The Call for Nominations for the 2026 Defence Media Awards has closed. The finalists will be announced during the second half of August

The list of award categories is as follows –

Best New Journalist – sponsored by NAMMO

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

The Andrew Drwiega Award for the Best Rotorcraft submission

The Best Defence Data Analytics submission– sponsored by SAIC

The Best Naval Systems Submission - sponsored by Leidos

The Best Training, Simulation and Readiness Submission

The Best Breaking News Submission

The Best Multimedia Military Submission - sponsored by Persistent Systems

The Best Land Systems Submission - sponsored by Northrop Grumman

The Best Defence Electronics Submission – sponsored by General Dynamics

The Best Integrated Maritime Defence Submission – sponsored by Fincantieri

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

The Best Missile Defense Submission– sponsored by Northrop Grumman

The Best National Security Space Submission - sponsored by SES

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

The Best Military Aviation Submission - sponsored by Honeywell

The Best Technology Submission – sponsored by L3Harris

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

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

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

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

The Outstanding Achievement Award - sponsored by amentum

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