The 2025 Defence Media Awards

The shortlisted Finalists for the 2025 are announced

The list of award categories and finalists is as follows –

Best New Journalist – sponsored by NAMMO

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

Luca Chadwick

Mikayla Easley

Ryan Finnerty

Dorothee Frank

Laura Heckmann

Michael Marrow

The Andrew Drwiega Award for the Best Rotorcraft submission

Brian Everstine - U.S. Air Force Is Considering V-22 Airworthiness Overhaul - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Jen Judson - Back to basics: Army revamps flight school after deadly crashes - Defense News

Paul "Foo" Kennard - The Chinook – Future Imperfect? Part one and part two - Antares

Stew Magnuson - High Expectations: Next-Gen Helicopter Program Has Long Shopping List - National Defense Magazine

Richard Scott - UK Royal Navy splits focus for airborne early warning capability - Janes Defence Weekly

Brandi Vincent and Mikayla Easley - Army helicopter involved in fatal crash over the Potomac was not using AI, sources say – DefenseScoop

The Best Defence Data Analytics submission– sponsored by SAIC

Craig Caffrey and Rachel Hutchison - European Defense Spending Ramps Up - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Sydney Freedberg - Blockchain, big data and genAI: US Army uses novel tech to track billions in Ukraine aid - Breaking Defense

Vago Muradian - Technology Report: Jay Meil and Defense AI - Defense & Aerospace Report

Mark Pomerleau - Army’s ISR Task Force looking to apply AI to intel data sets – DefenseScoop

Matty Todhunter - Insight: How India’s Tri-Service MQ-9B $4 billion deal was awarded - Shephard News

Brandi Vincent - CDAO unveils new 10-year, $15B Advana recompete plan — but questions on implementation linger – DefenseScoop

The Best Naval Systems Submission - sponsored by Hanwha Aerospace

Dize Kandu - Depth Silent, Impact Loud: Turkish Submarines Forge a Naval Powerhouse - DAMISE

Justin Katz - ICE Pact: Why the US had to recruit help in race with Russia, China for Arctic icebreakers - Breaking Defense

Josh Luckenbaugh, Laura Heckmann, Allyson Park, Stew Magnuson and Brian Taylor - Sinking Shipyards: A Special Report on the U.S. Shipbuilding Crisis - National Defense Magazine

Tayfun Ozberk - Project GENESIS: How Turkey Resurrected Its Secondhand Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates - The WarZone

Kate Tringham - France progresses its efforts to conquer the seabed - Janes

Lee Willett - Turning the tide: NATO, national, and multinational efforts build Baltic CUI security – ESD

The Best Training, Simulation and Readiness Submission – sponsored by CAE

Gabriel Dominguez – Standoff in the skies: Witnessing an unsafe intercept over the South China Sea - The Japan Times

Brian Everstine - Competitors For U.S. Navy’s New Trainer Praise Requirements Change - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Chris Gordon - Behind the Scenes of a Minuteman ICBM Launch with Three Test Warheads - Air & Space Forces Magazine

Craig Hoyle - Defence ‘No better time’ for Aeralis launch commitment, CEO Crawford says - FlightGlobal

Josh Luckenbaugh - Marine Corps Moves Out on Ambitious Future Training Program Using 5G - National Defense Magazine

Vanessa Montalbano - Air Force depots can support surge capacity in the Indo-Pacific for 30 days before things get 'interesting' - Inside Defense

The Best Breaking News Submission

Ryan Finnerty - Ongoing Coverage of Washington, DC UH-60/PSA Airlines crash -- Multiple Stories – FlightGlobal

Chris Gordon - 15 Years of Incredible Work’: The Inside Story of the Mission to Bomb Iran’s Nuclear Sites - Air & Space Forces Magazine

Vago Muradian - Operation Spiderweb - Defense & Aerospace Report Air Power Podcast

Meghann Myers - The Army made a tank it doesn’t need and can’t use. Now it’s figuring out what to do with it. - Defense One

Ashley Roque, Valerie Insinna and Aaron Mehta - What the f— is going on?’ Confusion, uncertainty in industry as Army contracts seemingly halted - Breaking Defense

Ashley Roque - Coverage of Army Transformation - Breaking Defense

The Best Federal IT Submission – sponsored by Leidos

Mikayla Easley - Army continues refinement of software acquisition plans after industry criticism – DefenseScoop

Ipek Ipek - The Algorithmic Commander: How AI is Redefining Mission Command - A5 Defense Industry Magazine

Dize Kandu - C4ISR: Inside the Brain of the Modern Warfare - DT Consultation

Allyson Park - CMMC 101: Experts Share Advice on How to Conduct Level 1 Assessment - National Defense Magazine

Carley Welch - Can Hegseth’s push to in-source IT consulting at the Pentagon actually happen? - Breaking Defense

Brandi Vincent - Signal leak sparks new calls for modernized messaging options from defense officials – DefenseScoop

The Best Multimedia Military Submission  - sponsored by McKinsey & Company

Breaking Defense - The Weekly Break Out - Breaking Defense

Chris Gordon - Airdrops to Gaza: The Art and Science of One of the Largest Aid Missions Since the Berlin Airlift - Air & Space Forces Magazine

Navid Linnemann - Pistorius at Space Command: "We Must Position Ourselves Stronger in Space - Defence-Network.com

Vago Muradian, Michael Herson, Dov Zakheim, Patrick Cronin, and Jim Townsend - Washington Roundtable - Defense & Aerospace Report

Andrea Neves – Defesa Liderado por Portugal – Antena 1 Radio e Televisao de Portugal

Giovanni Rasio - Defence Insight Briefs: Naval modernisation accelerates amid geopolitical tension and tech evolution - Shephard Group

The Best Land Systems Submission - sponsored by Northrop Grumman

Mark Cazalet - Patria’s FAMOUS ATV tracked vehicle breaks cover in the Arctic - ESD

Sam Cranny-Evans - Just in time is dead: How European manufacturers are gearing up for land warfare – ESD

Christopher Foss - British Army’s commitment to L118 105mm light gun may be death knell for Light Fires Platform - Shephard News

Laura Heckmann - Army Confident Latest Bradley Replacement Won't Stall - National Defense Magazine

Gabriele Molinelli - General Dynamics' Assembly lines for AJAX and FOXHOUND - Future Warfare Magazine

Ashley Roque - Army ‘prohibited’ soldiers from using Hellfire with M-SHORAD on Strykers due to safety concerns - Breaking Defense

The Best Defence Electronics Submission  – sponsored by General Dynamics

Sam Cranny-Evans - Unmanned advantage: Russia’s drones and the fight for ISTAR in Ukraine - ESD

Reuben F. Johnson - Ukraine’s F-16 ‘Ambushed And Downed’ A Russian Su-35 Fighter - National Security Journal

Vago Muradian - Technology Report: David Schild and Circuit Boards - Defense & Aerospace Report

Andrea Neves - Descrition Um projeto de comunicações em defesa liderado por Portugal - Antena 1, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal

Mark Pomerleau - Cheap electronic decoys providing Army units more flexibility and options on battlefield - DefenseScoop

Richard Scott - Taking Maritime EW to the Information Level - AOC Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance

The Best Integrated Maritime Defence Submission – sponsored by Fincantieri

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

Jon Harper - Navy plying new tactics while pairing kamikaze drones with robo-ships - DefenseScoop

Giangiuseppe Pili - Sea drones at war: Tactical, operational and strategic analysis of maritime uncrewed systems – ESD

Mark Pomerleau - Navy establishing task force along with new cyber career field - DefenseScoop

Richard Scott - UK's Project Cabot looks to exploit AI and digitalisation to build ‘Atlantic Bastion' - Janes Navy International

Christopher Cavas and Chris Servello - Dan Tenney - CavasShips Podcast

Lee Willett - From lab to ship: Portuguese Navy charts course towards integrated MUS operations – ESD

The Best Missile Defense Submission– sponsored by Northrop Grumman

Courtney Albon - Behemoth Golden Dome may face lackluster scrutiny in Trump's Pentagon - Defense News

Mikayla Easley - Trump revives push for space-based interceptors in ‘Iron Dome for America’ edict – DefenseScoop

Stew Magnuson - Dangerous Neighborhood: Middle East Nations Need Less Expensive Air, Missile Defense Tech - National Defense Magazine

Alex Mladenov - Kill-Chain Honing to perfection - Antares Issue 16

Theresa Hitchens and Michael Marrow - How Trump’s ‘Iron Dome for America’ upends four decades of nuclear doctrine - Breaking Defense

Richard Scott - Royal Navy evolves Type 45 to meet new maritime air and missile threats - Janes Navy International

The Best National Security Space Submission - sponsored by Intelsat

Courtney Albon - Money, Musk and Mission Creep: How Trump Could Shape DOD's Space Drift - Defense News

Mikayla Easley - Space industrial base racing to meet growing demand for military satellites - DefenseScoop

Theresa Hitchens - US loosens some rules for offensive counterspace ops, wargaming - Breaking Defense

Vivienne Machi - Envisioning The Future Of Dynamic Spaceborne Operations - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Helen Haxell-White - Sovereignty vs. Safety: Collaboration Crisis in Space – Global Defence Technology

Laura Winter - A Fighting Irishman Walks Into A Boardroom With The PRC - The DownLink Podcast

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

Mark Cazalet - Beyond the drone line: Lessons from the drone war in Ukraine – ESD

Gregor Ferguson - Australia bets big on new systems and local industry in the face of drone wars - Shephard News

Paul "Foo" Kennard - The drone will always get through, or will it? - Antares Issue 15

Stephen Losey - How the Air Force averted a major flaw in its drone wingmen approach - Defense News

Ashley Roque - The Army's 'Red Tape' drone challenge - Breaking Defense

Greg Waldron - Boeing's big bet on Australia's MQ-28 – FlightGlobal

The Best Military Aviation Submission  - sponsored by Honeywell

Chris Gordon - Defending NATO’s Flank - Air & Space Forces Magazine

Reuben F. Johnson - Rafale Downed? Inside India’s Retaliation & Pakistan’s ‘Failed’ Chinese Missiles - 19FortyFive

Stephen Losey - Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that kept flying - Marine Corps Times

Vago Muradian and J.J. Gertler - The Secret History - Defense and Aerospace Report Air Power Podcast

Chris Pocock - US Army Flies High With Innovative ISR – Armada International

Steve Trimble and Graham Warwick - Designers Are Puzzled After China’s Double-Aircraft Reveal - Aviation Week & Space Technology

The Best Technology Submission – sponsored by L3Harris

Sam Cranny-Evans - Mach Beyond: The technical edge of hypersonic missiles - ESD

Theresa Hitchens - Chinese sats appear to be attempting first-ever on-orbit refueling, sat tracking firms say - Breaking Defense

Mark Pomerleau - How the Army built Next-Gen Command and Control - DefenseScoop

Tereza Pultarova - How Ukraine’s wartime innovators are redefining tactical communication - Shephard News

Kate Tringham - History in the making - Janes

Dr. Lee Willett - Combining the pieces: putting together the puzzle of underwater communications - Future Warfare Magazine

The Best Cyber Security Submission - sponsored by SNC

Gerrard Cowan - AUKUS partners pursue cyber edge - Janes International Defence Review

Tayfun Ozberk - Achilles' Heel For Navies: Cyber Attacks - A5 Defence Industry Magazine

Mark Pomerleau - Cyber Command supports strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but officials keep details under wraps – DefenseScoop

Alix Valenti - Ripple effects: Cyber vulnerability at sea – ESD

Carley Welch - Pentagon’s cybersecurity mandate CMMC 2.0 likely to survive under Trump - Breaking Defense

Thomas Withington - Digital gunfire – ESD

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

Gabriel Dominguez - U.S. Army capable of countering China’s plans to keep it at bay, top general says - The Japan Times

Peter Felstead - Observe, orient, decide, act: advances in AFV situational awareness - ESD

Jen Judson - Why the Army is looking abroad to close a widening artillery gun gap - Defense News

Mark Pomerleau - Armored formation kicks off second round of transforming-in-contact with Pegasus Charge - DefenseScoop

Ashley Roque - Coverage of Army's Robot Combat Vehicle - Breaking Defense

Hope Seck - Protecting the Fleets: Industry Developing Arsenal for Small Vehicle Drone Protection - National Defense Magazine

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

Mikayla Easley - How the Air Force is experimenting with AI-enabled tech for battle management – DefenseScoop

Sydney J Freedberg Jr - Trained on classified battlefield data, AI multiplies effectiveness of Ukraine’s drones: Report - Breaking Defense

Flavia Camargos Pereira - Why artificial intelligence has secured its place in special forces’ operations - Shephard News

Christopher P Cavas and Chris Servello - Robots to Make Ship Building & Repair More Predictable - CavasShips Podcast

Alix Valenti - Command, control, and confidence: The real challenge of AI at sea – ESD

Brandi Vincent - Joint Staff pursues ‘major step forward’ to enhance ORION force management platform with AI – DefenseScoop

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

Team Effort to Defend Israel from Iran - Air & Space Forces Magazine

Edward Hunt - Is Chinese naval air power ready for action? - Shephard News

Valerie Insinna and Michael Marrow - How the Pentagon (quietly) spent $1 billion of inflation relief money - Breaking Defense

Reuben F. Johnson - Ukraine’s lost F-16: Debris and a deadly mission - Breaking Defense

Dov Lieber - Inside ‘Operation Narnia,’ the Daring Attack Israel Feared It Couldn’t Pull Off - The Wall Street Journal

Stew Magnuson, Sean Carberry, Josh Luckenbaugh, Laura Heckmann and Brian Taylor - NATO at 75: National Defense Special Report on Alliance's Anniversary -National Defense Magazine

Kate Tringham - Bolstered Baltic – Janes

Davis Winkie and Cybele Mayes-Osterman - Nuclear weapons woes: Understaffed nuke agency hit by DOGE and safety worries - USA TODAY

The Outstanding Achievement Award - sponsored by amentum

The winners of the Outstanding Achievement Award will be revealed on October 12th At the Defence Media Awards

If you have any questions, please submit queries to themediadoctor@aol.com