Mr Yum, Heaps Normal and Linktree among Pause Award winners for 2021

Aussie startups including Mr Yum, Heaps Normal, Linktree and Ovira have been named as winners in the Pause Awards 2021, with Mr Yum sweeping up to take home four digital trophies.

The Melbourne awards night saw a total of 63 businesses and individuals recognised, including eight ‘grand prix’ winners, named as leaders among the leaders in their category.

Professor Martin Green of the University of New South Wales, an expert in solar technology, was also inducted into the Pause Hall of Fame in celebration of his life’s work.

In what may be the most 2021 flex on an awards night yet, winners were issued trophies in NFT form, securing the rights to their very own, unique image of a ‘collectable mini-sculpture’.

The Pause Awards grands prix  NFT trophies. Source: supplied.

Fresh off the back of its $89 million raise this week, hospitality tech startup Mr Yum banked four awards, including the ‘work sweet work’ award for great workplace culture and the ‘defiant ones’ award for businesses making breakthroughs in their industries.

The startup was also a winner in the ‘hammer award’ category, which recognises businesses that are ‘nailing it’ on their own terms; and in the ‘out of the garage’ award, which celebrates success on a global scale.

Social media startup Linktree was named grand prix winner in the ‘out of the garage’ award.

Ovira and Heaps Normal were also big winners, taking home three awards apiece.

Ovira, a startup using tech to help reduce pain caused by endometriosis, also won an ‘out of the garage’ award and an ‘I wish I’d done that’ award, recognising a clever idea in a niche market.

It also took home the grand prix in the ‘hammer award’ category.

An additional 12 businesses were named winners in this category, including Booktopia, Guzman y Gomez and equity crowdfunding platform Birchal.

Two alcohol-free drinks brands — Heaps Normal and Lyre’s Spirit Company — were also awarded prizes in this category.

Heaps Normal, which also announced its $8.5 million raise this week, also secured an ‘I wish I’d done that award, and took home the grand prix for the ‘underground award’, a category recognising success in a business’ first two years.

Awards were also dished out to individuals making waves in the startup space, with The Peers Project founder Michelle Akhidenor winning a ‘prodigy’ award, as a young person with ‘exceptional qualities or abilities’.

Alicia Holmquest, co-founder of wellbeing and health app Wellness in Real Life, received the ‘inception award’ for visionary thinkers.

The full list of winners can be found here.

The Pause Awards winners.