Defence Media Awards
On the evening of 13th October the National Press Club in Washington D. C. was packed with defence journalists and industry communicators for the 2024 Defence Media Awards. The winners and finalists are listed below, please scroll down the page.
The 2025 Defence Media Awards will take place in Washington D.C. on the evening of 12th October 2025. The call for nominations will open in April and will run until July. The finalists will be announced in early September.
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The Winners and Finalists are announced - to see the award categories and finalists please scroll down the page.
The 2024 Defence Media Awards
The Winners and Finalists for the 2024 Defence Media Awards are announced
The winners and finalists are as follows -
Best New Journalist – sponsored by NAMMO
For journalists under 35 or with no more than 5 years’ experience in defence journalism
Justin Katz
Irene Loewenson
Josh Luckenbaugh
Noah Robertson
Winner - Brandi Vincent
The Best Rotorcraft submission
Declan Daly - The Alligator at War – Antares Magazine
Peter Felstead - The UK NMH programme: a marathon as opposed to a sprint – European Security & Defence
Winner - Jen Judson - US Army faces uphill battle to fix aviation mishap crisis – Defense News
Paul Foo Kennard - Tiger and NH-90 Continue to Struggle… - Antares Magazine
David Oliver – Russia’s desperate search for Helicopter Engines – Armada International
Ashley Roque - Army cancels FARA helicopter program, makes other cuts in major aviation shakeup – Breaking Defense
The Best Defence Data Analytics submission– sponsored by SAIC
Laura Heckmann - Crystal Ball: Pentagon Harnessing Data for Predictive Logistics Planning – National Defense Magazine
Sam Hart - Insight: Why the CV90 infantry fighting vehicle is making a clean sweep of Nordic markets – Shephard Media
Giovanni Rasio - Insight: How rising tensions have fuelled the Type 26 frigate's development – Shephard Media
Maxim Starchak - Why dozens of Russian enterprises are bankrupt, or heading that way – Defense News
Winner - Matty Todhunter - Insight: Is the Bayraktar TB2 UAV living up to expectations? – Shephard Media
The Best Naval Systems Submission - sponsored by General Dynamics
Chris Cavas & Chris Servello - CavasShips Podcast Episode 149: Keeping an eye on the dragon.
Winner - Megan Eckstein - The US Navy is spending billions to stabilize vendors. Will it work? – Defense News
Alix Valenti – Evolutionary Spaces – Future Proofing Submarine Design – Armada International
Brandi Vincent and Mark Pomerleau - Starlink terminals give Navy ‘game-changing’ flexibility – DefenseScoop
Lee Willet - Covert Demonstration: USVs Change the Stealth Game at Sea – European Security & Defence
The Best Training, Simulation and Readiness Submission – sponsored by CAE
Gerrard Cowan - Electronic education: The evolution of military cyberspace training – Jane’s International Defence Review
Winners - Stephen Losey and Megan Eckstein - One defense strategy, two drastically different budgets – Defense News
Brian Everstine - Modernizing Military Flight Testing – Aviation Week & Space Technology
Ashley Roque - Army’s pricey IVAS goggles meet a training obstacle: Doors – Breaking Defense
Davis Winkie - Army struggles to standardize innovation without stifling it – Army Times
The Best Breaking News Submission - sponsored by BAE Systems
Winner - Peter Felstead - Eurosatory 2024: Granta Autonomy personally testing its mini-UAVs over Ukraine’s front lines - European Security & Defence
John Ismay - Pentagon Opens Ammunition Factory to Keep Arms Flowing to Ukraine – New York Times
Jen Judson -US Army spent billions on a new helicopter that now will never fly - Defense News
Michael Marrow & Valerie Insinna - Coverage of the CCA award – Breaking Defense
Stephen Losey - US Air Force may remove 105mm cannon from AC-130 gunship – Defense News
The Best Multimedia Military Submission - sponsored by McKinsey & Company
Breaking Defense Team – Coverage of AUSA 2023
Alex Hollings - SKYBORG: How the Air Force really built AI-PILOTED FIGHTER JETS – Sandboxx News
Stephen Losey - The new B-52: How the Air Force is prepping to fly century-old bombers
Shephard Media - Breaking Barriers - The Tech Race for Multi-Domain Operations
Winner - Mallory Shelbourne - Another Summer in the South China Sea: A Guided Tour of the World’s Most Contested Waters - USNI News
Brandi Vincent - Surveys and stickers: A day on the water with the Navy’s MK-18 drones - DefenseScoop
Laura Winter - Why States, National Guard Association Say “No!” To Defense Department Space Units Plan – The Downlink
The Best Land Systems Submission - sponsored by Northrop Grumman
The Defense & Aerospace Report - An In-Depth Conversation with Doug Bush
Christopher F Foss – UK no longer able to manufacture large-calibre gun barrels, BAE Systems admits – Shephard Media
Winners - National Defense Magazine Staff - Army Modernization Report Card: A Snapshot of 24 Programs the Army Promised to Expedite
Jen Judson - The US Army arsenal from 1813 that’s building weapons for Ukraine – Defense News
Ashley Roque - Inside the US Army’s race to apply Ukraine lessons to future Abrams, Bradley replacement – Breaking Defense
Hope Seck - As Tactical EV Plans Take Shape, Army Charges Ahead; Marines Stay Cautious – National Defense
The Best Defence Electronics Submission - sponsored by W. L. Gore
Winner - Mark Cazalet - Silent Struggle: Accounts from the Frontlines of Ukraine’s Electronic War – European Security & Defence
Laura Heckmann - Trustworthy Tech: Air Force Research Lab Looking at Uncertainties with Electronics – National Defense Magazine
Reuben F. Johnson - Why Today's Russian Airborne EW Falls Short – Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance
Norbert Neumann - US Air Force F-15 EW kit completes operational testing – Shephard Media
Kollen Post - Inside Ukraine, startups try to edge Russia in the electronic warfare race – Breaking Defense
Thomas Withington - How Russia is covertly acquiring Western components for loitering munitions – Shephard Media
The Best Military MRO Submission – sponsored by Northrop Grumman
Gerrard Cowan - Defence sector embraces digital design tools – Jane’s International Defence Review
Megan Eckstein - Seeking to make F-35s ready for war, maintainers think outside the box – Defense News
Hope Hodge Seck - Electric Vehicles: As Tactical EV Plans Take Shape, Army Charges Ahead; Marines Stay Cautious – National Defense Magazine
Winner - Justin Katz - Uncharted waters: Navy navigating first-ever dismantling of nuclear-powered carrier – Breaking Defense
Richard Scott - Keep on Keeping on: Dutch LCF Modernisation – European Security & Defence
The Best National Security Space Submission - sponsored by Intelsat
Courtney Albon - Atlas, other ‘troubled’ Space Force programs to miss 2023 deliveries – C4ISRNET
Winner - Mikayla Easley - Space Force prodded to provide clear demand signal for on-orbit mobility, servicing capabilities – DefenseScoop
Brian Everstine - The U.S. Space Force's Urgent Push for Orbital Refueling – Aviation Week & Space Technology
Tim Fish - Increasing coverage: overcoming Arctic challenges – European Security & Defence
Theresa Hitchens - Space Force, IC’s battle over commercial ISR reignites as appropriators add fuel – Breaking Defense
Laura Winter - Why States, National Guard Association Say “No!” To Defense Department Space Units Plan – The Downlink
The Best Un-Manned Systems Submission – sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
Marco Barone - The Evolution of UAS - Current Trends and Future Perspectives – Military Technology
Sydney Freedberg - The revolution that wasn’t: How AI drones have fizzled in Ukraine (so far) – Breaking Defense
Winner - Jon Harper - Don’t expect ‘straight-line’ capability advancements for CCA drones, Air Force acquisition chief says - DefenseScoop
Richard Scott - Taking the strain: uncrewed aviation lifts off for resupply at sea – Jane’s International Defence Review
Alix Valenti - The future of Mine countermeasures is Multi Dimensional – Armada International
Brandi Vincent - Erosion catastrophe in Ecuador sparks ‘rare’ NGA drone mission - DefenseScoop
The Best Military Aviation Submission - sponsored by Honeywell
Dick Downs - The Hogs Have Finally Been Let Out - Antares Magazine
Winners - J.J. Gertler and Vago Muradian – The Air Power Podcast - The Chief's New World - Defense & Aerospace Report Air Power Podcast
Reuben F. Johnson - French Mirage 2000 Fighters Are Headed To Ukraine. Here's How Kyiv Will Use Them - Breaking Defense
Norbert Neumann - Sky high diplomacy: Saudi Arabia's fighter jet puzzle entangles Eurofighter, Rafale and global alliances - Shephard Media
Richard Scott - Tomorrow’s TACAMO - Janes International Defence Review
The Best Technology Submission – sponsored by L3Harris
Courtney Albon - Pentagon’s commercial tech arm to ramp up role in military innovation – C4ISRNET
Mark Cazalet - Awaiting the lithium dawn – European Security & Defence
Doug Richardson - Countering the hypersonic threat – European Security & Defence
Richard Scott - Royal Navy invests in EW to gain advantage in the spectrum – Jane’s Navy International
Brandi Vincent - ‘Have the kids come home?’: How open-source technologies are reshaping conflict and humanitarian operations - DefenseScoop
Winner - Thomas Withington - Breaking Burdock – Armada International
The Best Cyber Security Submission - sponsored by The Sierra Nevada Corporation
Gerrard Cowan –Digital domain: Militaries seek to enhance cyberspace situational awareness – Jane’s International Defence Review
Andrea Neves - Exercício Cyber Coalition 2023. NATO prepara-se para enfrentar ameaças do ciberespaço – Antena 1 Portugal
Mark Pomerleau - Holistic examination of the next iteration of US Cyber Command underway - DefenseScoop
Lee Willet _ Cyber Blindness – European Security & Defence
Winner - Laura Winter – Four-part podcast series Cyber attacks on Ukraine and future cyberattacks on space systems – The Downlink
Thomas Withington – Bytes for the Fight – European Security & Defence
The Best Mobile Combat Systems Submission - sponsored by Elbit Systems of America
Sam Cranny-Evans - Protected mobility in a post-GWOT world - European Security & Defence
Tim Fish - Generating Mass Fires - It’s Logistics Stupid! – Military Technology
Jon Harper - Army rechristens drone-killing maneuver air defense system, eyes next increments - DefenseScoop
Irene Loewenson - 59 Marines are now certified to use amphibious combat vehicles in surf – Marine Corps Times
Allyson Park - Rolling Recon: Marine Coros Seeking Intel on Reconnaissance Vehicle – National Defense Magazine
Winner - Ashley Roque - Taking aim: Army leaders ponder mix of precision munitions vs conventional – Breaking Defense
Best Military Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) submission – sponsored by Anduril
Winner - Sydney Freedberg - Empowered edge versus the centralization trap: Who will wield AI better, the US or China? – Breaking Defense
Dan Kaszeta - Doomsday or business as usual? Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and CBRN threats – European Security & Defence
Flavia Camargos Pereira - How generative AI can improve military training – Shephard Media
Neil Thompson - China turns to US-made AI chips to boost hypersonic weapon performance – Shephard Media
Brandi Vincent - Why Centcom wants ‘self-service’ computer vision for warfighters - DefenseScoop
The John Morrocco Award for Best In-depth Defence Reporting - sponsored by Boeing
Winner - Sean Carberry - Networked Warfare: Army's Project Convergence Goes on the Offensive - National Defense Magazine
Mark Cazalet - The Most Misunderstood Weapon in the World: Mythbusting HEAT Warheads and their countermeasures - European Security & Defence
Tomas Chlebecek - Black Sea Navies in Wartime - Operations in Confined Waters - Military Technology
Reuben F. Johnson - After Historic Shootdown Why Russia Will Struggle to Replace its A-50U AEW&C Plane - Breaking Defense
Irene Loewenson - The Corps has a plan to stop Marines from leaving. Is it working? - Marine Corps Times
Meredith Roaten - Arctic formations taking shape in US Army - Janes Defence Weekly
Judges Commendation - Davis Winkie - Broken Track - Army Times
Laura Winter - Four-part podcast series on current and future cyberattacks - The Downlink
The Outstanding Achievement Award - sponsored by amentum
For journalists who have made significant contributions to Defence Journalism.
The Winners are J.J. Green and Vago Muradian
The 2024 Defence Media Awards were presented at the National Press Club on the evening of 13th October.
The 2025 Defence Media Dinner will take place on 12th October - Washington D.C.
Space is limited, so contact us now to make sure we save you a spot.
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