iAwards

2.1 Organisation Entries

a) Entrants from companies or organisations registered and operating in Australia during the Entry Period must have an ABN (Organisation).

b) The entrant must own the intellectual property (IP) of the Innovation.

c) At least 51% of your entrant’s “value-add” in the innovation you include in your entry (Innovation) (including design, and which can exclude major components such as hardware, operation system and database) must have taken place in Australia (Australian Content). If requested, you must be able to provide evidence of the Australian Content of your Innovation to the satisfaction of the Promoter.

d) You must be an authorised representative of the Organisation in order to submit the entry form on behalf of that Organisation.

e) If your entry has created an Innovation for a client, you can (with your client’s consent) enter your Organisation and use the client as a referee; OR you can submit a joint entry with the client (and may still use the client as a referee). Further instructions for submitting joint entries are provided on the Website.

f) If a client is used as a referee, the Promoter will assume that the client has agreed to details of the Innovation being shared for the purposes of this Promotion, on the basis set out in these Terms and Conditions. You must ensure that the client has in fact given such agreement.

g) All parties to a joint entry will be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions.

h) Postgraduate research entries should enter this promotion under the Organisation Awards, where the tertiary institution (or another relevant eligible Organisation with which they are affiliated in relation to their research) is listed as the Organisation, and any research partners are listed as joint entrants (with their consent).

1222.2 Student Awards

a) Entrants are individual students or groups of students who are enrolled (or who were in 2024 or 2025 enrolled) at an Australian educational institution at a primary, secondary or undergraduate level (Students).

b) Students must only enter on the basis of Innovations worked on whilst enrolled as a Student in 2024 and/or 2025. Students aged under 18 years as of the date of entry must have their parent/guardian’s approval to enter.

Explanatory note: Whilst Students must be enrolled as students under 2.2b, the relevant innovation may be a class project, an extra-curricular project or unrelated to the students’ studies. Note: for consistency, any award is typically made out to the relevant institution/s where the Student/s is/are enrolled (individual Student names included if space permits), with certificates issued for individual Students.

c) Tertiary Students must own at least some of the IP of their Innovation, or be in the process of negotiating IP ownership with their educational institution. If requested, you must be able to provide details of the IP ownership of your Innovation.

d) Research students cannot enter their project/innovation in the Student Awards, but may enter as specified in paragraph 2.1 (h).

Eligibility

Clause 3

Any Innovation that has won a National iAward or National merit in the iAwards competition in the previous 3 years (i.e. in 2022, 2023 or 2024) is ineligible to enter the 2025 iAwards, without substantial product enhancement.

Clause 4

Directors, officers, management and employees of sponsors, or of agencies or companies associated with sponsors (as determined by the Promoter), and the immediate families of those people, cannot enter in the category that the relevant sponsor is sponsoring so as not to create a conflict of interest.

Innovation

Clause 5

An Innovation is considered to be an original application, product or solution (or significant upgrade in functionality of same) that has generated significant new IP.

Clause 6

The entrant may nominate their entry for a given category in the competition, however the Promoter, being the AIIA, reserves the right to allocate entries to the category deemed appropriate by the AIIA.

The primary entry categories include:

• Student & Education
• Entrants are individual students or groups of students who are enrolled (or who were in 2024 enrolled) at an Australian educational institution at a primary, secondary, higher education or tertiary level (Students)
• Students must only enter based on solutions worked on while enrolled as a student in 2024 and/or 2025
• Please note: This category is not for businesses that have developed a solution for the education sector.
• Start-up
• In order to be considered for the Start-up Award, organisations must meet all of the following criteria:
• The organisation was registered as a company on or after 1 January 2022;
• The founder of the company and/or the product developers must still be the significant shareholder(s) of the company; and
• The company must not be a subsidiary of a parent company that was established prior to 1 January 2022
• Business & Industry
• Solution related to a business or industry
• Companies or organisations entering must be registered and operating in Australia during the Entry Period and must have an ABN (Australian Business Number)
• Technology Platform
• Solution involving a new or repurposed technology platform
• Companies or organisations entering must be registered and operating in Australia during the Entry Period and must have an ABN (Australian Business Number)
• Government & Public Sector
• Solution related to the government and/or public sector
• Companies or organisations entering must be registered and operating in Australia during the Entry Period and must have an ABN (Australian Business Number)
• Not-for-Profit & Community
• The entering organisation must be not-for-profit, or the solution must address a problem in the not-for-profit or community sector
• Companies or organisations entering must be registered and operating in Australia during the Entry Period and must have an ABN (Australian Business Number)
• Sustainability & Environmental
• For environmental solutions, and/or innovations that facilitate sustainability
• Companies or organisations entering must be registered and operating in Australia during the Entry Period and must have an ABN (Australian Business Number)

Clause 7

Participants can enter more than one Innovation in this Competition, provided that a separate online entry form is submitted for each Innovation for each Category submitted. No single Innovation may be entered in more than one primary Category. 

Entry

Clause 8

To enter, you must, during the Entry Period:

a) register on the Website;

b) fully complete the online entry form, including answering all questions and providing all details, files and information requested;

c) provide a video of no more than 3 minutes in length as part of your application

d) have a current Australian Business Number (ABN), unless you are entering in the Student & Education Category, in which case you need to meet the criteria set out in Clause 6.

In order to be considered for the Start-up Awards organisations must meet the following criteria:

• The organisation was registered as a company on or after 1 January 2022;
• The founder of the company and/or the product developers must still be the significant shareholder(s) of the company; and
• The company must not be a subsidiary of a parent company that was established prior to 1 January 2022.

Clause 9

You may be asked for referees regarding your Innovation. A referee should be an end-user of your Innovation who does not have a financial or beneficial interest in your Organisation or Innovation, and who is not an immediate family member of you or of any person who has a financial or beneficial interest in your Organisation or the Innovation. In the case of a joint entry between an Organisation and a client, you are permitted to use the client as a referee.

Withdrawals

Clause 10

If an entrant wishes to withdraw an entry, they must do so in writing to the iAwards Competition Manager at iawards@aiia.com.au.

Benefits for Entrants

Clause 11

After submitting your entry, you may be eligible to receive some Benefits for Entrants. These Benefits will be further detailed and offered to you at the time of, or shortly after, your entry is accepted. Details will be made available on the Website.

Clause 12

This is a competition of skill. An independent judging panel, overseen by the Chief Judge, will review each valid entry and will judge the entries in accordance with the criteria specified. Chance plays no part in how the finalists, winners and/or merits will be selected. 

Clause 13

Judging of entries in Round 1 is conducted online and will take place based on the information contained in your entry, including from your referees if these have been sought. Round 1 judging forms the basis of the State/Territory Awards, with winners and/or merits assigned according to the business-registered State indicated on your entry form.

Winners and/or merit recipients will be announced at the State/Territory iAwards Presentation Events. Further details of the State/Territory iAwards Presentation Events will be provided to Participants and will be made available on the Website.

Attendance at State and Territory iAwards Ceremonies is at Participants’ expense, including purchasing tickets to the iAwards Ceremonies where relevant. The Promoter will not provide financial assistance to any person in order to participate in and attend the State and Territory iAwards.

Clause 14

Eligible Participants from all Australian States and Territories, with the exception of Western Australia and Tasmania, may enter in Round 1 of the iAwards. Western Australia and Tasmania conduct their own competitions under WAITA and TasICT; these State competitions are not administered by the AIIA and entry criteria may be found on the organisations’ websites.

Clause 15

Judging Round 2 of the iAwards 2025 will take place on Wednesday, 27 August 2025 and Thursday, 28 August 2025 at a location to be specified. The National iAwards Gala Dinner will take place on Thursday, 28 August 2025 at SkyCity Adelaide. State/Territory iAwards winners and merit recipients become finalists in the National iAwards, but must participate in the National iAwards as specified, including by preparing and presenting a presentation to the judging panel in person in Adelaide, and providing any other details or information required.

Finalists (State/Territory iAwards winners and merits) are responsible for making their own way to and from Adelaide and the National iAwards (including purchasing tickets to the iAwards Ceremonies where relevant). The Promoter will not provide financial assistance to any person in order to participate in and attend the National iAwards.

Clause 16

Representatives of the Promoter may contact you and/or your referee/s at any time during the Entry Period or judging process in order to further discuss any element of your entry or Innovation.

Clause 17

The Judges’ and – where relevant – Chief Judge’s and Promoter’s decision in connection with all aspects of this Competition is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

Clause 18

All winners and merit recipients will be notified in person at the relevant iAwards event, and/or will be contacted by phone/in writing, and may also be published online and in other publications by the Promoter.

Clause 19

Winners and merit recipients may be required to provide further detail or information regarding their Innovation, if requested by the Promoter.

Clause 20

No one organisation or individual can enter the same innovation in more than two categories in any entry year.

Both the organisation and/or individual’s name will be taken into account when applying this criterium, as well as the organisation’s registered address.

Recognition

Clause 21

State/Territory iAward winners will receive recognition and potentially prizes as specified by the Promoter (and/or detailed on the Website) and will also have the opportunity to have their entry judged in the National iAwards.

Clause 22

National iAward winners and merit recipients will receive recognition and potentially prizes as specified by the Promoter and/or detailed on the Website, and may also have the opportunity to participate in the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards (subject to the Terms & Conditions which apply to these Awards).

Unless stated specifically and otherwise, prizes do not include cash rewards.

Claiming of Prizes and Benefits for Entrants

Clause 23

Any prizes and Benefits for Entrants must be claimed or used as specified by the Promoter during the time period specified by the Promoter. If an eligible entrant does not claim or use the relevant prize or Benefit as and when specified, that prize or Benefit will be forfeited.

General

Clause 24

Entries must be received during the Entry Period. Your entry is deemed to be received only when received and confirmed in the Promoter’s database. All entries are submitted and lodged in the Award Force online judging system and must be lodged on or before the closing date and time advised and shown on the iAwards website. The Promoter is not liable for any problems with communications networks. You are responsible for your own costs associated with entering. If you enter using automatically generated systems or multiple aliases, you may be disqualified.

Clause 25

The Promoter may use (or allow others to use) high-level details about your entry (e.g. name of project, your name, your Organisation’s/school’s/tertiary institution’s/joint entrant’s name, your website, your logo, 3-minute video explaining the solution) to publicise this Promotion. These rights are perpetual, royalty free, world-wide, irrevocable and transferable. The Promoter may also decide not to publish details of an entry, to cease publication of details of an entry, or to publish edited details of an entry. Unless your consent is obtained, the Promoter will not publish full details of an entry.

All judges, staff of the Promoter and volunteers assisting with the Promotion will be required to enter confidentiality agreements with the Promoter (if not already subject to suitable confidentiality terms) in which they undertake to keep details of all entries confidential (subject to these Terms and Conditions and standard “carve-outs” from that type of agreement).

Clause 26

You warrant that your entry does not breach any third party rights (for example, intellectual property rights) and its use by the Promoter or any other person will not breach any law (for example, it is not defamatory, in contempt of court or in breach of any privacy law). Your entry must not be obscene, offensive, malicious, discriminatory, indecent or (in the Promoter’s opinion) otherwise objectionable or inappropriate (for example it must not include nudity or language the Promoter deems offensive).

Clause 27

If there is any dispute regarding an entry, including in relation to the ownership, originality and rights of an Innovation, the Promoter will determine in its absolute discretion whether to allow the entry to continue in the Promotion and judging process, and who will be deemed as the entrant for the purpose of that entry.

Clause 28

If your entry includes any photograph or video, you must not include any other person in your photograph/video unless they have consented to you submitting it in this Promotion. You must not include any person in your photograph/video who is under the age of 18 years unless you have their parent’s or guardian’s consent and, if the person is aged 18 or above, that person’s consent.

Clause 29

You must ensure your entry does not contain any virus, malware or other malicious or inappropriate computer code or material.

Clause 30

Entry into this competition will not affect the ownership of any IP in relation to any Innovation. Entrants are responsible for taking any steps they consider necessary or appropriate to protect their IP, such as lodging patent applications. While the Promoter will take steps to preserve the confidentiality of entries (as set out in clause 24), the Promoter is not responsible for any loss of rights in relation to IP (including loss of the ability to obtain a patent) that may occur in connection with an entry being lodged or the entry being dealt with in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. Entrants warrant that they have all necessary IP rights and permissions in order to enter this Promotion.

Clause 31

Any prizes and Benefits for Entrants are subject to any additional conditions imposed by the Promoter or prize/Benefit supplier, including how and when the prize/Benefit must be used. In the case of a dispute as to which individual will be provided with any Benefit/s or awarded a prize, the Promoter will determine the relevant individual or entity in its absolute discretion.

Clause 32

Prizes and Benefits for Entrants cannot be transferred or exchanged nor (except where cash is specified) redeemed for cash. Without limiting any other term of these Terms and Conditions, all prizes and Benefits (and elements of prizes and Benefits) must be taken as and when specified or will be forfeited with no replacement. You agree that if a prize or Benefit (or element of a prize or Benefit) is unavailable for any reason the Promoter may provide another item of equal or higher value.

Clause 33

All entrants, winners and merit recipients must take part in all publicity, photography and other promotional activity as the Promoter requires, without any compensation. All such persons consent to the Promoter using their names and images in any promotional or advertising activity.

Clause 34

If you or your entry or your Innovation are deemed by the Promoter to breach these Terms and Conditions, your entry (or at the Promoter’s discretion, all of your entries) may be discarded. The Promoter may, at any time, require you to produce documentation to establish to the Promoter’s satisfaction as to the validity of your entries and the information contained within (including documentation establishing your identity and place of employment). Failure by the Promoter to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not waive those rights.

Clause 35

You must not:

1. tamper with the entry or judging process;
2. engage in any conduct that may jeopardise the fair and proper conduct of the Promotion or the iAwards;
3. act in a disruptive, annoying, threatening, abusive or harassing manner;
4. do anything that may diminish the good name or reputation of the Promoter or any of its related entities or of the agencies or companies associated with this Promotion or the iAwards;
5. breach any law; or
6. behave in a way that is otherwise inappropriate.

Clause 36

Whilst attending an iAwards event, if you (or your companions, if applicable), in the opinion of the Promoter, are intoxicated, under the influence of alcohol or any other drug, behave aggressively or offensively, or behave in a manner which may diminish the good name or reputation of the Promoter or any of its related entities or the agencies or companies associated with this Promotion, is contrary to law or is otherwise inappropriate, the Promoter may invalidate your entry and/or restrict you (and your companions) from participating further in the iAwards, at its discretion. The Promoter may disqualify all entries from, and prohibit further participation in this Promotion by you or any or all of your companion/s if any of them breaches these conditions, whether or not legally bound by them.

Clause 37

The Promoter is not liable for entries, claims or correspondence that are misplaced, misdirected, delayed, lost, incomplete, illegible, or incorrectly submitted.

Clause 38

If this Promotion or any of the iAwards events cannot run as planned for any reason beyond the Promoter’s control, for example due to software, hardware or communications issues, unauthorised intervention, tampering, fraud or technical failure, the Promoter may end, change, suspend or cancel the Promotion/iAwards or disqualify affected entries/entrants.

Clause 39

The Promoter is not responsible for any tax implications arising from any person or entity winning a prize or receiving a Benefit for Entrants. You should seek independent financial advice. If for GST purposes this Promotion results in any supply being made for non-monetary consideration, you must follow the Australian Taxation Office’s stated view that where the parties are at arm’s length, goods and services exchanged are of equal GST inclusive market values.

Liability

Clause 40

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions restricts, excludes or modifies any consumer rights under any statute including the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).

Clause 41

Subject to the previous paragraph, the Promoter, the Chief Judge, the judges and the agencies and companies associated with this Promotion are not liable (including in negligence) for any loss (including indirect, special or consequential loss or loss of profits), expense, damage, personal injury, illness or death suffered in connection with this Promotion or any prize, except for any liability which under statute cannot be excluded (in which case that liability is limited to the greatest extent allowed by law).

Clause 42

Without limiting the previous paragraph, the Promoter and the agencies and companies associated with this Promotion are not liable for any loss of, damage to or delay in delivery of prizes or Benefits to Entrants. Items will only be delivered to addresses in Australia.

Clause 43

The Promoter may communicate or advertise this Promotion using Social Media Platforms, including Facebook or Instagram. However, the Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, any Social Media Platform. You provide your information to the Promoter and not to a Social Media Platform. You completely release all Social Media Platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, from any and all liability.

Collection and Use of your Personal Information

Clause 44

The Promoter may collect your personal information directly or through its agents or contractors. The Promoter will use your personal information to conduct the Promotion and the iAwards. The Promoter may disclose your personal information to its related companies, agents and contractors to assist in conducting this Promotion/iAwards, communicating with you or storing data. This may include disclosures to organisations outside Australia. The Promoter’s Privacy Policy (see https://www.aiia.com.au/footer-pages/privacy) includes information about:

1. how to seek access to the personal information the Promoter holds about you and seek correction of the information; and
2. how to complain about a privacy breach and how the Promoter will deal with such a complaint.

Clause 45

Upon entering, you may be given the opportunity to consent to an organisation (other than the Promoter) receiving and retaining your personal information on its database. By “opting-in” to such opportunities, you consent to the relevant organisation keeping your personal information on its database and contacting you by electronic messaging.