Ten emerging researchers lit up the stage at this year’s Illuminate PitchFest, held on Thursday 26 February at the Wesfarmers offices in Brookfield Place. Hosted by The Kids’ Chair, Naomi Flutter, the evening showcased the remarkable talent within our research community and the generosity of supporters who make their work possible.
Guests mingled with researchers before taking their seats among the stunning artworks that line the private Wesfarmers collection.
The evening began with a beautiful Welcome to Country, delivered by Walter McGuire, grounding the event in respect, culture and community.
PitchFest facilitator, Professor Jane Pillow, then guided guests through ten three‑minute pitches from our researchers, each presenting a bold idea designed to improve outcomes for children. Their projects spanned asthma, malaria, cystic fibrosis, burns, early development, surrogacy, antimicrobial resistance and more.
Guests were inspired by the passion and ambition of the pitches, making the voting no easy task.
It was an extraordinary evening, with almost $200,000 awarded to six early to midcareer researchers thanks to the generosity of our philanthropic community.
Congratulations to our 2026 Illuminate Award winners
- Dr Omar Elaskalani: Developing age tailored immunotherapies for childhood cancer – People’s Choice Visionary Illuminate Award, supported by donors & the Peers & Partners workplace giving program
- Dr Kak Ming Ling: Reducing infection risk in cystic fibrosis through safer home water systems – Illuminate Award, supported by Conquer Cystic Fibrosis
- Ms Anita Williams: Building community led solutions to combat antimicrobial resistance in children – Illuminate Award, supported by The Kids Collective donors
- Dr Tamara Veselinovic: Improving early learning environments to support ear health and development – Illuminate Award, supported by Brown Neaves Investments
- Dr Ezra Kneebone: Supporting children and families formed through surrogacy – Illuminate Award, supported by Naomi Flutter & Richard McManus
- Dr Denby Evans: Understanding and preventing chronic lung disease in children born preterm – Illuminate Award, supported by Helping Little Hands
A special thank you to the full finalist group who prepared, pitched and supported each other throughout the process: Dr Omar Elaskalani, Dr Denby Evans, Dr Noor‑Ul‑Huda Ghori, Dr Thomas Iosifidis, Dr Ezra Kneebone, Dr Jonatan Leffler, Dr Kak Ming Ling, Ms Chitra Maharani Saraswati, Dr Tamara Veselinović and Ms Anita Williams.
This year’s PitchFest also marked a major milestone: Together, we have now raised over $1 million for the Illuminate Awards. A remarkable achievement made possible by our passionate and committed supporters.
Illuminate PitchFest gives our emerging researchers a platform to share their vision, accelerate their work, and secure vital funding from our passionate philanthropic community.
Thank you to everyone in our supporter community for helping make this year’s PitchFest such a success. Your commitment continues to strengthen child health research at The Kids.
If you would like to learn more about the Illuminate Awards or how to support an emerging researcher, please contact our Philanthropy team.