2026 Award Winners
In 2026, the MAVlab Innovation Awards recognised 15 winners across 13 diverse categories.
On Thursday 17 September 2016, we celebrated the people and projects driving change across Victoria. The awards celebration showcased how councils are delivering innovation with real community impact from future climate leadership to always-on community engagement practices, infrastructure for thriving communities and much more.
Discover the 2026 MAVlab Innovation Awards Winners below, then dive into the 2026 chapter of the MAVlab Innovation Case Study Library featuring all 40 finalists.
2026 Innovatio Pro Bono Publico Award: Established Leader (CEO), supported by Davidson
Winner:
- Jacqui Weatherill, CEO, City of Greater Dandenong.
2026 Innovatio Pro Bono Publico Award: Emerging Leader, supported by JLT Public Sector
Winner:
- Ann Ly, Secretariat, Community Advocacy Officer, City of Greater Dandenong.
The Community Voice Award for Inclusive Democratic Engagement, supported by Australian Resilient Democracy Network (ARDN)
Winners:
- Council Plan 2025-2029, Greater Shepparton City Council (Joint Winner).
- Talking Kingston, Kingston City Council (Joint Winner).
The Connector Award for Inclusion and Community Cohesion, supported by YLab
Winner:
- Disability at Dusk, City of Casey, City of Greater Dandenong and Cardinia Shire Council.
The Dollars and Sense Award for Impactful and Innovative Business Operations, supported by SenSen Networks
Winner:
- Stronger Together: A shared Cyber Security model for Local Government, City of Greater Bendigo.
The Horizon Award for Future Climate Change Leadership and Action, supported by Infrastructure Sustainability Council
Winner:
- Zero Emissions Initiative with Kingston’s Local Business, Kingston City Council.
The Resilient Infrastructure Award for Emergency-ready Community Systems, supported by Matter
Winner:
- Energy Resilient Community Hubs, Bass Coast Shire Council.
The Skilled to Serve Award for Capability Uplift, supported by DataScape
Winner:
- From Compliance to Insight: AI-Powered Gender Impact Assessments, Gannawarra Shire Council.
The Smooth Operator Award for Service and Systems Optimisation and Transformation, supported by Atturra
Winner:
- Stronger Together: A shared Cyber Security model for Local Government, City of Greater Bendigo.
The Storytelling Award for Inclusive and Engaging Council Communications, supported by RMIT Regenerative Futures Lab
Winners:
- Poetic Portraits, Monash City Council (Joint Winner)
- THIS! Is Kingston, Kingston City Council (Joint Winner).
The Stronger Together Award for Council Collaboration, supported by Davidson
Winner:
- Yering Billabongs Project, Yarra Ranges Shire Council.
The Thriving Places Award for Design and Planning Excellence, supported by JLT Public Sector
Winner:
- Doing Planning Differently, Murrindindi Shire Council.
The Wellbeing Award for Community Health Impacts, supported by Choosewell and the Local Government Employees Health Plan
Winner:
- Homelessness in Bass Coast: Scaling Collective Impact, Bass Coast Shire Council.