Finder Innovation Awards 2026: Entries Open Soon

Recognising Australia's most forward-thinking businesses.

Finder Awards medal on a blue background with patterned eyes.

Celebrating the brands and teams redefining what's possible for Australians. The Finder Innovation Awards are a benchmark for excellence, recognising the thinkers and disruptors setting new standards in industry and impact.

Entries open 5 May

The submission portal will go live at 9:00 AM AEST on 5 May.

Key dates for 2026:

MAY 5
Entries open
JUNE 10
Entries close
MID-JULY
People's Choice voting begins
SEPTEMBER
The big reveal. Winners announced across all categories.

Award categories

Industry Categories

  1. Banking & Payments Innovation
  2. Fintech Innovation
  3. Forex Broker Innovation
  4. Digital Assets & Web3 Innovation
  5. Insurance Innovation
  6. Investment Innovation
  7. Lending Innovation
  8. Loan Broker Innovation
  9. Property Innovation
  10. Retail Innovation
  11. Retail Product Innovation
  12. Telco Innovation
  13. Travel Innovation

Business & Social Impact Categories

  1. AI Innovation
  2. App Innovation
  3. B2B Innovation
  4. Customer Service Innovation
  5. Green Innovation
  6. Social Impact
  7. Tech Innovation
  8. UX Innovation

Team & Leadership Categories

  1. Innovation Champion
  2. Most Innovative Team

Our independent judging process

Because different innovations require different metrics, we've developed two distinct criteria models to accurately measure your success:

1. The Core Framework

Applies to all Industry and most Business/Social Impact categories.

  • 40% Innovation: Uniqueness and problem-solving
  • 60% Impact: Measurable results like user growth, revenue, or NPS
  • Word Limit: 800 words

2. The Specialist Framework

Applies to Green Innovation, Customer Service, and Leadership categories.

  • Tailored weighting: Based on specific category requirements (see full Methodology Doc for breakdowns)
  • Word Limit: 1,400 words

People's Choice Categories

Every entry is automatically entered into a corresponding People's Choice category. This is your opportunity to mobilise your customers and employees to crown you the "crowd favorite."

  • Voting Period: Mid-July to Mid-August 2026.
  • Support: All entrants receive a voting pack with social assets and templates to help drive engagement.
  • People's Choice AI Innovation
  • People's Choice App Innovation
  • People's Choice B2B Innovation
  • People's Choice Banking & Payments Innovation
  • People's Choice Customer Service Innovation
  • People's Choice Fintech Innovation
  • People's Choice Forex Broker Innovation
  • People's Choice Green Innovation
  • People's Choice Innovation in Digital Assets & Web3
  • People's Choice Insurance Innovation
  • People's Choice Investment Innovation
  • People's Choice Lending Innovation
  • People's Choice Loan Broker Innovation
  • People's Choice Property Innovation
  • People's Choice Retail Innovation
  • People's Choice Retail Product Innovation
  • People's Choice Social Impact Innovation
  • People's Choice Tech Innovation
  • People's Choice Telco Innovation
  • People's Choice Travel Innovation
  • People's Choice UX Innovation
  • People's Choice Innovation Champion
  • People's Choice Most Innovative Team

What's special about a Finder Award?

Yellow coin icon with dollar sign struck out
Money can't buy
Money can't buy love… or a Finder Award. Why? We believe the brands with the best offers, not the biggest budgets should be able to use the Finder Awards medal.
Purple podium icon
One winner
It's hard to win a Finder Award as we only recognise one winner per category. That means you can trust the winning product is the best of the best for that particular category.
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Independent
Finder is totally independent, meaning the Awards are unbiased and objective. We established the Finder Awards to help people around the world easily identify the best products and brands and conduct research independent of any commercial agreements.
Did you know?
79% of Australians trust awards programs more when brands don't have to pay to use the awards badge. That's why Finder doesn't charge brands to supply a submission or to utilise the Finder Awards badge in their marketing.

Ready to shine?

If you have questions about the entry process or eligibility, our team is here to help. You can get in touch with the Finder Awards team via awards@finder.com.

Finder Awards badges in the wild:


Dial A Vet
Superloop
Bridgit
Sunpower Renewables
Bare
Jacaranda Finance
TermPlus
desk.coach

Explore our past Finder Innovation Awards winners:

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