Tuesday Oct 06, 2026
Tuesday Oct 06, 2026
Tuesday, 6 October 2026 06:55 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eng. Eranga Weeraratne, SLT Group Chairman Dr. Mothilal De Silva and SLT-MOBITEL CEO Riyaaz Rasheed pictured alongside the 64 winners recognised at the National AI Awards 2026, held as part of Sri Lanka AI Week 2026
The inaugural ‘National AI Awards 2026’, Sri Lanka’s first-ever national AI awards program and a flagship event of Sri Lanka AI Week 2026, concluded with a grand ceremony on 30 September 2026 at Monarch Imperial, bringing Sri Lanka’s largest AI event to-date, Sri Lanka AI Week 2026, to a close.
Pioneered by the Digital Economy Ministry and SLT-MOBITEL, the week-long initiative featured five landmark events, the AI Hackathon, AI Leaders Night, AI Conference, AI Exhibition, and National AI Awards, celebrating innovation, collaboration and advancements in artificial intelligence.
Honouring Sri Lanka’s most outstanding achievements in artificial intelligence, the National AI Awards recognised the best AI solutions, leaders, and talent, marking the culmination of a week of discovery, dialogue, and progress.
The awards event was attended by Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eng. Eranga Weeraratne, as the Chief Guest, Digital Economy Ministry Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala, SLT Group Chairman Dr. Mothilal De Silva and SLT-MOBITEL CEO Riyaaz Rasheed. Leading policymakers, industry leaders, academics, and innovators were also in attendance.
Recognising excellence in AI, the National AI Awards showcased strength in multiple domains, such as agriculture, healthcare, banking, education, and advanced enterprise solutions. Each submission was rigorously evaluated by an independent panel of 19 judges, ensuring that the winners reflected high standards of quality, scalability, and impact.
A total of 64 awards were presented at the National AI Awards, comprising 19 Gold Awards, 14 Silver Awards, 12 Bronze Awards, and 18 Merit Awards, alongside the Sri Lanka AI Transformation Leader of the Year Award whose Gold Award was bestowed to Arimac Founder and Chief Executive Officer Chamira Prasad Jayasinghe and the National AI Excellence Award – Best Overall AI Solution Across All Sectors, presented to Emojot Ltd., for its project, Emojot UXI – Unified Experience Intelligence.
Industry‑specific awards recognised leading applications in Agriculture, Banking, Finance and Insurance (BFSI), Healthcare and Life Sciences, Manufacturing (Industry 5.0), Education, and Media. Future‑focused categories celebrated the Best AI Startup/MSME Innovation, Best Agentic AI Solution, Best Sinhala/Tamil AI & Localisation Innovation, and University AI Innovation awards, Women in AI Leadership, and the AI Content Creator of the Year, recognising educational video and storytelling, social impact, future-tech, and cultural heritage, and tourism content creators.
The National AI Awards 2026 is a testament to Sri Lanka’s growing capability in AI. Recognising innovators from multiple sectors and levels, the Awards reinforce the nation’s position as an emerging hub for AI excellence in South Asia.
The Digital Economy Ministry and SLT‑MOBITEL extend their sincere appreciation to all applicants, judges, evaluators, sponsors, partners, media organisations, and stakeholders whose support contributed to the successful conclusion of the National AI Awards 2026.
