised for a significant body of work, having taken calculated entrepreneurial risks to turn world-leading Australian research into globally significant health technology companies. Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Professor Dwivedi has successfully brought together researchers, clinicians, investors and industry to create ventures that are improving healthcare, advancing artificial intelligence and demonstrating that globally competitive innovation can originate in Western Australia. Beyond commercial success, he has strengthened our innovation ecosystem through leadership, mentorship and collaboration, creating a legacy that extends well beyond any individual company.
The inaugural Chief Judge Award went to Rio Tinto for its project titled Integrated System Modelling, a cloud-native platform that unifies digital supply chain and mine simulation models through a self-service web app. It delivers rapid, traceable what-if scenario analysis for medium-term planning, shrinking runtimes from days to minutes and unlocking scalable, data-driven insights to support informed business decision making.
The inaugural Lead Judges’ Choice Award was also new in this year’s program, with Pattricia Ruth Das of Southern Cross College named the winner for her project AI Safety Guard, a privacy-first, multi-sensory detection device that monitors driver fatigue using real-time computer vision. Inspired by a family member's experience, this solution detects eye closure, yawning, and head droop, which triggers an immediate, simultaneous sound alarm and scent release, providing a fail-safe awakening mechanism to prevent fatal accidents.
From a speech pathologist teaching himself to code an AI app to give voiceless ICU patients the means to communicate for themselves, to organisations and start-ups using tech to solve complex problems across health, mining and agritech, the 35th INCITE Awards results demonstrate the ingenuity and creativity being nurtured in WA’s tech ecosystem.
INCITE Awards Co-Chairs and WAITTA Board Directors Jess Etheridge and Cameron Zivkovic said this year’s program broke several records, including receiving more than 120 nominations, with finalists representing the region’s true breadth and depth of innovative technology and talent.
Cameron Zivkovic said, "This year's nominees remind us that tech can have a positive impact, and we saw this come through from every nominee, finalist, merit recipient and winner, especially 2026 Achiever of the Year Professor Iain Murray AM.
"Congratulations Professor Murray on being awarded INCITE’s supreme award. Through research, teaching, mentorship, and advocacy, you have made Western Australia a more capable, more inclusive, and more innovative technology sector.”
Jess Etheridge said, "This year has been truly exceptional. This milestone 35th INCITE Awards received more than 120 nominations - a record-breaking year for this program.
"Over the past three years, we've deliberately evolved INCITE from a single awards night into a year-round program with masterclasses, webinars, mentoring, networking opportunities, and strengthened pathways through to the iAwards and APICTA for West Australians. That sustained focus is one of the reasons we've seen record nominations this year, and why this community remains as vibrant, connected and impactful as it is today."
Recognising significant and sustained contributions to the Western Australian technology ecosystem.
Western Australian winners and merits which gain entry into the national iAwards
Winners and Merit recipients will go on to participate in the national iAwards in Sydney, 26- 27 August. The National iAwards Gala Dinner - where winners and those going onto the APICTA Awards will be announced - takes place on 27 August 2026 at ICC Sydney.
INCITE Awards
INCITE Awards
INCITE Awards
.png)