Fieldays Innovation Awards

Looking for the perfect platform to launch your innovative idea?

Look no further!

Apply below now for the 2024 Innovation Awards.

Do you have an idea you can’t wait to share with the world?

Fieldays is the ultimate launch platform for Innovation and we can’t wait to see how you are going to change the landscape of the Primary Industry.

Entries are encouraged from across the Primary Sector: Dairy, Meat, & Wool, Forestry, Horticulture (including Viticulture), Seafood (including Aquaculture and Fishing), Arable, and Agri Tech (including Food Tech and Green Tech).

International entries are welcomed in the Early-Stage and Growth & Scale categories.

About the awards

The Fieldays Innovation Awards deliver a global platform for creative problem-solvers to showcase their innovation to the primary industries while providing the opportunity to be recognised as a Fieldays Innovation Award winner.

Important dates:

Entries open – Now!

Entries close – 1pm, Wednesday 24 April 2024

Site Offers to Accepted Entrants - 6 May 2024

First-round Judging 6-20 May 2024

Short-listed Finalists notified - 20 May 2024

Online Judging of Short-listed Finalists – 4 and 5 June 2024

Onsite Judging of Short-listed Finalists - Wednesday 12 June 2024

Innovation Awards Function - Thursday 13 June 2024

Apply now below or email innovation@fieldays.co.nz with any queries.

Fieldays Innovation Awards

The Fieldays Innovation awards clearly represent the innovation lifecycle in three award categories: Prototype, Early-Stage, and Growth & Scale. Special recognition is also given to younger innovators, with an award for the Fieldays Young Innovator of the year.

The total prize package is over $70,000 worth of cash, services and products to help innovators in their journey to accelerate the growth of their products.

Fieldays Innovation Prototype Award

Test your idea with an audience of thousands and gather on-the-spot feedback!

Find out all the info about the Prototype Category.

Apply Here

Fieldays Innovation Early-Stage Award

Network with investors and corporate decision-makers to launch your product to the next level!

Find out all the info about the Early-Stage Category.

Apply Here

Fieldays Innovation Growth & Scale Award

Connect with industry professionals and showcase your international potential!

Find out all the info about the Growth & Scale Category.

Apply Here

Fieldays Innovation Young Innovator of the Year Award

Special recognition is also given to younger innovators, with an award for the Fieldays Young Innovator of the year.

All entrants in any category who are 19 years old and younger can indicate they would like to also be considered for this award, and potentially win $2,000.

Watch our recorded info session about the Fieldays Young Innovator of the Year Award.

Fieldays People's Choice Award

This year we are also introducing a People's Choice Award that all selected Innovation Awards exhibitors will be in the running for.

The winning entrant will receive $2,000 cash from Fieldays, and a lucky voter will receive a prize to the value of $500

Innovation Award Judges

Meet the judging pool for the Fieldays Innovation Awards. These judges are sector experts, and represent a wide range of experience from around the innovation eco-system.

Each year 15 of these judges participate in the judging process.

PETER DOWD

SHANE DOOLEY

BRENDAN O'CONNELL

JACQUELINE ROWARTH

DR HAYDN READ

GIL MERON

ROSIE SPRAGG

PROF. TONY PARKER

DR. JULIET ANSELL

ANDRE WISSE

JENNY CAMERON

ANDREW COOKE

DON GRAY

CRAIG WATKINSON

KATIE SIZELAND

JASON TUCK

KATHERINE SANDFORD

SAMUEL PARKINSON

JONATHAN PRINCE

STEPHEN HOFFMAN

Thanking and spotlighting our Fieldays Innovation Sponsors

Past Winners

Protecting your Innovation FAQs

A patent is a proprietary right in an invention. It provides the owner with the exclusive right for up to 20 years to make, sell or use a product or process. In exchange for this monopoly, the patent is published so others can see how the invention works and build on that knowledge. Once the patent lapses or expires, the invention is available for the public to use.

In New Zealand, no. Only the true and first inventor of the subject matter of the patent application, an assignee of that inventor or the estate of the inventor/assignee can apply for a patent in New Zealand. The assignee may be a person or a company.

You can apply for a patent up to six months after displaying your innovation at the event as Fieldays will gazette the event as an industrial or international exhibition with IPONZ,

No, to be patentable the subject matter of the application must be novel (i.e. new), inventive, and must have utility (i.e. be useful). In New Zealand patentable subject matter can include apparatus and products, processes, new uses of known products, foodstuffs and associated methods of manufacture, and some business methods and applications. However, some subject matter is excluded, such as methods of medical treatment of humans, schemes or plans, pure discoveries without an industrial use and naturally occurring substances or organisms.

View all IP FAQs

Innovation Awards FAQs

Fieldays Innovation Award - Prototype
Fieldays Innovation Award - Early Stage
Fieldays Innovation Award - Growth & Scale
Fieldays Young Innovator of the Year Award

The entry and Judging criteria can be viewed on our website.

We’ll be happy to help you find the right category to enter. Please call our Programme Developer Steve Chappell on 021642882 or email him at steve.chappell@nznfs.co.nz

Yes, you can – and we encourage you to! You are best suited to enter Prototype Innovation category where you can showcase ideas, design and prototypes that have the potential to improve rural practices

View all FAQs

| 2023

Fieldays Innovation Awards 2023 - Katherine Sandford

We were lucky enough to have tech-visionary Katherine Sandford, former Executive Chair at UBCO, as a guest speaker at the Fieldays Innovation Awards evening in June 2023.