Festival of Innovation Awards 2026

The moment has come once again to celebrate the innovators, trailblazers and daring rulebreakers of the international public sector!

 

Nominations are now open for the Festival of Innovation Awards 2026, where we will acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding efforts and contributions of individuals and organizations in advancing innovation and digital transformation within the public sector of Asia Pacific.

 

The 2025 Awards saw 171 submissions across 107 agencies in 13 award categories, recognizing remarkable projects from limb savers to autonomous food waste robots.

 

Winners will be announced during the Festival of Innovation on 4th March 2026.

Individual Awards:

1. Dare to Do Award - Recognising officers who have challenged the status quo, overcame the odds and showed boldness in delivering services, products or processes.

 

2. Innovator of the Year Award - Recognising an officer who has innovated in their work or advocated for innovation in the workplace, whether through tech or simple ingenuity and originality.

 

3. Rising Digital Star Award - Recognising young public service officers who have advocated for digital innovation in their organisations and brought about positive change. 

 

4. Digital Leader of the Year Award - Recognising somebody who has shown true leadership, developing and growing their teams or agency in the digitalisation effort to deliver better services and outcomes.

 

Whole-of-Government (WOG) Award Category:

1. Inter-Agency Award - Recognising initiatives developed in co-ordination with other organisations to de-silo, improve collaboration and forge meaningful partnerships across agencies.

 

2. Agility Award - Acknowledging initiatives developed and implemented in response to challenges and needs in a fast-changing operating landscape.

 

3. Digital Society Award - Recognising digital initiatives/ efforts that have delivered ease of service or transformed experiences for citizens or businesses. 

 

4. Digital Government Award - Recognising digital initiatives/ efforts that have delivered more efficiency and productivity in internal processes.

 

5. Digital Economy Award - Recognising initiatives/ efforts that have helped built a more vibrant economic landscape in the country.

 

6. Moon Shot Award - Recognising bold, transformative initiatives that drive extraordinary impact and innovation. 

 

7. AI-Ready Award - Honouring those leading the way in adopting AI to enhance efficiency, decision-making, and innovation.

 

8. Transformative Agency of The Year Award  - Honouring public sector organizations driving bold, lasting change through innovation and impact.

 

9. Digital Agency of The Year Award - Recognising the agency which has brought about the most impactful change towards realising the country's digital objectives.

 

Eligibility and Submission Guidelines

1. These awards are open exclusively to ministries, agencies and town councils in the public sector. We accept nominations internationally.

2. All nominations must be submitted by 31st Jan 2026 at 12:00pm (GMT+8).

3. Nominations must highlight projects, initiatives, or work carried out between Mar 2025 and Jan 2026.

4. Multiple nominations are allowed, both within and across categories.

5. You must be registered for the Festival of Innovation 2026. Click here to register.

 

Winners from Festival of Innovation Awards 2025

 

Individual Award Category

1. Dare to Do Award:
Winner: Team SustainaHaul, ITE College Central, Singapore
Special Mentions: 
• Travel Link, Big Data Institute, Thailand
• Visual Reality Cue Therapy, Singapore Prisons Service, Singapore
• Medical Device Oversight Committee Program, Synapxe, Singapore

2. Innovator of The Year Award
Winner: SWiFT Office, Republic of Singapore Air Force, Singapore
Special Mentions: 
• Sameeyul Ameen S/O Haji Sulaiman, Singapore Prisons Service, Singapore
• Zhao Wanting, National Healthcare Group, Singapore

3. Digital Leader of The Year Award
Winner: YBHG. DATUK TS. DR. Fazidah Binti Abu Bakar, Jabatan Digital Negara, Malaysia
Special Mentions: 
• Tay Gek Peng, Republic of Singapore Air Force, Singapore
• Teo Li Li, Sentosa Development Corporation, Singapore
• Liu Lung Kwan, Central Provident Fund Board, Singapore

4. Rising Digital Star Award
Winner: Nicole Lee, Government Technology Agency, Singapore
Special Mentions: 
• Teo Kwok Rong Oliver, RAiD, RSAF, Singapore
• Goh Zhong Yi, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, National University Healthcare System,Singapore

 

Whole-of-Government (WOG) Award Category

1. Inter-Agency Award
Winner: Alliance for Digital Transformation (ADX) Program, GovTech, Singapore Armed Forces/ MINDEF, Singapore
Special Mentions: 
• Digital Document Management System 2.0, Jabatan Digital Negara, Malaysia
• ServiceSG Centre, Public Service Division, Singapore

 

2. Agility Award
Winner: SecureMobilePilot, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
Special Mentions:
• Central Provident Fund Board, Singapore
• "e-Social" portal, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population, Republic of Azerbaijan

3. Digital Society Award
Winner: Discover Civic Action (DCA) platform, National Youth Council, Singapore
Special Mentions: 
• Recommended Security Apps List, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
• Onboard Booking System, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore

 

4. Digital Government Award
Winner:Vital, Ministry of Finance, Singapore
Special Mentions:
• Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority, UAE
• Central Provident Fund Board, Singapore
• Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
• Development Bureau, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

5. Digital Economy Award 
Winner:Sentosa Development Corporation, Singapore
Special Mentions: 
• Big Data Institute, Thailand
• Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
• Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation

6. Moon Shot Award
Winner: The Limb Savers @JurongHealth, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital
Special Mentions: 
• Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Malaysia
• Makyung in Metaverse, National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA), Malaysia
• SGH RTLS (Real-Time Location System) Journey, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore

7. AI-Ready Award
Winner:Synapxe, Singapore
Special Mentions:
• Accountant-General's Department, Singapore
• National University of Singapore
• Jabatan Digital Negara, Malaysia

8. Transformative Agency of The Year
Winner: Republic of Singapore Air Force, Singapore
Special Mentions: 
• Sentosa Development Corporation, Singapore
• Vital, Ministry of Finance, Singapore
• Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population, Republic of Azerbaijan
• Republic of Singapore Air Force, Singapore

9. Digital Agency of The Year Award
Winner: Synapxe, Singapore
Special Mentions: 
• Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
• Infocomm Media Development Authority, Singapore
• State Social Protection Fund of Azerbaijan