The Finalists for the 2026 Defence Media Awards are announced, please scroll down the page to see the full list of finalists

The list of award categories & finalists are as follows –

Best New Journalist – sponsored by NAMMO

For journalists with no more than 5 years’ experience in defence journalism

Kelsey Baker

Chris Gordon

John Hill

Harry McNeil

Dominic Minadeo

Allyson Park

The Andrew Drwiega Award for the Best Rotorcraft submission - sponsored by Bell

 Ned Dawson - Albanian Hawks the UH60 enters service with Albania’s Air Force - Antares Magazine

Peter Felstead - Heavy-lift rotorcraft: where US hegemony meets the tyranny of distance - European Security & Defence

Ryan Finnerty - How the Ukraine war has (and has not) changed the helicopter’s role in combat – FlightGlobal

Vago Muradian and J.J. Gertler - The Air Power Podcast - Under the Radar - Defense & Aerospace Report

Richard Scott - Crowsnest ASaC flight casts its gaze over the Eastern Mediterranean - Janes Defence Weekly

Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway - Why Stealth Black Hawks Weren’t Used For Maduro Capture Mission - TWZ

The Best Defence Data Analytics submission– sponsored by SAIC

Craig Hoyle - Casualties of war - Flight International

Dan Kaszeta - Uranium fever: Why finding Iran’s HEU requires espionage, not remote sensing – Warsight

Theresa Maher - DOD watchdog says data reliability gaps in Advana could lead to misinformed decisions - Inside Defense

Tabitha Reeves - Interoperable Info: AI-Assisted Acquisitions Demand Data Sharing - National Defense Magazine

Matty Todhunter and Lucy Powell - Collaborative Combat Aircraft Special Report - Shephard Group

Brandi Vincent - Advana updates left out of annual Pentagon financial report as major transition emerges – DefenseScoop 

The Best Naval Systems Submission - sponsored by Leidos

Christopher Cavas and Chris Servello - CAVASSHIPS Podcast - Renowned Maritime Expert Ron O’Rourke - Defense & Aerospace Report

Jon Harper - Trump, Navy leaders reveal plans for new battleships armed with nukes, lasers, railguns and hypersonic missiles. Analysts anticipate problems. - DefenseScoop

Richard Scott - MHC programme creates a path for RN's transition to autonomy - Janes Defence Weekly

Abby Shepherd - Pentagon's new MOSA push could accelerate Navy's hybrid fleet, experts say - Inside Defense

Dr Lee Willett - Naval Weapons - Something Old, Something New - Asian Military Review

Nick Wilson - Navy faces hard road to reform shipbuilding acquisition system - Inside Defense 

The Best Training, Simulation and Readiness Submission

Gordon Arthur - Special Report: ‘Balikatan 2026' rehearses multinational denial capabilities in Philippines – Janes

Sinéad Baker - This US Army drone school is training students on what it's like to be hunted - Business Insider

Mark Cazalet - Northern Star and Karelian Sword 26: NATO forces train to secure eastern flank - Warsight

Trevor Nash - US F-35 fleet mired in readiness issues – Warsight

Thomas Newdick - New Chinese Advanced Training Jet Breaks Cover - TWZ

John T. Seward - Arctic Front: The future of subzero combat - The Washington Times

The Best Breaking News Submission

Peter Felstead - Analysis of the UK MoD’s publication of its Defence Investment Plan – Warsight

Chris Gordon - Iran Severely Damaged US Air Ops Center in Qatar Soon After War Began - Air & Space Forces Magazine

Jon Lake - The uncomfortable facts behind UK F-35 deliveries (and follow-ups) - Warsight

Drew F. Lawrence - Cybercom didn’t tell troops to disable location services or uninstall apps, military officials say, after viral message spread amid Iran operation – DefenseScoop

Brandi Vincent - Autonomous Corsair maritime drone rescues US military pilots after crash near Oman – DefenseScoop

Laura Winter - What Are The Strategic Implications of the Trump Corollary and Venezuela? - The DownLink Podcast (Defense & Aerospace Report)

The Best Multimedia Military Submission - sponsored by Persistent Systems

Jake Epstein and Robert Leslie - Ukraine's war robots are surging into the kill zone - Business Insider

Ryan Finnerty, Craig Hoyle and Greg Waldron - What's it like to fly in a fighter jet? The defence team share their best (and worst) experiences in the cockpit - FlightGlobal Focus podcast

Jamie Hunter - Inside The Air Force’s Elite Ghost Tanker Unit – TWZ

Vago Muradian and J.J. Gertler - The Air Power Podcast - Republic Aviation - Defense & Aerospace Report

Naval News - Rare access inside French Navy nuclear attack submarine 'Suffren' - Naval News Youtube Channel

Ben Wolfgang and David Gordon - Army aims to build, repair drones 'in-house' as 3D-printing revolution accelerates - The Washington Times

The Best Land Systems Submission - sponsored by Northrop Grumman

Gordon Arthur - GBAD for the Common Good - Asian Military Review

Laura Heckmann - Stuck In Neutral: Axed Army Vehicle Programs Leave Unanswered Questions - National Defense Magazine

Dan Kaszeta - Is the CBRN reconnaissance vehicle a dying concept? – Warsight

Damian Kemp and Peter Magill - European Main Battle Tank Market 2026–35 Special Report - Shephard Group

Peter Magill - The British Army’s Land Mobility Programme – all change but no progress? - Shephard Group

Glenn Sands - Keeping The British Military Moving - ARMADA International 

The Best Defence Electronics Submission

Mark Cazalet - MUSCL gain: Unleashing passive radar – Warsight

Dize Kandu - Beyond the Obvious: Welcome to the World of MASINT - DK Publication

Drew F. Lawrence - Hiding in the spectrum: Inside the Army’s race to make the command post disappear – DefenseScoop

Tyler Rogoway - MQ-9 Getting Airborne Early Warning Radar Is A Huge Deal - TWZ

Richard Scott - Everything, everywhere all at once: Automating EWC2 at sea - AOC Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance

Dr Thomas Withington - Saturn's Waves - Asian Military Review

The Best Integrated Maritime Defence Submission - sponsored by  General Dynamics

Exploring the convergence of naval operations with emerging technologies such as AI, cyber and autonomy

Howard Altman - AIM-9X Being Used By Ukraine’s Drone Boats To Engage Russian Jets, Not AIM-9M - TWZ

Christopher Cavas and Chris Servello - CAVASSHIPS Podcast - HII’s Eric Chewning on Focus Areas and Partnerships for the Future Fleet - Defense & Aerospace Report 

Eleanor Harvey - New UK-Norway pact covers warship, missile and autonomous system collaboration - Shephard Group

Navid Linnemann - Data fusion on the open sea – How SeaSEC is challenging the industry - Defence Network

Alix Valenti - The missing architecture of autonomous naval systems - Warsight

Dr Lee Willett - Sub-surface Effect and Purpose - European Security and Defence 



The Best Missile Defense Submission– sponsored by Northrop Grumman

 Jake Epstein - The US Navy's overreliance on top missile interceptors is 'unsustainable' in more intense fights, top admiral warns - Business Insider

Josh Luckenbaugh - Pentagon’s Flagship Golden Dome Missile Defense Program Spinning its Wheels - National Defense Magazine

Vago Muradian and J.J. Gertler - The Air Power Podcast - Under My Umbrella - Defense & Aerospace Report

Thomas Newdick - Ukraine Tests New Missile In Hopes Of Leading To Low Cost Patriot Alternative – TWZ

Tyler Rogoway - Iranian Attacks On Prized Missile Defense Radars Are A Wake-Up Call - TWZ

Dr Lee Willett - Missile and drone use in Iran war shows parallels and differences with Ukraine conflict – Warsight

The Best National Security Space Submission

Mikayla Easley - Space Force’s role in Iran, Venezuela raids fueling push for more resources – DefenseScoop

Reuben Johnson - Star Wars - Asian Military Review

Garrett Reim - China’s Electronics Industry Could Upend America’s Lead In Space - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Hope Hodge Seck - Space Force Wants Aggressor Satellites To Emulate Adversary Orbital Capabilities – TWZ

Joseph Trevithick - 7,800 Interceptors In Space At Core Of $1.2 Trillion Golden Dome Cost Estimate - The War Zone

Laura Winter - “What Are The Strategic Implications of the Trump Corollary and Venezuela?” - The DownLink Podcast (Defense & Aerospace Report)

The Best Un-Manned Systems Submission – sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

Mark Cazalet - Russian drones learn new tricks – Warsight

Drew F. Lawrence - Two days, one drone killer: How defense companies built a wheeled counter-UAS robot at the Army’s Operation Jailbreak – DefenseScoop

Vanessa Montalbano - SPECIAL REPORT: Air Force urges industry to focus IRAD on small bets to make big wartime advances - Inside Defense

David Oliver - Onwards and Upwards - UAV Failures and Futures - ARMADA International

Aspen Pflughoeft - Use of LUCAS drones in Iran puts focus on affordable, fast-moving acquisition - Aerospace America

Brandi Vincent - Pentagon’s growing list of ‘made in America’ drones has a loophole for certain parts made in China – DefenseScoop

The Best Military Aviation Submission - sponsored by Honeywell Aerospace

Ryan Finnerty - Textron shows off new Beechcraft M-346N trainer in first US public flight - FlightGlobal

Paul "Foo" Kennard - The SOF Origin Story - Carpe Noctem Issue

Jon Lake - It looked like a good month for the Wedgetail, but was it? – Warsight

Vago Muradian and J.J. Gertler - The Air Power Podcast - Vertical Landing - Defense & Aerospace Report

Tyler Rogoway - What The F-47’s Canards Say About The Rest Of Its Design – TWZ

Olivier Santicchi - Birth of a Rafale - Inside Dassault's giant Meccano - TF1

The Best Technology Submission – sponsored by L3Harris

Mark Cazalet - ‘Cruiseification’: Why are so many weapons becoming like cruise missiles? – Warsight

Igor Markic - Ukraine’s long-range stand-off capabilities - Future Warfare Magazine

Allyson Park - Humanoid Robots: China Experiments with Humanoid Machines for Military Apps as Technology Matures - National Defense Magazine

Tereza Pultarova - 'It's quite a bit more than we expected': Satellite reveals immense scale of GPS signal tampering - Space.com

Garrett Reim - Pentagon Experiments With 3D-Printing Drones At Front Lines – Aviation Week

John T. Seward - Inside the U.S. Army's big bet on Next Generation Command and Control communications system - The Washington Times

The Best Cyber Security Submission - sponsored by The Sierra Nevada Corporation

Gerrard Cowan - Evolving cyber defence: NATO's CCDCOE seeks closer industry ties - DSEI Gateway

Lemin Gabriel - Canadian military’s cyber chief touts AI’s advantages but warns against ‘unquestioned’ use - The Japan Times

Laura Heckmann - CMMC: Consultants Warn of Overconfidence as Phase 2 Deadline Looms - National Defense Magazine

Drew F. Lawrence - A Cyber Force without enlisted? New report poses model for standalone military cyber organization – DefenseScoop

Vago Muradian - Technology Report - The Latest in Cyber - Defense & Aerospace Report

Suman Sharma - Algorithmic Warfare : How AI Is Reshaping The Battlefield - Defence and Security Alert

The Best Mobile Combat Systems Submission - sponsored by Elbit Systems of America

Mark Cazalet - KNDS unveils CAPINT main battle tank – Warsight

Jake Epstein - The US Army surged its largest counter-drone training deployment to the Middle East during the Iran war - Business Insider

Jon Harper - Army moving forward with ‘sled’ concept for maneuver air defense against drones, other aircraft - DefenseScoop

Peter Magill - Artillery lessons from the war in Ukraine spotlight future capability priorities - Shephard Group

Dominic Minadeo - Army Stryker brigade downsizing reflects ISV preference - Inside Defense

Joseph Trevithick - Mysterious Guided Rocket Launcher Disguised In A Shipping Container At Fort Bragg Identified – TWZ

Best Military Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) submission – sponsored by Anduril

Howard Altman - Inside Ukraine’s AI-Enabled Drone Campaign Targeting Russian Logistics Deep Behind The Lines - TWZ

Mark Cazalet - The counter-AI battle: Closing Pandora’s box – Warsight

Josh Luckenbaugh - Power Hungry: AI Applied to Tackle Energy Conundrums For Modern Battlefields - National Defense Magazine

Flavia Camargos Pereira - How US Special Operations Forces are using AI to transform modern warfare - Shephard Group

Brandi Vincent - Feinberg’s new Maven directive sets AI-enabled decision-making as ‘the cornerstone’ for CJADC2 - DefenseScoop

Brandi Vincent and Drew F. Lawrence - The era of GenAI.mil is here. Users have mixed reactions and many questions. – DefenseScoop

The John Morrocco Award for Best In-depth Defence Reporting - sponsored by Boeing

Howard Altman - Israeli F-16I Navigator Opens Up About Striking Iran - TWZ

Kelsey Baker - Inside the hidden Marine Corps recruiting crisis that's 'burning Marines' to fill the ranks - Business Insider

Marco Giulio Barone - How the K-defence method is conquering Europe - Future Warfare Magazine

Mark Cazalet - SAFE cracking: Romania, Rheinmetall, and the race to modernise – Warsight

Chris Gordon - Life or Death Over Yemen - Air & Space Forces Magazine

Garrett Reim - Quantum Arms Race (special report) – Aviation Week

Nick Wilson - SPECIAL REPORT: Lawmakers race to pass SHIPS Act before midterms - Inside Defense

Ben Wolfgang - 'He lost us': Generals, senior officers say trust in Hegseth has evaporated - The Washington Times

The Outstanding Achievement Award - sponsored by amentum

The winners of the Outstanding Achievement Award will be announced on the night of the award ceremony

If you would like to attend the 2026 awards dinner, have any questions or wish to discuss in more detail please feel free to get in touch - themediadoctor@aol.com