This year marked the inaugural NI Tech Awards, and I was lucky enough to experience it firsthand.
Back in Sri Lanka, I’ve been to many tech award ceremonies — I’ve even won a few myself, years ago. But stepping into Belfast’s first-ever celebration of its own tech ecosystem felt special in a different way. There’s something powerful about being present at the start of a tradition, watching a community come together to recognise its talent, energy, and momentum.
Unlike the black-tie award nights I’ve seen elsewhere, this wasn’t about rigid formality. The NI Tech Awards were designed to be fun, community-driven, and high-energy — a party where founders, teams, enthusiasts, and ecosystem champions could truly celebrate without the stuffiness.
The very first NI Tech Awards lit up Revolución de Cuba with a fresh, vibrant celebration of innovation, talent, and community across Northern Ireland’s tech sector, on Thursday 25th September 2025.
The event broke away from the traditional gala format, bringing together hundreds of founders, startups, scale-ups, FDIs, and professionals for a night that was all about recognition, connection, and celebration. With over 250 entries across 11 categories, the awards highlighted the outstanding individuals, teams, and companies shaping the future of technology in Northern Ireland.
The evening was hosted by comedian Emer Maguire, whose humour and energy kept the crowd buzzing, and it was proudly organized as part of Belfast Tech Week, led by Simon Bailie — another signal that Belfast’s tech ecosystem is growing not just in scale but in confidence.
🏆 2025 Winners & Runners-Up 🏆
Best Development Team
🥈 Inclutech
Best Meetup of the Year
🥇 Women in Tech
🥈 MCS Group Data Meetup
Most Innovative Project
🥇 Ctrl Alt
🥈 LegifyAI
Social Impact Award
🥇 Inclutech
🥈 Adepta Partners
Technologist of the Year
🥇 Anastasiia Kuzina (Payroc)
🥈 Kris Jones (iVerify)
UI/UX Designer of the Year
🥇 Rachel Sloan (Big Motive)
🥈 Aynsley Longridge (Ctrl Alt)
Best Tech Start-Up
🥈 Saltroad
Rising Star
🥇 Yuan Zhang (Liberty IT)
🥈 Claire Mulholland (TPICAP)
Community Champion of the Year
🥇 Alastair Cameron (TechTides)
🥈 Mairin Murray (TechFoundHer)
Tech Visionary of the Year
🥇 Lee Skillen (Cloudsmith)
🥈 Andrew Gough (GCD)
Tech Company of the Year
🥇 Axial3D
For More Information: https://nitechawards.com/
A Night for the Community
The NI Tech Awards were created to shine a light on the people and projects driving innovation across Northern Ireland. Instead of a sit-down dinner, the awards embraced a high-energy, celebratory atmosphere — with music, laughter, and the tech community coming together to cheer on their peers.
As Simon Bailie, founder of Belfast Tech Week and co-host of the evening, put it:
“The NI Tech Awards are about more than just trophies — they’re about celebrating the energy, creativity, and community that make Northern Ireland’s tech sector so special. This first edition was proof that recognition can be fun, informal, and truly for the people who make the ecosystem thrive.”
Sponsors Who Made It Possible
None of this would have been possible without the support of sponsors:
✨ Headline Sponsor: MCS Group
👏 Supported by: Raven, Payroc, and Clockwise
Their backing goes beyond logos on a screen — it’s a statement of belief in the potential of Northern Ireland’s tech ecosystem.
Looking Ahead
With the first year a resounding success, planning is already underway for NI Tech Awards 2026. Expect more categories, more stories to celebrate, and another night that captures the energy of NI’s thriving tech community.
For me personally, this night was about more than watching winners walk away with trophies. It was about witnessing a community recognising itself, celebrating its achievements, and signalling that Belfast’s tech moment has truly arrived.
Having seen tech awards in other parts of the world — and even stood on stage as a winner myself back in Sri Lanka years ago — I can honestly say this felt different.
The NI Tech Awards may have started in 2025, but I have no doubt they’ll become a defining tradition for years to come.
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