21 May 2025

Next stage set for Fieldays® Innovation Awards finalists

The 63 participants in the Fieldays® Innovation Awards have been evaluated by a panel of judges, and 20 have now been selected as finalists to progress to the final stage of judging. The next phase will take place at Fieldays, 11–14 June 2025 at Mystery Creek, Hamilton. The Awards ceremony will stream live on Fieldays' Facebook and YouTube pages for the public on Thursday, 12 June from 5:45pm, with category winners announced.

Judges noted the high calibre of entries this year, highlighting a strong focus on autonomous systems and data-driven decision-making. A recurring theme across the entries was the drive to create practical, scalable solutions to help shape how we work in the agricultural environment.

Fieldays Programme Manager Steve Chappell commented, “The judges were impressed by the participants again this year; it’s clear that innovators are genuinely tuned in to the sector’s real-world challenges — and are responding with tools that are not only clever but truly impactful.”

The Young Innovator of the Year has finalists across three schools. To qualify for this Award, applicants must be under 20 years old and have been selected as a participant in either Prototype, Early-Stage, or Growth & Scale Awards categories in the first round of judging in early April. Innovations in the running for the Young Innovator Award include Iona College's 100% sustainable soundproof felted wool pod, St John's College's home kill-infused fishing burley and St Paul's Collegiate School, which has three innovations – an efficient tool to remove the clips on kiwifruit orchards, a durable stainless reusable milk filter sock and an innovative lawn mower attachment. 

“It is exciting to see one of our Young Innovator Award finalists - KiwiPrune - selected as a Prototype Award finalist, competing alongside more established businesses”, adds Chappell.  
The Prototype Award, supported by Sprout Agritech and Blender Design is a place for inventors to test their idea. This category has finalists that include a whey protein biomass and bio actives, methane reduction slow-release bolus, an app for weighing cattle from a 3D image and a product that turns kiwifruit waste into eco-friendly, durable vegan leather.

The Early-Stage Award, supported by Map of Ag, features finalists who’ve launched commercially in the past year and are ready to grow. Innovations include a protein snack from surplus dairy calves, a portable microbiological analyser, a GPS guidance app for farm inputs, a low-chemical planting system, and a collagen ingredient made from sheepskin waste.

Finalists in the Growth & Scale Award, supported by NZME and King St, include laser-precision AI weed control, a crop sensor for evapotranspiration, a portable fruit analysis tool, on-farm mastitis diagnostics, and an AI assistant for streamlined herd management.

The finalists' and all participants' innovations can be viewed at the Fieldays Innovation Hub. Additionally, the Fieldays Innovation Trail layer can be turned on in the Fieldays App map to explore Innovation Awards entries at the exhibitors’ site. The People’s Choice Award lets visitors vote for their favourite innovation in the Hub. All 63 Awards participants are in the running and stand to take home a $2,000 cash prize from Fieldays, while one lucky voter will win a voucher for $500.

The Fieldays Innovation Awards are kindly supported by Sponsors Map of Ag, Gait International, King St. Advertising, NZME, Sprout Agritech, and Blender Design. For more information and to view the full list of participants visit www.fieldays.co.nz/innovation.  

Finalists in their award categories are: 

Young Innovator of the Year:
Iona College - The Shear Space 
St John's College - Purestock Burley 
St Paul's Collegiate School – DualCut 
St Paul's Collegiate School – KiwiPrune 
St Paul's Collegiate School – SteelSocks

Prototype Award supported by Sprout Agritech and Blender Design:
KiwiLeather Innovations 
Mara Bio Ltd 
Ruminant Biotech 
Scanabull Ltd - Scanabull Weigh App
St Paul’s Collegiate School - KiwiPrune

Early-Stage Award supported by Map of Ag:
Alps2Ocean Foods Tapui Limited - Mīti 
Bactosure  
Precision Farming - Spreadify 
RespondBio 
Tertiary Extracts Ōtautahi - Ovitage®

Growth & Scale Award supported by NZME and KingSt:   
Carbon Robotics - LaserWeeder G2 
CropX - Evato 1 
Landkind - Sunforest  
MastaPlex - Mastatest 
smaXtec Ltd - Digital Assistant