Hannah Scholes.
The Australian Data and Insights Association (ADIA) has announced Hans Buddhasiri and Hannah Scholes, of Fiftyfive5, part of Accenture Song, as the Australian winners of its 2026 Research Got Talent competition.
They won for their entry "Work Doesn't Work – Redesigning workplace support to combat loneliness," developed in partnership with Friends for Good.
Buddhasiri and Scholes will now compete in Esomar's global competition in 2027. They will also receive a one-day pass to the 2027 ADIA Leaders Forum in Melbourne, return airfares to the 2027 Esomar Congress, free Congress registration, an Esomar Research World article, and a Young Esomar Society membership.
The winners were selected from finalists including Tara Forde from Painted Dog Research, who partnered with The Kids Hub on a project examining barriers preventing parents from seeking help; Anastasia Spratt and Emi Hemphill from Starburst Insights, who partnered with Teach Us Consent to explore smart glasses, consent and tech-facilitated abuse; and Georgia Mcfarland and Emily Hendry-Follows from Verian Group Australia, who worked with The Cancer Council to understand the gap in HPV vaccination among Australian parents and adolescents.
"We're absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been chosen as the 2026 winners," Buddhasiri and Scholes said.
“A huge thank you to ADIA, ESOMAR, Fiftyfive5 and Friends for Good for their support and this incredible opportunity.
"Loneliness is a pressing global health threat, affecting millions of Australians and carrying serious health consequences.”
Patricia Lauria, co-founder and CEO of Friends for Good, said the project would help build the evidence base around workplace loneliness.
"We are delighted to have support for this project to build the evidence base about loneliness in the workplace. We know it exists and we know it's costly, personally and for employers. The learnings from this research will garner new insights so we can develop tailored responses," Lauria said.
Sally Joubert, CEO of Luma Research and Australia's Esomar representative, said judges were impressed by the quality of this year's entries.
"The judges were genuinely impressed by the exceptional quality of this year's entries. Each project tackled a meaningful social issue with rigour, creativity and heart,” she said.
“The outstanding quality and diversity of entries reflect the depth of talent within our profession and the bright future of Australian research.
"I want to thank all the ADIA and Esomar member employers for supporting this valuable initiative. Research Got Talent continues to be a vital program for our industry, both nationally and globally, fostering the next generation of research talent and celebrating innovation in our sector.”
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