The AusSpace24 Awards (formerly the Australian Space Awards) has quickly become the benchmark for excellence in Australia’s burgeoning space industry, which offers national recognition to the leading individuals and businesses propelling the nation’s space economy.
Now in its fifth year, the AusSpace24 Awards will culminate in the black-tie gala ceremony on Tuesday, 28 May 2024, at The Star, Sydney. Click here to buy tickets.
There are 25 individual and group categories on offer this year covering all space stakeholders, including Academic of the Year.
Submit an entry or nominate a colleague by Monday, 4 March 2024 to be in the running for this individual award.
The Academic of the Year award recognises any academic working in an Australian academic or research institution who has demonstrated a commitment to excelling in the space industry, with their work central to the commercial success, growth, or development of their institution and/or any aligned commercial business partner.
All academics focused on delivering new research, products, initiatives, or other developments that currently or will support the future of the space economy are encouraged to enter this award.
The assessment period is the calendar year 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. Information will be treated as confidential and only shared with the specific judges that assess this category.
How to put your submission together
Entrants will be asked to answer a series of questions in their submissions as part of their assessment criteria (each response should be a maximum of 400 words).
The submission offers them an opportunity to showcase their achievements and successes.
You will be asked to detail the outstanding work that demonstrates excellence in your specific area of expertise and how this has or will support the space industry in the future. You must outline any specific new research, findings or potential product development as a result of your work.
You must also describe the main challenges you encountered in completing this work, how you successfully overcame them, and what the key benefits or utility of your work are.
Thirdly, you must outline the commercial viability of your work and how you have commercialised or will seek to commercialise it, whether direct or via a partnership with a space industry business.
You will be asked to detail the status of this commercialising arrangement and any relevant milestones and success already achieved.
The fifth question asks you to describe how you have contributed to the profession more widely or to the space industry outside of the specific work outlined above.
Give your submission a booster shot
Finally, detail your vision for academics in the future of the space industry, and how it could contribute to a stronger domestic space economy.
We strongly recommend that you provide and refer to a maximum of four attached supporting materials for the judges’ consideration.
This could include financial or business metrics, images, statistics, transcripts, media coverage, accolades, testimonials, recommendations, references, and any other information.
If the documents are not directly referenced and relevant to your submission, they will be disregarded.
In addition to the supporting documents and to further strengthen your submission, we encourage you to submit an optional short video up to 30 seconds long, answering the question: “What does business success mean to you?”
To be eligible for this award, the entrant must have a PhD or be in the process of obtaining one, and work within or for an Australian academic or research institution with their primary academic efforts focused on supporting the Australian space supply chain/innovation in space.
The submissions will be peer-reviewed by a panel of distinguished judges that include senior space industry and government leaders, academics, business executives, entrepreneurs and innovators. Click here to view the methodology.
How to submit
To enter the awards, decide which categories you are eligible to submit into.
Then, register your account through our secure awards platform and login. Fill in the details of your submission/s.
When you are happy with your submission, press save and lodge it.
Submit an entry or nominate a colleague by Monday, 4 March 2024 to be in the running for the awards.
For tips on how to write an effective submission, click here.
To find out how to submit your award entry, click here.
Winners will be announced at the Australian Space Awards 2024 black-tie gala ceremony on Tuesday, 28 May 2024, at The Star, Sydney. Click here to buy tickets.
For more information about the awards program, click here.
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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