2026 National Game Changer Award finalists revealed
Recognising the trailblazers in social enterprise and social performance.
Photo: 2025 National Game Changer Award Winners
For 13 years, the Social Traders National Game Changer Awards has recognised the organisations and partnerships raising the bar on social performance in Australia. The awards spotlight businesses, government agencies and social enterprises proving that purpose and performance go hand in hand.
Social value is now core to how leading organisations do business. Customers, investors and employees expect businesses to support communities and the environment, and organisations lifting their social performance gain a competitive advantage.
Congratulations to the following 2026 award finalists demonstrating what's possible when purpose drives business.
Social Impact Partnership of the Year
Recognising collaborations between certified social enterprises, business and government members that unlocked real opportunity and delivered measurable social or environmental impact.
Finalists:
- Meals with Impact X Lendlease
- Multicultural Consulting Services X John Holland
- Prisoners Aid Association of NSW (Mates on the Move) X Mirvac
Social Enterprise Social Performance Pioneer
Recognises a certified social enterprise excelling in one or more social performance pillars: people, suppliers, customers and communities. This is about depth of impact, not breadth.
Finalists:
- Xstitch Health
- Natura Pacific
- Australian Spatial Analytics
Business Excellence in Social Performance
Acknowledges the changes member organisations implement to improve their social performance year on year, valuing progress over perfection.
Finalists:
- UNSW
- Fulton Hogan
- Westpac
Thank you to our judges for lending their expertise:
- Tom Dawkins, LendForGood Cofounder & Chief Impact Officer
- Elizabeth Chick-Blount, Chief Executive Officer at Buy Social Canada
- Dr Melissa Wheeler, Senior Lecturer and Executive MBA Program Director at RMIT
From bold innovators to powerful partnerships, the National Game Changer Award finalists are proving that when business is driven by purpose and not just profit, incredible things happen.
The countdown is on to Convene 2026, where we'll acknowledge these trailblazers and celebrate the winners, who we'll reveal on the day.
Social Value Through Business is the theme for Convene this year. Social performance has become part of core business strategy, driving resilience, talent attraction, contract wins and competitive advantage. Across two days, attendees will hear from organisations that have moved social performance from ambition to evidence, with real metrics, processes and business outcomes.
Learn more about Convene 2026 and don't miss out on attending one of Australia's largest social value conferences of the year.
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