WA Innovators of the Year 2026: Robotics and Clean Tech Shine

Standout Finalists in the Field

Among the Growth Innovation category finalists is Contec Australia, which uses large-scale 3D concrete printing to deliver structural concrete through robotics and automated material placement, aiming to speed up construction capacity across the state through a faster, more design-flexible delivery method than traditional building techniques. Also shortlisted is Hyperion Systems, whose TitanCell technology is a deployable, factory-in-a-box unit that uses advanced robotic 3D printing to manufacture large products almost anywhere, potentially reshaping how remote and regional manufacturing operations are set up.

Rounding out the Growth Innovation finalists is Wevolt, which has developed technology to turn thousands of electric vehicle chargers from different manufacturers into a single, coordinated fleet that electricity networks can manage as a flexibility resource, a technology with clear relevance as WA’s grid absorbs growing renewable generation and EV charging demand simultaneously.

A New Category for Advanced Manufacturing

This year’s awards introduced a new Advanced Manufacturing category, recognising WA applicants using advanced technology and knowledge inputs to create more efficient, higher value-add manufacturing outcomes across the state’s industrial base. The addition reflects a broader push within the state’s innovation strategy to diversify the economy beyond raw resource extraction and toward higher-value manufacturing and technology sectors built on local expertise.

Science and Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson has pointed to the growth of the advanced manufacturing sector as a field that consistently creates jobs while offering practical solutions to real-world industrial challenges, positioning it as a priority area for the state’s ongoing economic diversification efforts alongside established strengths in mining technology and medical research.

Strong Participation from Women and Regional WA

Organisers have highlighted encouraging participation trends behind this year’s applicant pool, building on last year’s program which saw 40 per cent of all applications come from female founders and 17 per cent from businesses based in regional Western Australia. That level of participation matters for a program explicitly designed to spotlight talent across the entire state, rather than concentrating recognition solely on Perth-based technology businesses.

Previous winners of the awards have gone on to significant commercial success, including Kanopy, the global streaming service used by libraries worldwide that was eventually sold to OverDrive, and Greenroom Robotics, which has scaled from environmental tracking software into a significant player in sovereign defence and maritime technology, illustrating the kind of long-term trajectory the awards program aims to support.

Why the Awards Matter for WA’s Economy

Beyond the prize money, finalists receive professional video and photography support along with an invitation to an accelerator program designed to help early-stage innovators and entrepreneurs build their commercialisation capability. For a state economy still heavily weighted toward mining and resources, programs like the Innovators of the Year awards serve a deliberate diversification purpose, helping build public and investor awareness of the technology and advanced manufacturing capability being developed within WA, often by small teams working well outside the spotlight typically reserved for the state’s major resources companies.

With finalists for the remaining Government and Young Innovator categories still to be announced, and the full winners list to be revealed at the November ceremony, this year’s awards look set to reinforce Western Australia’s case for being taken seriously as a genuine source of technology and advanced manufacturing innovation, not just a resources-exporting economy.

From Local Recognition to Global Stage

Beyond the November ceremony, category winners and standout finalists are often put forward to represent Western Australia at the Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance Awards, giving locally developed technology a chance to compete against innovators from across the wider region. WA entrants have historically performed strongly at that regional level, a track record organisers point to as evidence that the state’s innovation ecosystem, while smaller than Sydney or Melbourne’s, punches above its weight on quality rather than sheer volume of startups.

Investors and industry groups say the accelerator program attached to the awards is often just as valuable to finalists as the prize money itself, offering structured mentoring on commercialisation strategy, investor readiness and scaling operations, areas where many early-stage technical founders lack experience even when their underlying technology is genuinely strong.

Government Backing Behind the Scenes

The awards sit within a broader state government innovation strategy that includes grant programs such as the Innovation Booster Grant, which has separately backed dozens of early-stage WA businesses and startups this year with funding to progress projects ranging from advanced robotics components to agricultural technology. Officials say these complementary programs are designed to support innovators at different stages, from initial concept funding through to the kind of commercial validation and public recognition the Innovators of the Year awards provide.

With a new major sponsor joining the program this year and applications continuing to grow year on year, organisers say the 20th anniversary edition of the awards is on track to be among the largest in the program’s history, a milestone they hope cements the awards as a genuine fixture of Western Australia’s innovation calendar for years to come.