Through the awards, we aim to inspire and empower data professionals to lead with innovation and ethics, driving positive change and delivering impactful outcomes for the Australian public.
The awards
The APS Data Awards were created in 2023 to celebrate achievement across the Australian Government data landscape. The awards highlight innovative and resourceful solutions implemented across the Australian Public Service (APS) that use data to make a difference to the Australian community.
We’re looking to recognise projects that push boundaries and demonstrate the power of data to improve services and/or policy development.
Award categories
For the 2026 Data Awards there are now seven categories.
To better reflect the evolving data landscape, we’ve updated some categories and their criteria and merged two of the previous categories.
For 2026, the ‘Data Engineering’ and ‘Innovative, Ethical and Responsible Use of AI’ categories have been merged into a single category: Data Systems and Innovations. This acknowledges AI’s growing role as a system or tool that spans across all categories.
The Data Leadership category has been clarified to better define its criteria, with a stronger focus on building data capability and impact alongside leadership.
APS Data Awards organisers
The awards program is an initiative of the APS Data Profession and is organised by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on behalf of the profession. Questions and enquiries can be directed to our Awards team at info@apsdataawards.gov.au.
Join the APS Data Profession
The APS Data Profession is open to all APS employees interested in learning more about data and working with it. The APS Data Profession caters to emerging and existing data specialists, sophisticated data users and producers through knowledge sharing, peer-based learning and career development opportunities.