Awards

Australian Agritech Awards

Step into our world of recognition and celebration as we proudly showcase the accolades that define our commitment to excellence.

2026 Australian Agritech Awards & Gala

The Awards & Gala recognises the people, companies and collaborations driving innovation, adoption and impact across Australia’s agricultural and food industries. The Gala brings together agritech founders, producers, investors, researchers, industry leaders and policymakers for an evening that acknowledges achievement and reflects the growing maturity of the sector.

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2026 Australian Agritech Award Categories

Our refreshed award categories reflect the evolution of agritech, shifting from subsectors to recognising the technologies, people and impact shaping the future of Australia’s agrifood system.

HERO AWARDS

Agritech of the Year

Awarded to the Australian agritech company setting the benchmark for innovation, adoption, and impact.

Nomination Type: No application – automatic selection
Eligibility: Highest-scoring company across eligible company & innovation categories.

The ultimate accolade, awarded to the highest-scoring entrant across all eligible categories. Represents the very best of Australian agritech company – innovation, adoption, and impact at a national and global level.

Hall of Fame Award

Committee-selected recognition for an individual, company, or team whose long-standing contribution has shaped Australia’s agritech sector.

Nomination Type: Committee Selected
Eligibility: Individual, company, or team with long-term sector contribution.

Recognises an individual, company, or team who has made a significant, long-term contribution to agritech in Australia. Inductees are pioneers and ecosystem builders whose legacy continues to shape the industry.

The Liz Alexander Ecosystem Supporter Award

The People’s Choice award, recognising a kind, community-minded individual who strengthens the agritech ecosystem through connection and generosity.

Nomination Type: Public nominations & vote
Eligibility: Individuals only

Honouring an individual who strengthens and connects the agritech community, embodying Liz Alexander’s values of connection, care, and generosity. Nominated by the public, decided by member vote.

COMPANY & INNOVATION AWARDS

The Emerging Innovation Award

For a breakthrough technology or idea with the potential to change how agriculture is done.

Nomination Type: Company Self-Nomination
Eligibility: Pre-commercial or commercial

Recognising a truly breakthrough innovation, a technology or scientific advancement so new, original, or disruptive that it represents a step change for agriculture or the wider agrifood system. This award celebrates frontier engineering, deep tech, biological innovation, new mechanisms, and category-defining inventions that introduce capabilities not previously possible.

The Climate Catalyst Award

Recognises agritech solutions creating real or emerging environmental benefits on farm and across the supply chain.

Nomination Type: Company Self-Nomination
Eligibility: Pre-commercial or commercial

Awarded to an agritech innovation delivering or demonstrating clear potential for measurable environmental benefit. This includes emissions reduction, resource-use efficiency, water or soil outcomes, biodiversity improvement, or regenerative impacts supported by emerging or validated evidence.

The Future Food Award

Celebrates innovations reshaping the way food is produced, processed, and delivered to market.

Nomination Type: Company Self-Nomination
Eligibility: Pre-commercial or commercial

Celebrating innovations transforming food production, processing, value-add, distribution, or consumption. This includes alternative proteins, food waste solutions, ingredient innovation, value-added manufacturing, traceability, and transparent supply-chain technologies.

Excellence in Digital Agriculture Award

For digital and data-led solutions helping farmers make better decisions and run more efficient operations.

Nomination Type: Company Self-Nomination
Eligibility: Pre-commercial or commercial

Recognising excellence in the digital, data-driven, and automated systems that underpin the future of Australia’s agrifood sector. This award celebrates innovations where the primary advancement is computational or systems-based, including AI, machine learning, robotics intelligence, sensing and analytics, IoT networks, connectivity infrastructure, digital twins, workflow optimisation, and data platforms that enable smarter, more efficient, and more resilient agricultural operations.

The Industry Impact Award

Recognises commercial agritech solutions delivering proven, measurable results for producers.

Nomination Type: Company Self-Nomination
Eligibility: Commercial companies only – must demonstrate proven ROI

Recognising a commercial agritech solution delivering verified, measurable impact in real-world agricultural operations. Entrants must provide evidence of improved productivity, profitability, sustainability, efficiency, or other quantifiable outcomes experienced by customers.

PEOPLE & ECOSYSTEM AWARDS

The Visionary Award

Celebrates founders or leaders with the courage and vision to build agritech that drives real change.

Nomination Type: Self-nomination or Public nomination
Eligibility: Individual or team

Celebrates a founder/s or leader/s who demonstrates grit, vision, and courage in building agritech solutions that create real change.

The Collaboration Award

For partnerships that show agritech works best when different players come together.

Nomination Type: Joint self-nomination
Eligibility: Partnerships (minimum two organisations)

Celebrates partnerships that prove agritech thrives when we work together – startups and producers, corporates and researchers, or multi-sector alliances delivering real outcomes.

The Sector Builder Award

Recognises initiatives or programs that strengthen the agritech ecosystem and help companies scale faster.

Nomination Type: Public nomination
Eligibility: Initiatives, programs, events, accelerators, partnerships

Recognising an investment partnership, funding model, accelerator, program, event, or capital initiative that has strengthened Australia’s agritech investment ecosystem and accelerated the commercialisation journey for agritech companies.

The 3rd Annual Australian Agritech Awards Gala brought together innovators, investors and leaders to celebrate breakthrough technologies shaping the future of Australian agriculture.

Recognising the people and technologies driving Australian agritech forward.

Our sincere thanks to DAFF, growAG, and Hort Innovation for their generous support, and to the Queensland Department of Primary Industries for their thoughtful keynote.

2025 Australian Agritech Awards & Gala

Australian Agritech of the Year:
SwarmFarm Robotics

SwarmFarm Robotics, named 2025 Australian Agritech of the Year, was proudly presented by 2024 winner Bill Mitchell of Optiweigh.
Founded by Andrew and Jocie Bate, SwarmFarm Robotics are leading a global shift in broadacre farming through its autonomous, open-platform robotics. With a strong focus on empowering farmers, their technology drives productivity, reduces chemical use, and supports more sustainable, precise agriculture. It was a standout night for the team, also taking home Best Founders and Best in Broadacre, with Andrew and Jocie inducted into the AusAgritech Hall of Fame for their visionary leadership and long-standing impact. SwarmFarm continues to raise the bar for Australian agritech, proving that world-class innovation can start in the paddock.

The Liz Alexander Ecosystem Builder Award

The Liz Alexander Ecosystem Builder Award was announced by Tim Neale at the 2025 Gala. Honouring the legacy of the late Liz Alexander, this award will recognise the outstanding individuals or organisations that build connections, remove barriers, and drive collective impact within the agritech ecosystem.

Liz’s pillars of influence included leadership in AgFrontier, i4Connect, and board roles at Cotton Australia, QRIDA, and Plant Health Australia. Recipients will embody her spirit; championing collaboration, fostering commercialisation, and advancing regional innovation for the benefit of all.

AusAgritech Hall of Fame – Jocie & Andrew Bate

Jocie & Andrew Bate (SwarmFarm Robotics), presented by Tim Neale, Former AusAgritech President & DataFarming. This recognition honours Jocie and Andrew Bate for their transformative, multi‑year contribution to Australian agritech.

Their pioneering work at SwarmFarm Robotics, advancing autonomous robotics in broadacre farming, has helped elevate Australia to a global leadership position in sustainable and precision agriculture. Their induction celebrates a lasting legacy of innovation, farmer empowerment, and ecosystem inspiration.

Best in Ag Climate Tech: Agscent – Sponsored by Beanstalk AgTech

Agscent, winner of the Best in AgClimate Tech award presented by Dion Goosen of Beanstalk AgTech. By enabling rapid, non-invasive breath diagnostics, Agscent provides powerful tools for methane reduction strategies and herd optimisation.

Their platform supports climate-resilient decision-making on-farm, contributing to productivity and emissions reductions in parallel. Agscent is setting a new standard for climate-smart livestock technologies.

Best Scale Up: Agronomeye – Sponsored by Agrifutures evokeAG

Agronomeye, winner of the Best Scale Up award presented by Ange Wakeman of evokeAG Agrifutures. Agronomeye is revolutionising farm management with its AgTwin™ platform, which combines LiDAR scanning and digital twin technology to create detailed, 3D farm maps.

These insights help producers make better land, water, and biodiversity decisions while unlocking opportunities for carbon and natural capital markets. With major partnerships and national roll-out, Agronomeye is scaling impact across the landscape.

Best Early Stage: HiveKeeper – Presented by Riverine Plains

HiveKeeper, winner of the Best Early Stage award presented by Pip Grant of Riverine Plains. HiveKeepers is redefining honey harvesting through innovative closed-system extraction technology.

Their system simplifies honey production, preserves purity, and reduces contamination risks – giving beekeepers of all scales a better way to care for their bees. As the world demands greater food transparency, HiveKeepers is unlocking a more sustainable, traceable future for honey.

Best in Horticulture: Bitwise Agronomy – Sponsored by Hort Innovation

Bitwise Agronomy, winner of the Best in Horticulture award presented by Anthony Kachenko of Hort Innovation. Bitwise Agronomy is transforming crop monitoring in vineyards and orchards using AI-powered image analytics.

Their GreenView platform provides growers with real-time insights on yield estimation, pruning decisions, and harvest timing. With proven accuracy and ease of use, Bitwise is improving outcomes for growers and the broader horticulture industry.

Best in Broadacre: SwarmFarm Robotics – Presented by QDPI

SwarmFarm Robotics, winner of the Best in Broadacre award presented by Alicia Dunbar of QDPI. SwarmFarm is redefining large-scale farming with its autonomous, open-platform robotics built for precision and sustainability.

Designed to empower growers, not replace them, their technology enables highly targeted inputs, reduced chemical use, and increased productivity. SwarmFarm continues to lead the charge in smart farming systems across Australia and beyond.

Best in Food Tech: Froff – Presented by Mandalay Venture Partners

Froff, winner of the Best in FoodTech award presented by Philippe Ceulen of Mandalay Venture Partners. Froff delivers fresh, barista-quality plant-based milk made on-site in cafés, using clean ingredients, no cartons, and no compromise.

Their almond milk “cubes” and countertop device avoid UHT processing, seed oils, and waste, offering cafés a better way to serve their customers. Froff is leading a new wave of foodtech innovation that’s better for people, planet, and your morning coffee.

Best Founders: Jocie & Andrew Bate – Sponsored by Farmers2Founders

Jocie & Andrew Bate, winners of the Best Founder/s award presented by Christine Pitt of Farmer2Founders. The visionary duo behind SwarmFarm Robotics, Jocie and Andrew have led the development and deployment of autonomous farm machines from the ground up.

Their long-standing commitment to creating technology that works for farmers, not around them, has shaped a category-defining platform. Their leadership continues to inspire the agritech ecosystem in Australia and globally.

Best in Livestock: Agscent – Presented by NSW DPIRD Farms of the Future

Agscent, winner of the Best in Livestock award presented by Ailie Webb of NSW DPIRD Farms of the Future. Agscent is advancing animal health diagnostics through real-time breath analysis to detect disease and reproductive status in livestock.

Their cutting-edge biosensor technology enables earlier and more accurate decision-making, improving welfare, productivity, and profitability across herds. Built with producers in mind, Agscent is set to transform livestock management globally.

2025 Gala Partners

2024 Australian Agritech Awards & Gala

The 2nd Annual Australian Agritech Awards Gala celebrated the achievements of the Australian agritech industry.

A special thank you to Matt Dalgliesh and Andrew Whitelaw for their entertaining facilitation and to DAFF & AgVic for making the night possible.

Australian Agritech of the Year: Optiweigh

Optiweigh winner of Australian Agritech of the Year presented by Cal Archibald of AusAgritech. Optiweigh, transforms livestock management with its groundbreaking in-paddock weighing system. Developed by Bill and Jacqui Mitchell, Optiweigh revolutionises productivity and sustainability by enabling real-time weight monitoring without animal stress. With rapid ROI and extensive market adoption, Optiweigh sets new standards in agritech, driving profitability and environmental stewardship across global farming communities.

AusAgritech Hall of Fame – Andrew Coppin

Andrew Coppin honored with Hall of Fame award presented by AusAgritech President Tim Neale. Andrew Coppin, Managing Director of Farmbot and Ranchbot, has significantly influenced the Australian agritech sector.

With over 9 years of experience in launching innovative technologies, he enhances farm productivity and sustainability. Andrew champions precision agriculture and IoT solutions like remote water monitoring, optimising operations nationwide. As a Founding Director of the Australian Agritech Association, he drives strategic growth, foreseeing significant global agritech market expansion. Andrew empowers farmers with transformative technology strategies for long-term success.

Best Early Stage: Rainstick – Sponsored by Digital AgriFood Summit

Rainstick winner of Best Early Stage award presented by Mick Schaefer from Food Agility CRC. Rainstick advances agriculture with its innovative VEF (Variable Electric Fields) seed treatment. Inspired by ancient practices, Rainstick uses electricity to enhance crop yields sustainably—boosting germination, seedling vigor, and biomass by 10%.

Trials confirm its efficacy across crops like sorghum and vegetables, offering a scalable, cost-effective solution to reduce chemical dependency and improve agricultural sustainability globally. Spearheaded by seasoned agritech leaders Darryl Lyons and Mic Black, Rainstick pioneers a greener future for farming.

Best Founder: CiboLabs – Sponsored by Farmers2Founders

Cibo Labs co-foudners Philip Tickle & Peter Scarth too out the Best Founder award presented by Britta Marsh of Farmers2Founders. Cibo Labs, founded by Philip Tickle and Peter Scarth, pioneers innovation in agricultural technology.

They address critical challenges in the livestock industry with groundbreaking solutions like the Australian Feedbase Monitor, benefiting over 5,000 farms across 100 million hectares. With a visionary team and robust partnerships, they’re setting global standards in sustainability and traceability, driving unprecedented industry growth and environmental stewardship.

Best in Broadacre: CropScanAg – Sponsored by GRDC

CropScanAg winner of Best in Broadacre award presented by Tom Giles of the GRDC. CropScanAg pioneers on-combine grain analysis with NIR technology, enabling real-time protein, moisture, and oil measurement.

This innovation empowers farmers to optimize harvest efficiency and grain marketing decisions, enhancing profitability and sustainability. With global adoption and strategic partnerships, CropScanAg leads the charge in precision agriculture, setting new standards for on-field grain analysis and management.

Best in Ag Climate Tech: Agronomeye – Sponsored by Beanstalk Drought Venture Studio

Agronomeye winner of Best in AgClimate Tech award presented by Natalie King from Beanstalk Drought Venture Studio. Agronomeye pioneers Climate AgTech with its revolutionary LiDAR-based AgTwin™ platform, offering farmers precise insights through 3D digital twin technology.

By integrating LiDAR scanning and hydrological modeling, Agronomeye enhances sustainable land management, water efficiency, and biodiversity conservation. With robust customer validation and strategic partnerships, Agronomeye leads the charge in transforming agriculture towards resilience and profitability in challenging climates.

Best in Water, Aquaculture & Fisheries: WiseConn – Sponsored by AgVic

Wiseconn, winner of the Best in Water, Aquaculture & Fisheries award presented by Dougal Purcell of AgVic. WiseConn tackles water scarcity in agriculture with a cloud-based irrigation system.

By using real-time data from strategically placed sensors, WiseConn optimizes water usage, improving crop yields and reducing costs. This innovative approach not only conserves water but also supports sustainable farming practices, enhancing both environmental and economic outcomes.

Best in Horticulture: BioScout – Sponsored by Hort Innovation

BioScout winner of Best in Horticulture award presented by Jesse Reader from Hort Innovations. BioScout transforms disease management in agriculture by detecting airborne fungal spores in real-time.

This innovative technology helps growers optimize fungicide use, reduce crop losses, and enhance yields sustainably. With deployments across global markets and partnerships with industry leaders, BioScout is reshaping agriculture with its advanced sensor solutions, driving economic efficiency and environmental sustainability in horticulture.

Best Scale Up: FarmLab – Sponsored by Agrifutures growAG

FarmLab, winner of the Best Scale Up award presented by Arianna Sippel of Agrifutures growAG. FarmLab offers a scalable agronomic data collection platform for soil, plant, and water sampling.

By digitising and streamlining data collection, FarmLab empowers farmers to optimise production, manage yields, and generate carbon offsets, enhancing agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability.

Best in Food Tech: Whole. – Sponsored by KPMG High Growth Ventures

Whole., Winner of Best in Food Tech, presented by Kylie Little of KPMG High Growth Ventures Whole. revolutionises plant-based food production with its WINX™ technology, which enables cost-effective, large-scale manufacturing of plant-based ingredients and flavors.

Free of chemical processing and waste, WINX™ retains all the nutritional goodness of original ingredients, enhancing the quality and taste of plant-based foods while promoting sustainability.

Best in Livestock: Optiweigh – Sponsored by SproutX

Optiweigh, winner of Best in Livestock award presented by Maxie Juang SproutX. Optiweigh addresses a major challenge in livestock management by enabling continuous, real-time weight monitoring without moving animals.

This innovation enhances productivity, environmental sustainability, and farm profitability. With rapid ROI, proven market demand, and significant impact on reducing livestock emissions, Optiweigh is a game-changer in the agricultural industry.

2024 Gala Partners

2023 Australian Agritech Awards & Gala

Showcasing Australian agritech ecosystem innovators, business leaders, ecosystem builders, and movers and shakers in the Agritech ecosystem

More about the success of the 2023 event

Agritech Startup of the Year: DataFarming – Sponsored by Telstra

Precision Agriculture should be affordable and easy to use is the motto of DataFarming and the reason they build simple, low cost precision agriculture solutions. Established in 2017, the company is owned and operated by Australian precision agriculture specialists, Tim & Peta Neale, who are proud to work with agribusinesses, universities and R&D organisations, government agencies, agronomy service providers and individual producers across Australia and the world.

AusAgritech Hall of Fame:
David Holmgren & Bill Molison

Popularly seen as a ‘cool’ form of organic gardening, permaculture could be better described as a design system for resilient living and land use based on universal ethics and ecological design principles.

Although the primary focus of permaculture has been the redesign of gardening, farming, animal husbandry and forestry, the same ethics and principles apply to design of buildings, tools and technology. Beyond identification of specific projects within the broad church of Australian regenerative agriculture and enabling agri-technologies, permaculture has, perhaps more potently, worked as a positive agent of influence in shifting the focus towards the wise husbandry and regeneration of both natural and human capital more generally.

Best Founder: RapidAIM – Sponsored by Bayer

RapidAIM provide highly accurate, real-time pest detection information and forecasts to growers so they can take faster and more targeted management action, Their award winning IoT services use capacitance sensing and the worlds narrowband networks to send instant alerts to the growers phone via an app when target pests are present.

RapidAIM enables growers to target their control at the time of day when pests are most active and then validate when the control is working.

Best Early Stage: CiboLabs – Sponsored by CEAT

CiboLabs is and agricultural data analytics company that has bought a completely new approach to monitoring Australia’s grazing lands using satellite data and is aiming to underpin more profitable far,s and more sustainable landscapes.

They combine world-leading science in remote sensing and machine learning with on-farm knowledge to bring new levels of understanding in pasture productivity and land condition to every farm, paddock or feild in Australia.

CiboLabs maintain close ties with world leading research institutions, leading farm management software companies and most importantly, directly involves farm managers in product and service development.

Best Scale Up: Figured – Sponsored by Agrifutures

Figured’s mission is to improve the financial performance of farming, which they do by connecting financial advisors, farmers and producers, and capital providers in a shared online cloud management accounting platform built specifically to address the challenges of farming.

By doing this, they believe they can ultimately contribute to the overall growth and success of agriculture across Australia. Figured believe their commitment to making a positive impact, and their continual focus on how they can empower farmers to make informed financial decisions in an industry where volatility is the norm is what sets them apart in the agritech industry.

Best in Livestock: Agriwebb – Sponsored by MacCap

Precision Agriculture should be affordable and easy to use is the motto of DataFarming and the reason they build simple, low cost precision agriculture solutions.

Established in 2017, the company is owned and operated by Australian precision agriculture specialists, Tim & Peta Neale, who are proud to work with agribusinesses, universities and R&D organisations, government agencies, agronomy service providers and individual producers across Australia and the world.

Ag Climate Tech: Bardee – Sponsored by Climate Salad

Bardee is the largest insect breeding, fertiliser and protein producer in Australia, and their products are helping to make agriculture more sustainable, offsetting carbon by diverting food waste from landfill, and replacing unsustainable feed and fertiliser in the food system.

The vertical farming system Bardee use to transform waste, uses no additional water and produces two product streams: insect protein and frass fertiliser. These products can replace things like meat, and soy in the food system that have a big negative impact on the environment, like deforsitation and overfishing. Reshaping the global food system to Bardee menas that transforming waste into useful products, they can create a more sustainable, circular food system that will feed generations to come.

Best in Horticulture: Green Atlas – Sponsored by SVG Thrive

Green Atlas is an agricultural services company that assists tree-crop growers in managing the lifecycle of every fruit on every tree or vine in their orchard. Their orchard scanning system, called ‘Cartographer’, uses cameras and LiDAR mounted to a ground vehicle to scan crops at high speed with high reliability and repeatability.

This patented imaging technology is unique and field proven, leveraging a decade of world – leading University research in the application on AI and Machine Learning to tree crops. Green Atlas look forward to continuing our business expansion; through the addition of new geographies and regions; extension to new crops and phenological stages in addition to our already extensive list; and through investment in new automated technologies with the aim of increasing the specificity of the treatment of trees and vines to unlock orchard efficiencies that are simply not possible through manual labour alone.

Best in Broadacre: DataFarming – Sponsored by SproutX

Precision Agriculture should be affordable and easy to use is the motto of DataFarming and the reason they build simple, low cost precision agriculture solutions.

Best in Water, Aquaculture & Fisheries: SWAN Systems – Sponsored by Pivotel

SWAN Systems is the leader in irrigation technology optimisation, the industry’s first software and services suits that ensures the business of irrigation management. Their technology integrates, upgrades, and enables the strategic touch points between business and agronomy, ensuring your irrigation management practices always yeild the intended results.

Their holistic approach to irrigation management sets them apart from the competition. They leverage sophisticated algorithms and points of data across an operation to convert complex, confusing technologies into streamlined, efficient management systems. SWAN Systems are also not tied to a specific piece of hardware which allows the company to scale with their customers seamlessly and gives them the opportunity to integrate across a diverse range of operations. Essentially, this enables them to serve as the backbone of the entire agricultural water value chain

Best Food Tech: PostHarvest – Sponsored by NAB

PostHarvest are on a mission to reduce fresh produce loss in the food supply chain with its sensor technology. They’re driven by the alarming statistic that up to 45% of fresh produce is either lost or wasted each year. It is a problem that needs attention in many areas, and PostHarvest believe their sensor technology is a solution to a lot of early-stage problems within the supply chain.

This year is a milestone for PostHarvest as customer trials are underway and they’re looking to broaden their reach, so the increased visibility for their company via winning this award is welcomed warmly.