The Australian Impact Investment Awards, an annual event by Impact Investing Hub and to be hosted at the Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific, celebrate the remarkable achievements across the impact investment ecosystem.
The Awards offer an opportunity for organisations and individuals to showcase and be recognised for their expertise, commitment and outstanding activity in the Australian impact investing sector in 2024.
Designed around similar criteria and categories to the Global Steering Group’s (GSG) Awards, nominations are now open for the Australian Impact Investment Awards across the six categories below.
Award Categories
Emerging Markets Impact Investment of the Year
This honour is for Investment Funds, Investment Strategies or Allocations, Project Finance deals, or Blended Finance deal structures that are actively executing (i.e., post-financial close) an impactful SDG-aligned investment strategy in emerging markets.
The category celebrates initiatives that deliver meaningful and measurable social or environmental outcomes while demonstrating alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At least one participant or partner must have a significant presence in or connection to Australia.
Impact Asset Owner of the Year
The honour will be conferred upon an institutional investor, superannuation fund, philanthropy/foundation, DFI/Government, family office/HNWI or corporation, who during the year creates a market-leading benchmark in capital allocation, distinctive investment theme, significant documented impact, new portfolio approach, tools and frameworks, and in the process, sets new standards for the impact investment industry.
This category is for organisations who own the underlying assets.
The 2023 Impact Asset Owner of the Year was Tripple.
Impact Asset Manager of the Year
The honour will be conferred on a fund, bank, dealmaker or intermediary, who sets a new sector benchmark in product innovation, marquee first-time LPs, attracting commercial or non-traditional capital, investment themes, significant documented impact or new portfolio approach, tools and frameworks, and in the process, sets new standards for capital allocation in the impact investment industry.
This category refers to organisations that manage the underlying assets.
The 2023 joint winners were Giant Leap Fund and Synergis Fund.
Impact Market Builder of the Year
The honour will be conferred on a government, policy think tank or a professional services company or advisory firm, for example in research, consulting, impact measurement, talent management or auditing which pushes sectoral thinking, fosters collaboration or catalyses field development efforts.
The 2023 Impact Market Builder of the Year was Remarkable.
Impact Enterprise of the Year
The honour will be conferred upon either a profit with purpose company (i.e., a social enterprise) or a non-profit social service provider actively using impact investments, which demonstrates a scalable solution which truly innovates in technology, cost or impact, efficiency or effectiveness and sets new impact standards for research and development.
The 2023 Impact Enterprise of the Year was Australian Spatial Analytics.
Individual Outstanding Achievement Award
The honour will be conferred on an individual that has made outstanding achievement in the past year to support the growth of the Australian impact investment market.
This award recognises an innovation, vision, significant change or development driven by the nominee that could be applied more broadly throughout the impact investing ecosystem.
The 2023 Individual Awards for Outstanding Achievement were:
- Michael Traill AM, Member of the Order of Australia, Chair of the Investment Committee at Australian Retirement Trust and Chair of the federal government’s Social Impact Investing Taskforce
- Belinda Drew, Deputy Director General, Communities at Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts Communities and Chair of the Board of SEFA
- Keith Rovers, Social Impact & Sustainable Finance and National Pro Bono Partner at MinterEllison
- Ben Gales, Chief Delivery Officer at the Paul Ramsay Foundation and Chair of the SEFA Investment Committee.
Awards Judging
The judging panel will work to identify one nomination in each of the following five categories, from Australia, who nominates himself/herself or his/her organisation or is nominated by any member of the public.
The judges will look for catalytic action, courageous first movers, scaling of capital and impact, and building critical infrastructure such as new institutions.
They are looking for real pioneers who’ve left the security of day jobs, taken professional and sometimes personal risks to till the ground and move the impact investment sector forward.
Nominations and Awards Dinner
Applicants are encouraged to apply at www.impactinvestinghub.org/impact-investment-awards.
Nominations close February 2, 2025.
This year’s Awards will be hosted at the Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific 2025, with winners to be announced during the Impact Investment Awards dinner on the evening of March 26, 2025.
The Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific 2025
The Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific will take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney from March 26-27, 2025.
The Summit — Asia Pacific’s premier impact investment event — is dedicated to driving capital towards social and environmental solutions and will showcase companies and funds that are positively impacting the world.
Tickets to the Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific and the Australian Impact Investment Awards Dinner can be purchased here: https://events.humanitix.com/impactinvestmentsummit2025
(Early Bird tickets are available until February 7 for at 30% discount.)
Founded in 2015, the Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific is recognised as the key event for impact investors in our region.
The Summit brings together institutional investors, advisors, foundations, family offices, government, organisations and enterprises to explore investment opportunities that couple financial returns, with social and environmental outcomes.
For more see: https://impactinvestmentsummit.com/