AI Forum New Zealand – Te Kāhui Atamai Iahiko o Aotearoa is proud to announce the 2026 Aotearoa AI Awards.

Our awards recognise individuals and organisations who have shown leadership, innovation, foresight and originality in the research, development and application of AI. These prestigious awards provide inspirational recognition of the best AI talent in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Finalists will be announced during the Aotearoa AI Summit, 8-9 September, 2026. Entrants in the Awards will receive a 20% discount to the Aotearoa AI Summit. Winners will be announced at the Aotearoa AI Awards Ceremony on 18 November.

• Trailblazer in AI Innovation - Recognising the creation of novel, market-ready AI technology.
• Te Ao Māori & Pasifika AI - Recognising AI innovation led by Māori and Pasifika individuals, teams and organisations.
• Best Implementation of AI in Aotearoa - Recognising the successful deployment of AI with measurable impact in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Rising AI Star - Recognising emerging AI leaders in Aotearoa with high potential.
• AI Changemaker of the Year - Recognising an individual making a significant contribution to the AI industry.
• AI Research Pioneer- Recognising academic research excellence
• Aotearoa AI People’s Choice - Chosen by the Aotearoa AI Summit audience from the category finalists. Voting opens on 8 September 2026.

Key Dates

• Entries close: 23 July 2026 (11:59pm NZT)
• Finalists announced: 8–9 September during the Aotearoa AI Summit at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wellington
• Finalist interviews: 13–14 October (45-minute online interview with judging panel)
• Winners announced: 18 November at the Aotearoa AI Awards Ceremony at AUT City Campus, Auckland.

Submission Process

1. Choose your award category
   Select the category you’re entering and prepare your submission. You can enter the same project or initiative in multiple categories.
    
2. Complete the entry form (required)
   Answer the questions and provide the written information as requested in the entry form.
    
3. Submit your videos (required)
   This is your opportunity to bring your entry to life.
   
   3a. 5-minute video pitch: clearly explain your work and why it should win.
   3b. 1-minute video summary: a short version of your pitch. If you’re selected as a finalist, this video will be used for promotion (including public-facing channels)
   
   We recommend creating the 1-minute summary be editing your 5-minute pitch to highlight:
   - the challenge or opportunity addressed
   - the AI solution or innovation implemented
   - the key outcomes, impact or benefits achieved
    
4. Upload supporting documents (optional)
   You may upload up to three supporting documents for the judges to review

General Entry Guidelines

• Create a login to access the entry forms and submit an entry.
• Entry and nomination are free.
• You can enter the same project or initiative in multiple categories.

Eligibility

• Teams and organisations must have been operating in New Zealand during the period the submitted work was produced.
• For individual categories, entrants must be New Zealand citizens or residents working in New Zealand during the period the work was produced.

Conflicts of interest

• Entries cannot be accepted by individuals or organisations sponsoring the same 2026 award category.
• Organisations represented by a judge are not eligible to enter the awards.

Category Notes

• The AI Researcher Award has separate criteria and instructions. Please login to Judgify to review the category specific information.
• The People’s Choice Award cannot be entered directly. Eligible entries are the finalists of all other categories.

Judging Criteria
Entries are evaluated fairly regardless of the entrant’s working environment, including academia, laboratories, business, or independent practice.

Judges will assess entries based on:

• Achievement and impact
• Clarity and depth of the submission
• Alignment with the category criteria
• Ethical, fair, and impartial consideration

Conflicts of Interest
Judges must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from scoring affected entries. Remaining judges’ scores will be averaged in place of the recused judge’s score.