The AV Industry celebrated its best and most innovative projects at the 16th annual Audio-Visual Industry Awards (the AVIAs), with a ceremony held during the Integrate trade show at Sydney’s International Convention Centre.

This year’s distinguished panel of judges, nominated by industry bodies AVIXA and AETM, were drawn from Australia and across the APAC region, coming together virtually to bring their expertise to bear on a wide spectrum of entries. The awards target excellence and innovation with the judges this year awarding projects that went beyond the everyday solutions, applying groundbreaking technology solutions that provided the performance, versatility or economy to meet or exceed their client’s expectations. Fittingly, the AVIA sponsor again this year is Dante, Australia’s home-grown powerhouse of innovation in AV technology.

Although developed, administered and presented by AV Technology, the AVIAs are only possible with broad industry participation, not least from those who have entered their projects for the Awards. We would like to thank our 2025 sponsor Dante for their assistance again this year and the Integrate show for their staunch support in providing the venue and catering for the ceremony. Finally, we appreciate and acknowledge the continuing backing from AVIXA and AETM, and the many hours spent by our volunteer judges.

So, to the winners. The Awards this year covered seven categories with entries drawn from projects completed in the calendar year 2024 for projects in the Commercial and Government sectors, in Education, Hospitality, Performance Venues, Places of Worship and AV Productions.

The AVIA winner is Intravision Pty Ltd for their work on the extensive AV upgrade to The High Court of Australia, Canberra.
The judges praised their detailed planning and precise execution that delivered a complex, future-ready AV over IP solution in an operational courtroom environment without compromising on functionality, compliance, or aesthetics. In particular, they noted the meticulous attention to detail, which saw the Intravision team create custom hardware finishes that visually blended with the heritage-listed architecture, maintaining a seamless look across all visible technology.

In recognition of a stellar field in this category, the Judging Panel awarded a Commendation for Excellence to Prime Technology Solutions with Umow and Wooster, for outstanding work on the new-build Wyndam Law Courts for Court Services Victoria.

The Judges were particularly struck by the extensive collaboration with the Architects, builders and joiners which allowed Prime to pre-build mounted, cabled and tested modular systems off-site for client inspection and acceptance. Each complete sub-system was configured as a tailored module that fit perfectly within each piece of bespoke courtroom furniture, slashing on-site installation times for each of the thirteen courtrooms from weeks to days.

In this well-contested category, the AVIA went to ProAV Solutions for their cleverly conceived Executive Experience Boardroom & Hybrid Collaboration Environment that, in the client’s words: “resolved an extremely complex set of requirements and challenges into a technical design that delivered simplicity and reliability, and most importantly an incredible experience for users.”

Noting that the ProAV design has now been adopted as a global standard by the client, the Judges commented: “The quality of installation stands out for its cleanliness and precision, and the design approach demonstrates a clear understanding of the client’s requirements and operational challenges.”

In the new category of Hospitality, the AVIA was awarded to Xcite Audio Visual, for a project designed to transform Level One of Sydney’s Plaza Hotel into a world-class club, inspired by Ibiza.

The judges highlighted the extensive simulation work, undertaken during the design phase, that allowed the client to see exactly how the system would look and operate. They considered Xcite’s outside the box thinking, in employing arena-standard transducers in a surround configuration to an indoor space, demonstrated a successful alignment of contemporary technologies with tailored client demands.

The clear winner in this category was CVAV who received the AVIA for an extensive audio system upgrade for the World Harvest Church, Suva.

The Judges applauded CVAV for going above and beyond in their execution of this logistically and technically challenging project. Their preparation was exemplary, with every component, down to the last metre of cable and the last nut and bolt of rigging, needing to be pre-packed and containerised for shipping to site. They were also particularly impressed by the in-depth engagement with the church community that led to real learning opportunities for those who will operate and maintain the system.

In this closely contested category the AVIA was won by Factory Sound for The Bunjil Theatre Immersive Audio Upgrade.

Factory Sound’s instillation made Bunjil the first venue in Victoria offering this level of immersive capability in a house system. The Judges agreed that one of the most meaningful outcomes of this project was the development of an ingenious control and routing structure that makes immersive audio accessible, even for staff who may not have deep experience with immersive sound systems. They concurred that the project deserved recognition for raising the bar, not just in what a PA system can do, but in how it can be operated and experienced.

The 2025 AVIA was awarded to Videopro for their work on the playing fields complex for St Joseph’s College Brisbane.

Given the challenges of a huge and flood-prone outdoor site, the judges were impressed by Videopro’s careful selection of components, each of which provided maximum performance and reliability within the restricted budget. Overall, they considered that the design and execution of this project demonstrated a clearly thought-out integration of the multiple audio, video & control elements with a focus on satisfying both users and audiences.

This year’s was awarded to Novatech Creative Technology in recognition of their comprehensive and original AV design for the 2024 Adelaide 500 State Dinner.

The judges praised the originality of Novatech’s concepts as they present fresh ideas to their customer for each succeeding year. In applying the techniques of projection mapping in a such a novel and technically complex way, their close coordination of technical and creative elements has once again achieved exceptional experiences for the audience and significantly contributed to the success of this prestigious event.