Last year’s winner of the overall excellence award, Karu Esselle, also triumphed at Space Connect’s Australian Space Awards, showing the huge crossover between the two industries.
Esselle is a distinguished professor in electromagnetic and antenna engineering at the University of Technology Sydney and holds the distinction of holding two best-of-the-best excellence awards in both the space and defence sectors.
The Australian Defence Industry Awards 2022 is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 15 September at the National Convention Centre in Canberra, celebrating those professionals and businesses who have gone above and beyond to build a stronger and more innovative defence ecosystem.
This year, entrants can submit their entry or nominate a worthy colleague across 10 individual and 18 company categories.
At the end of the ceremony, one person will be selected from all individual category winners as the recipient of the coveted Excellence Award.
The Australian Defence Industry Awards identify the top businesses and professionals in the defence industry across the country, with a particular focus on people and businesses rather than products and platforms.
It acknowledges all defence industry stakeholders, from primes, small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and academic institutions, to high-performing individuals such as defence executives, Indigenous and female leaders, students, scientists, technicians, and academics, as well as the rising stars of tomorrow.
The awards are open to all businesses operating in Australia and supporting the defence supply chain and are peer-reviewed and judged by a well-respected and trusted panel.
Liam Garman, editor for defence and security at Momentum Media, highlighted that the awards program is an opportunity to acknowledge the stellar work of the finalists and winners who have dedicated their lives to building an innovative defence industry in Australia.
“It recognises the tireless efforts of the best and the brightest within Australia’s defence industry, from those who work in up-and-coming start-ups through to the primes,” he said.
“Amid recent geostrategic turbulence, there’s never been a more important time to acknowledge your amazing effort. I look forward to seeing all of our finalists at the defence industry’s night of nights!"
Defence Connect thanks principal partner KBR, platinum partner Lockheed Martin, gold partners Investment NSW and L3Harris, and charity partner Invictus Australia for their invaluable support this year.
To enter the awards, register your account through our secure awards platform and fill in the details of your submissions. When you’re happy with your submission, press save and lodge it.
Nominations and submissions close on Thursday, 21 July.
Click here to submit an entry or nominate a worthy colleague for a chance to take centrestage and walk home with a trophy.
For more information about the awards program, including categories and judging process, click here.
![Adam Thorn](/images/profile/adam-thorn.jpg)
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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