The winners of the 2026 Leeds Digital Festival Awards were announced at a ceremony in Leeds on Thursday 1 October, closing a festival that ran 213 events across the city.
Organised by byProduct and Ward Hadaway, the awards recognise the companies, teams and individuals behind the region’s digital economy — from start-ups barely a year old to the tech teams inside the city’s largest employers.
Here are this year’s winners.
Andrew Mason
A serial Leeds technology entrepreneur with 25 years of company building behind him, Mason founded cyber security firm RandomStorm from the Round Foundry in Holbeck before its sale, and now runs DarkInvader, which uses AI to find the information attackers can see about an organisation before they strike.
Sponsored by RSM
Enablis
A Leeds consultancy helping organisations move from AI ambition to working systems. Founded by Sarah Pawson — herself shortlisted for Entrepreneur of the Year — Enablis reported revenue up 33% to £5.6m and opened a London office earlier this year, reaching 42 staff in around 20 months.
Sponsored by Page White Farrer
Avenue3
Based at Platform, Avenue3 is a technology partner to the NHS and public sector specialising in openEHR and open data standards — separating health data from the applications that sit on top of it, so records can move between systems. Its work includes a digital cancer referral system built with The Christie.
Sponsored by AD:VENTURE
The Curve
A technology consultancy working with data-rich organisations on bespoke software, connected devices and IoT, The Curve builds and modernises business-critical systems — including taking on legacy codebases others won’t touch — across Leeds and Sheffield.
Sponsored by Nexus, University of Leeds
Senflow
Founded in Garforth by teacher Lucy Stephens and software engineer Dom Newmarch, Senflow is a management platform for special educational needs provision in schools — pulling student profiles, EHCP plans and intervention tracking into one system, and giving SENCOs back the hours currently lost to paperwork.
Sponsored by CGI
DTP Group
One of Yorkshire’s largest independent IT providers, Leeds-headquartered DTP has been running since 1987 and works across cloud and infrastructure, end-user computing and managed services for universities, the public sector and large UK businesses.
Sponsored by CGI
Optum EMIS
The Leeds-headquartered health technology business behind clinical software used across much of UK primary care, now part of Optum. The award recognises both its internal commitment to inclusion and the impact of that work across the wider sector.
Sponsored by SCC
Skipton Building Society & CGI
A joint award for a partnership between one of the UK’s largest building societies and the global technology and consulting firm, recognising a team whose work has had measurable impact on the business and the people using its services.
Sponsored by Corecom Tech Academy
Qursam Hina
Lead AI engineer and AI apprentice at UKind CIC, the Leeds community interest company whose XR work was itself shortlisted in this year’s Tech4Good category. Alongside her engineering work she was recently named Highly Commended in the Volunteer Award at the BBC Radio Leeds Make a Difference Awards. The Rising Star award is open to anyone early in their career at a Leeds digital or tech business, nominated by their employer — recognising those going beyond their role and showing clear ambition and progression.
Sponsored by RBC Brewin Dolphin
Andy Crossley
Recognised for inspiring work, a record of success and commitment to his teams. On being shortlisted, Crossley said the best technology leaders aren’t the cleverest person in the room, but the ones who surround themselves with brilliant people and give them the space to do their best work.
Sponsored by Bruntwood SciTech
Leeds Digital Drinks
The long-running informal meet-up that has done as much as any organisation to connect the city’s tech community — no agenda, no speakers, just the people building things in Leeds in the same room. Leeds Today was also shortlisted in this category.
Sponsored by Creode
Cognisys Group
A cyber security and compliance consultancy founded in Halifax in 2019 and headquartered in Leeds since 2022, Cognisys does penetration testing, red teaming and compliance work for organisations trying to get regulator-ready. We reported in May on its expansion into Australia, taking it to 120 staff across 12 countries after 254% year-on-year growth. It is one of five firms in the Leeds cyber security cluster Leeds Today has tracked.
Sponsored by Fruition Group
Congratulations to every winner and everyone shortlisted. The awards close Leeds Digital Festival 2026, which ran from 21 September to 2 October — a fortnight in which Leeds Today also convened Leeds 2031, an independent, data-led look at how the city performs against other UK cities.
