Finalists Announced for the 2025 Australian Not-for-Profit Technology Awards

The finalists are in! Today we’re thrilled to announce the inspiring changemakers selected as finalists for the 2025 Australian Not-for-Profit Technology Awards — a celebration of innovation, impact and the people powering progress in our sector.

As part of the 21st annual Technology for Social Justice Conference, the Tech Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations using technology to drive social good across Australia. With submissions from every corner of the country, this year’s finalists reflect the depth of creativity, collaboration and digital innovation happening across the not-for-profit sector.

From AI-powered chatbots supporting homelessness services, to citizen-driven deforestation tracking, to digital hubs preserving Indigenous culture and stories — the 2025 finalists are proof that technology, when thoughtfully applied, is transforming lives.

2025 Finalists by Category

Not-for-profit Technology Innovator of the Year

• Containers for Change – Container Collect Home Collection
  
  A revolutionary doorstep recycling service making it easier than ever for Queenslanders to contribute to a cleaner future — with over 30 million containers collected in FY24.

• Freedom Line – AUSCAM Freedom Project
  
  A digital helpline protecting girls from sexploitation, recently enhanced with a virtual assistant and digital strategy that’s scaling its national reach.

• Empowering Participants – The Housing Hub’s Housing Roadmap
  
  A co-designed virtual tool helping people with disability understand their housing options and build capacity toward independent living.

• Resource Hubs – Benefolk
  
  Three national online hubs offering hundreds of free resources and access to 50 sector experts, aimed at strengthening NFP capability and wellbeing.

• Watch on Nature – The Wilderness Society
  
  A citizen-powered digital platform using satellite imagery to detect and report deforestation across Australia in real-time.

• Planet Starlight – Starlight Children's Foundation
  
  A vibrant online space bringing the joy of Captain Starlight to sick children in hospital, fostering connection, creativity and fun.

Best Achievement by a First Nations Person or Organisation

• Indigenous Governance Toolkit – AIGI
  
  A culturally responsive digital toolkit strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance through accessible, community-led learning.

• Indigenous Digital Archive – Dr Donna Odegaard AM / First Nations Broadcasting
  
  A historic project building hardware and software to store, index and protect over 38,000 pieces of culturally significant Indigenous media.

Best Accidental IT Person

• Lenka Brazda – Wombat Housing Support Services
  
  A youth worker turned AI innovator, Lenka created ‘WomBot’ — an AI chatbot revolutionising how people access homelessness support services.

• Melissa Bell – Barnardos Australia
  
  Despite no IT background, Melissa successfully led the rollout of a new case management system across 500 staff, bridging tech and practice.

• Kurt Everade – TIACS
  
  A counsellor turned tech lead, Kurt drove TIACS’ CRM transformation, balancing frontline care with complex IT project delivery.

• Tamra Smith – Community Restorative Centre
  
  Tamra led a major restructure of the team's IT Department, upgrading the CMS and leading the development stage and change management process, ensuring smoother client information workflows.

• Paul Ballard – Marine Rescue NSW
  
  A volunteer and digital pioneer, Paul has developed training videos, websites and tools that have improved marine safety and volunteer engagement.

• Michael Brown – Community Based Services
  
  A business support officer who stepped into an IT support role to reduce costs, relieve pressure, and optimise internal systems for impact

Volunteer of the Year

• Edan Ellison – Holistic Avenue
  
  Since 2018, Edan has voluntarily managed digital marketing and tech projects, including a support app for family violence prevention.

• Graham Grundy – AMaGA WA
  
  A long-time digital preservationist, Graham recently launched WestPride Archives, helping LGBTQIA+ heritage groups preserve and access records safely.

• Guillermo Ramallo – LatinOZ QLD
  
  Guillermo has led a digital transformation — from cybersecurity audits to custom-built no-code apps — revolutionising systems and education for the entire organisation.

• Aiden O'Brien – Bat Conservation & Rescue QLD
  
  Aiden automated BCRQ’s call routing system and is developing a new database to track rescued bats from crisis to release and research.

Best Use of Data for Community Impact

• Collective Shout – Removing Tate’s Harmful Content
  
  Leveraged real-time campaign analytics to remove harmful content from major platforms, activating over 155,000 supporters in two weeks.

• ACCAN – Accessible Telecoms
  
  A searchable database with 120,000+ users helping people with disability identify affordable, accessible communications tools and services.

• Justice Connect – Embedding a Data-Driven Culture
  
  A strategic data shift embedding dashboards and geographic overlays to target outreach in low digital inclusion and disaster-prone areas.

• Jacqui Siebel, Anika Legal – Broken Bonds Report
  
  Analysed 147 rental bond disputes to expose systemic issues, reduce delays, and improve legal strategies for tenants.

• National Centre for Disability Advocacy – Capacity Tracker
  
  A real-time capacity dashboard to monitor service intake, support evidence-based advocacy, and enable smarter referrals and funding asks.

• CoAct – Data Dashboard for the Sector
  
  Created a secure dashboard to remove sensitive data, benchmark program models, and help teams spot service gaps using real community insights.

Technology for Community Impact

• “See, Hear, Believe” – LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness Foundation
  
  An eLearning program using interactive storytelling to empower workers to better support LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic violence.

• ImpactIQ – Enrichd
  
  An analytics dashboard that tracks both digital and real-world impact outcomes, giving purpose-led organisations deeper insight into their results.

• Volunteering Gateway – Volunteering Australia / DSS
  
  A national digital hub offering tools, resources and software to streamline volunteer management and strengthen sector collaboration.

• Power to Change – Tacklit + Helm
  
  A digital support tool that helps individuals reflect, track progress, and build personalised recovery plans for substance use or gambling.

• Membership Management Platform – GiveNow
  
  The only system designed for Australian community orgs to manage members securely and affordably, freeing up time for impact.

• Pathways to Wellbeing – Legal Tech Helper
  
  A bilingual, co-designed online navigator helping Vietnamese Victorians access mental health and legal support that’s culturally appropriate.
   

Join Us to Celebrate the Winners

Finalists will be celebrated and winners announced at the Australian Not-for-Profit Technology Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 7 May as part of the 2025 Technology for Social Justice Conference in Melbourne.

To everyone who applied — thank you for your vision, grit, and innovation. Your work is changing the future of social impact in Australia.

Stay tuned and follow along at conference.infoxchange.org for updates and highlights from this year’s event.