National Awards
Each year the Pearcey Foundation recognises outstanding individuals for lifetime contributions to Australian ICT.
The Pearcey National Awards recognise lifetime contributions and outstanding achievements in Australian ICT.
The Pearcey Medal recognizes a distinguished lifetime of achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia.
The Pearcey Hall of Fame recognises individuals who have made very significant contributions into particular areas of Australia's ICT research, industry, or professional development.
The Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year gives prominence to one of the State Pearcey awardees for inspiring leadership, scale, impact, innovation and/or acclaim on the world stage .
Nominations can be received at any time.
The Pearcey National Awards are presented at special events that are iconic in the ICT industry and attended by the most influential decision makers in the industry. These events are generously supported by sponsors and new sponsors are always welcome!
The Pearcey Foundation very much appreciates the ongoing sponsorship by CSIRO and Data61 and their
continuous support of our national awards programs for most of the past twenty years.
Pearcey National Awards
2025 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2025 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award presented to Sam Kroonenburg, co-founder and CEO of A Cloud Guru, co-founder and co-CEO of Cuttable. Award was presented at a special dinner in Melbourne, by Professor Eduard Hovy, Executive Director of Melbourne Connect at the University of Melbourne. This was the flagship event of the Melbourne Connect Innovation Week.
UNSW Quantum Professor presented Hall of Fame
Prof Andrew Dzurak was elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame in November 2024. Unfortunately, Andrew was overseas at the time of the presentation and so the Chair of the Pearcey Foundation presented the certificate in person on Friday 14 February at the Diraq lab at UNSW Campus in Kensington, NSW.
2024 National Awards Gala
An evening of celebration and recognition, the Pearcey National Awards Gala incorporated the Queensland Entrepreneur Award, the National Entrepreneur Award, the Pearcey Hall of Fame and the Pearcey Medal. These most prestigious awards recognise outstanding Australians in the ICT sector for their entrepreneurial spirit, achievements and lifetime commitment to the betterment of our society through technology enabled change.
2024 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Professor Svetha Venkatesh, Professor Andrew Dzurak and Jan Kornweibel were inducted into the 2024 Pearcey Hall of Fame at the Pearcey National Awards night on 19 November 2024 in Brisbane. The presentations were made by David Tudehope (2023 Pearcey Medallist) and the Honourable Kate Lundy (2017 Pearcey Hall of Fame inductee).
2024 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2024 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Ian Croser AM and David Gaul, founders of CEA Technologies. The presentation was made by Emeritus Professor Roy Green AM at the Pearcey Foundation National Event on 19 November 2024 in Brisbane.
2024 Pearcey Medal
The prestigious 2024 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Professor Svetha Venkatesh at the Pearcey Foundation's National Event in Brisbane on 19 November 2024. The event also celebrated the 75th anniversary of Australia's first computer, CSIRAC, running its first software program in November 1949.
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Pearcey Award Recipient on TV
Chris Piastri, recipient of the 2024 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award is interviewed by 9News about his Pearcey award and the work he has done to receive this prestigious recognition.
2024 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2024 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award presented to Chris Piastri, co-founder and CTO of HP Tuners. Award was presented at a special dinner in Melbourne, by Professor Eduard Hovy, Executive Director of Melbourne Connect at the University of Melbourne. This was the flagship event of the Melbourne Connect Innovation Week.
2023 National Awards Announced
On October 31st in Sydney the Pearcey Foundation celebrated its jubilee year and presented its national awards. This included the Pearcey Medal awarded to Aidan and David Tudehope, co-founders of Macquarie Technology Group and Pearcey Fame inductees, Richard White, Founder and CEO of Wisetech Global, and Professor Jean Armstrong, engineer, inventor, teacher and researcher. The Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award recipient was Didier Elzinga, Founder and CEO of CultureAmp.
2023 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2023 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Didier Elzinga founder and CEO of Culture Amp, by Rick Harvey, National Awards Director of the Pearcey Foundation at the prestigious 2023 Pearcey National Awards gala dinner, in Sydney.
2023 Pearcey Hall of Fame
At the 2023 Pearcey National Awards gala dinner on Monday 30 October 2023 in Sydney, David and Aidan Tudehope, Richard White and Professor Jean Armstrong were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame. The Pearcey Hall of Fame is an individual award that recognises a distinguished lifetime of achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the Australian ICT industry.
2023 Pearcey Medal
The Pearcey Medal, the most prestigious annual individual award in the Australian ICT industry, in its 25th year, was awarded to brothers, Aidan and David Tudehope. David and Aiden founded Macquarie Technology Group in 1992 and have guided their company to become a fully integrated carrier, supplying voice, mobile, data networks & managed hosting solutions to business & government users in Australia & Asia.
2022 Pearcey Medal
The 2022 Pearcey Medal was presented to John De Margheriti, widely seen as a founding 'father' of Australia's video games industry. The presentation was made in Hobart by Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Tasmanian Minister for Science and Technology at a gala dinner held in conjunction with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and TasICT.
2022 Pearcey Hall of Fame
The Pearcey Foundation announced that John De Margheriti, Len Rust and Beven Slattery were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame. The presentations were made as part of the 2022 Pearcey National Awards at a gala dinner held in conjunction with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and TasICT in Hobart.
2022 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2022 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Dr. Mark Englund founder and CEO of FiberSense, by Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Minister for Science and Technology. The award was presented in Hobart as part of the prestigious 2022 Pearcey National Awards held in conjunction with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and TasICT.
2021 Pearcey Medal
David Thodey AO, was presented the prestigious Pearcey Medal as part of the 2021 Pearcey National Awards. The Pearcey Medal recognises a distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia.
2021 Pearcey Hall of Fame
David Thodey AO, Judy Hammond and Alan Noble were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at the annual Pearcey National Awards event held on Wednesday 24th November 2021 during a virtual presentation held via Zoom.
2021 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2021 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to the co-founder and CTO of DTEX Systems Mohan Koo by South Australian Premier Steven Marshall. The presentation was broadcast live on a national Zoom call, as part of the Pearcey Foundation's National Awards event.
2020 Pearcey Medal
Professor Jennifer Seberry was presented the prestigious Pearcey Medal as part of the 2020 Pearcey National Awards. The Pearcey Medal recognises a distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia.
2020 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2020 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design. The announcement was made during the 2020 Pearcey Foundation National Event, this year being a ‘virtual’ celebration held on 25 November 2020 on a national Zoom broadcast.
2020 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Emeritus Professor Jennifer Seberry, Jeff Whittle AO and Owen Hill were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at the annual Pearcey National Awards event held on Wednesday 25th November 2020 over a Zoom call.
2019 Pearcey Medal
The prestigious Pearcey Medal, which recognises a distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia, was presented to Professor David Abramson.
2019 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award
The 2019 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Craig McDonald, CEO and Founder of Mailguard, at the annual Pearcey national Awards gala dinner on 14th November 2019 in Melbourne.
2019 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Professor David Abramson, Sonja Bernhardt OAM and Bob Beaumont were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at the annual Pearcey National Awards dinner held on Thursday 14th November 2019 in Melbourne.
2018 Pearcey Medal
The prestigious Pearcey Medal, which recognises a distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia, was presented to Dr Dennis Cooper.
2018 Pearcey Entrpreneur Award
The 2018 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Tony Clark at the ACS 2018 Digital Disruptor Awards gala dinner on 1 November 2018 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
2018 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Dr Dennis Cooper, Emeritus Professor Robin Stanton, and Dr Reg Coutts were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at the ACS National Awards dinner in Melbourne on Thursday 1st November 2018 in front of over 800 people.
2017 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2017 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Cyan & Collis Ta'eed at the ACS 2017 Digital Disruptor Awards gala dinner on 2 November 2017 at Sydney's Star Ballroom in Pyrmont. The Award was presented by Dr Mary O'Kane, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, and also the 2014 Pearcey Medallist.
2017 Pearcey Hall of Fame
At a gala dinner held on Thursday 2 November, 2017 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, Emeritus Professor Mike Miller AO, Senator (retired) Kate Lundy and Helen Meredith were inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame.
2017 Pearcey Medal
At a gala dinner held on Thursday 2 November 2017 at Sydney's Star Pyrmont NSW, Emeritus Professor Mike Miller AO was presented the 2017 Pearcey Medal by Dr Tim Wark, Director of Product, Programs & Marketing of Data61 at CSIRO.
2016 Pearcey Medal
At a gala dinner held on Thursday 1 December 2016 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, Stephen (Steve) Baxter was presented the 2016 Pearcey Medal by Adrian Turner, CEO of Data61 at CSIRO.
2016 Pearcey Hall of Fame
At a gala dinner held on Thursday 1 December 2016 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, Stephen Baxter, Jim Ellis OAM and Robin Eckerman (AM) were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame.
2016 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
The 2016 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Aaron Birkby at ACS's Digital Disruptor's gala dinner on 1st December 2016. The Award was presented by Dr Alex Zelinsky AO, Australia's Chief Defence Scientist and also the 2013 Pearcey Medallist.
2015 Benson Award
Tim Power was awarded the 2015 Benson Entrepreneur Award at the 2015 gala ACS Reimagination dinner held on Tuesday November 14th 2015 in Sydney.
2015 Pearcey Medal
At a gala dinner held on Tuesday 17 November 2015 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, David Merson was presented the 2015 Pearcey Medal by Hon. Victor Dominello, MP and NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation.
2015 Pearcey Hall of Fame
At a gala dinner held on Tuesday 17 November 2015 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, David Merson, Geoff Huston AM and Adrian Di Marco were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame.
2014 Pearcey Hall of Fame
At the 2014 iAwards Gala dinner held on Friday evening 29 August 2014 at Melbourne's Exhibition and Convention Centre, three eminent Australians were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame - Mary O'Kane AC, Peter Vogel and Dr Bob Frater AO.
2014 Pearcey Medal
Mary O'Kane AC, BSc., PhD., FATSE., FIEAust. was awarded the 2014 Pearcey Medal at a gala dinner held on Friday evening 29th August at the Melbourne Convention Centre.
2014 Benson Award
John De Margheriti was awarded the 2014 Benson Entrepreneur Award at the 2014 gala national iAwards event held on August 29th 2014 in Melbourne
2013 Pearcey Medal
Dr Alex Zelinsky AO was awarded the 2013 Pearcey Medal at the annual national iAwards gala event held on Thursday 8th August 2013 in Melbourne. He was appointed Vice-Chancellor at the University of Newcastle, NSW, in November 2018 and was named an Officer in the General Division of the 2017 Queens Birthday Honours List (AO), for "distinguished service to defence science and technology, to systems engineering and to education as an academic and researcher".
2013 Benson Award
Leni Mayo was awarded the 2013 Benson Award at the 2013 gala national iAwards event held on August 8th 2013 in Melbourne.
2013 Pearcey Hall of Fame
At the gala 2013 iAwards event held on Thursday evening 8th August 2013 in Melbourne, Dr Alex Zelinsky, Robert Elz and Dr Rod Tucker were elevated to the Pearcey Foundation's Hall of Fame.
2012 Pearcey Medal
Dr Mal Bryce AO, 2012 Pearcey Medallist, passed away at home in Perth Western Australia on 4th March 2018. Dr Bryce was a former WA deputy premier and has been remembered as "ahead of his time and a champion of innovation and technology" after the long-serving Labor stalwart died at the age of 74. Mal was accorded a State Funeral and a Memorial Service on Friday 13th April 2018 at the Curtin University Stadium in Perth Western Australia. A copy of the program for that service can be seen here.
2012 Benson Award
Bevan Slattery was awarded the 2012 Benson Entreprenuer Award at a gala dinner as part of the 2012 iAwards event held in Melbourne on Thursday evening 9th August.
2012 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Dr Greg Clark AC, Dr Mal Bryce and Dr Craig Mudge AO were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at a gala dinner held in Melbourne on Thursday evening 9th August 2012 in front of some 800 people. The award was made as part of the 2012 iAwards event and was presented by Mr Len Rust, a member of the Pearcey Foundation Executive Committee.
2011 Pearcey Medal
The 2011 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Mr Brand Hoff AM. The Pearcey Medal is Australia’s most prestigious Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry award to an individual who has made an outstanding life-long commitment to the ICT sector.
2011 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Brand Hoff AM, Dr Ann Moffatt and Dr Dennis Moore AM were inducted into the Pearcey Foundation's Hall of Fame at the 2011 iAwards gala dinner, held in Melbourne on the 4th August 2011. The presentation was made by Dr Ian Oppermann, Director ICT Centre, CSIRO, in the presence of the Governor of Victoria, His Excellency Alex Chernov and his wife Elizabeth and some 800 guests.
2011 Benson Award
At the 2011 iAwards gala dinner held in Melbourne on the 4th August 2011, the 2011 Benson Entrepreneur Award was given to Lars and Jens Rasmussen. The Lars brothers accepted the award via a video from Google headquarters in San Fransisco in the presence of the Governor of Victoria, His Excellency Alex Chernov and his wife Elizabeth, some 800 guests.
2010 Pearcey Medal
The 2010 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Mr John Grant. The Pearcey Medal is Australia’s most prestigious Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry award to an individual who has made an outstanding life-long commitment to the ICT sector.
2010 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2010 was John Grant, Brian Finn AO, and Emeritus Professor Peter Poole (Vale 2017)
2009 Pearcey Medal
The 2009 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Professor Murray Allen. The Pearcey Medal is Australia’s most prestigious Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry award to an individual who has made an outstanding life-long commitment to the ICT sector.
2009 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2009 was Dr Murray Allen, Mr Harry Wragge AM, and Dr Barry Thornton AM.
2008 Pearcey Medal
On Thursday 11th September 2008, Neville Roach AO was presented the 2008 Pearcey Medal by Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
2008 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2008 was Neville Roach AO, Dr Neil Weste, and Clive Finkelstein.
2007 National Award
The 2007 Pearcey National Award for Young Achievers was presented to Brett Hooker at the Pearcey National event dinner, Carlton Crest Hotel King George Square in Brisbane.
2007 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2007 was Roger Allen AM, Dr Rob Newman, and John Puttick.
2007 Pearcey Medal
On Thursday evening 1st November 2007, Roger Allen AM was presented the 2007 Pearcey Medal by Senator the Honorable Helen Coonan, Minister for Information and Communications Technology and the Arts at the annual Pearcey Foundation Awards evening in Brisbane attended by more than 130 ICT professionals. Fellow finalists Dr Rob Newman and John Puttick were admitted to the Pearcey Hall of Fame.
2006 Pearcey Medal
The 2006 Pearcey Medal was presented to Fiona Balfour at Pearcey National event, 28th September 2006 in Melbourne. The Award was presented by Senator The Hon Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
2006 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2006 was Fiona Balfour, Dr Cyril Brookes, and Max Burnet OAM.
2006 National Award
The 2006 National Pearcey Award for Young Achiever has been awarded to Luke Bereznicki of Tasmania. This national award recognises a particularly outstanding winner of the State Pearcey Award Winners from 2006.
2005 Pearcey Medal
The 2005 Pearcey Medal was presented to Emeritus Professor John O'Callaghan AM at the Pearcey National Event on Friday 14th October 2005 by the Hon Marsha Thomson - Victorian Minister for Information and Communication Technology.
2005 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2005 was Dr John O'Callaghan, Ashley Goldsworthy, and John O'Neil AO.
2005 National Award
At the 2005 National Pearcey Dinner the inaugural presentation of the National Award for Young Achiever was presented to Luke Howard. Finallists were drawn from the previous year State Award winners from NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria.
2004 Pearcey Medal
The 2004 Pearcey Medal was presented to Emeritus Professor John Bennett AO by Senator the Hon Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
2004 Pearcey Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2004 was Emeritus Professor John Bennett AO, Ormonde Browne, Ren Potts and Bob Bishop.
2004 Media Award
On Friday September 3 2004 the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Marsha Thomson, presented National Pearcey Media Award to John (Jack) Costello, former editor of Computerworld and Computer Weekly.
2003 Pearcey Medal
Prominent technology professional Ms Lyndsey Cattermole was awarded the 2003 Pearcey Medal by the Federal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston. The announcement was made at the Pearcey National Event gala dinner in Brisbane on 22 July 2003, attended by many of Australia's leading technology identities.
2002 Pearcey Medal
The 2002 Pearcey Medal was presented to Professor Bill Caelli AO by The Hon Rod Kemp, Minister for the Arts, on behalf of Senator Richard Alston, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, before a distinguished audience of 180 State and Federal Ministers, senior politicians, bureaucrats and I.T.T professionals, Pearcey Medallists and Pearcey Award winners, from every State and Territory, at a celebratory Dinner at the Hilton Hotel, Melbourne on 6th September 2002.
2001 Pearcey Medal
Industry stalwart, Tony Benson, was awarded the 2001 Pearcey Medal in recognition of his life-time commitment to the Australian IT industry. The highly prestigious award was presented to Mr Benson by the NSW Minister for Information Technology, Kim Yeadon, at a special dinner in Parramatta on Friday 9 November 2001.
2001 Media Award
On Saturday 1 September 2001 the Minister for State and Regional Development, John Brumby, presented the inaugural 2001 Nation Pearcey Media Award to Gary Barker, Technology Editor of the Melbourne Age.
2000 Pearcey Medal
The 2000 Pearcey Medal was presented to Mr George Kepper by Senator Richard Alston, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, before an audience of over 300 senior I.T. industry executives at the Hotel Sofitel in Melbourne, on 31 August 2000.
1999 Pearcey Medal
The 1999 Pearcey Medal was presented to Mr Trevor Robinson A.M. by Senator Richard Alston, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, before an audience of over 500 senior I.T. industry executives from the Asia-Pacific at the ASOCIO dinner in Parliament House Canberra on November 23rd.
