Three more wins. One very good month for The Start.

Three from seven. We’ll take it!

Last month, we ventured over to drizzly Adelaide for the 2026 Australian Web Awards. 

We’re chuffed to have taken out wins across three categories, including Community & Culture for Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre, Science & Sustainability for Pacific Energy, and the inaugural Rising Star award for our Technical Lead, Cullen Webber.

Not a bad way to cap off a month that already handed us Digital Agency of the Year.

Community & Culture: Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre

Fremantle’s most iconic cultural venue. A year-round calendar that would make your head spin.

When WFAC came to us, translating their new brand to web was only half the battle. Under the hood, the site needed to accommodate complex membership management, event browsing, SEO and ranging accessibility needs. It carries a lot, and the design needed to make that feel effortless.

We spent a long time finding the right balance. Layered, immersive, but still easy to navigate for someone just trying to find out what’s on this weekend. The result was a site that holds its own against any arts institution in the country. We’re super proud of this one.

Science & Sustainability: Pacific Energy

Pacific Energy is on a mission to help power Australia’s clean energy transition. Their website is a critical tool for communicating the depth and scale of what they do to stakeholders, partners, and potential clients.

The technical ambition on this one was high. We built an interactive 3D environment that maps their energy solutions, including explorable models of their PEM Electrolysers, down to the individual component level. We also deployed Voodu, our in-house AI assistant, to help users navigate a complex offering and surface the right case studies for them. 

We love these kinds of projects that are technically ambitious in service of something that really matters.

Rising Star: Cullen Webber

Cullen would probably tell you this one isn’t a big deal. We beg to differ.

The Rising Star award is a new category this year, recognising emerging talent shaping the future of Australia’s web industry. Cullen, our Technical Lead, took it out from a strong field of finalists.

Cullen has pushed himself into some of the most technically demanding territory in creative development. Three.js. WebGL. Complex 3D environments that most agencies don’t even attempt. The Joondalup Festival ocean header. The 3D dot environment on our own site. A tutorial published on Codrops. The list goes on.

We’re not surprised he won. We’re just glad the rest of the industry is taking notice.

Winning isn’t everything. But it’s definitely something.

Awards don’t pay anyone’s rent, and we know that. But they do validate that the work we’re making from Murray Street in Perth competes with the best digital work being produced across the country.

And for the clients who trust us with ambitious briefs, they’re a nice reminder that the risk was worth taking.

The Australian Web Awards are one of our industry’s most respected benchmarks. Being in the mix, consistently, is a product of our team pouring themselves into the craft. We’re not afraid to shun the trends, tear down the norms, and start again.If you’re looking for a Perth web design agency that treats awards as a by-product of doing the work right, let’s talk.