Diversity Award Criteria – iAwards     

To recognise an organisation that has engaged in, promoted and maintained diversity and inclusion by creating an environment that recognises, encourages and embraces the talents of each individual.

The AIIA acknowledges the role of diversity and inclusion as an essential ingredient in the growth and continued success of not just the tech industry, but any industry and organisation that is using technology to advance the work that they do.

To embrace true diversity and inclusion, all organisations must represent the world around us; a variety of cultures, experiences, expertise and viewpoints. Diversity encompasses age, education level, ethnicity and race, gender expression and identity, nationality, national origin, physical and mental ability, political and religious perspectives, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, veteran status, and other human differences.

The Diversity Award is given to an organisation because of what they have achieved or seek to accomplish.

While many of the AIIA’s members’ core work or services are focussed on technology, it’s also true that technology permeates all aspects of our lives, and every business and every industry.

Given this, any organisation that leverages technology to support its business and that has an innovative diversity policy or program can apply.

An organisation that has raised awareness, taken initiatives, promoted, or demonstrated excellence, commitment behaviours and leadership in one or numerous of the following areas:

• Pay scales: recognising and closing the gender pay gap, ensuring equality of pay.
• % of diversity across the company for example:
  • Age
  • Educational level
  • Ability (physical & mental)
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Veteran
• % of diversity across C Suite and in Board Positions.
• DEI Policy, reporting and measurement in place and tracked.
• Bringing together a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, values, and beliefs to collaborate on projects, policies, strategies and via partnerships. 
• Establishing an environment that recognises and encourages the effective use of everyone’s talents.
• Promotion and fostering of diversity programmes such as mentoring, support networks, internships, work study, diversity training, or other opportunities.
• Development of management accountability/tracking methods as a means of quantifying the impact of the efforts to increase and maintain diversity.

• What is the diversity make-up of the organisation (based on the above)
• What has the nominee done to find innovative approaches to increase the pool of diverse talent both for themselves and their sector?
• How have they used innovative approaches to increase the inclusion and equity of those that they work with?
• Diversity represented at Senior Leadership/Boards
• Diversity in technical roles
• Diversity of senior roles (Nationality, gender, ability, neurodiversity per suggestions above)
• How does your organisation have diversity at the forefront of recruitment policies?
• Tracking promotions, particularly in minority groups
• How does your organisation ensure equal pay for equal work?
• Provide evidence of your organisation’s efforts to showcase diversity and inclusion. 

Please provide proof points to support your application through data points, case studies and examples and anything else you think supports your nomination.

Please send your submission of no more than 1,000 words to [email protected], along with a 50-word summary of your innovation with the subject line: “Submission for Diversity Award ” by 5 pm, Friday 16 May 2025 (AEST).  You can also nominate an organisation that you think is doing great things when it comes to diversity and inclusion and we will get in contact with them directly.  Just send an email with your nomination to us and we’ll do the rest. 

Please provide the contact details for the award committee to contact.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion subcommittee of the Board will develop a shortlist for consideration and then seek to clarify with finalists to determine a winner.

The winner will be announced at the iAwards National Gala Dinner evening on 28 August 2025 at SkyCity in Adelaide.