In 2016, the Australian Naval Institute (ANI) created an award to honour an individual or individuals from Australian defence industry who have made an outstanding contribution to the capabilities and sustainment of the Royal Australian Navy. This award was named the “McNeil Prize” in honour of Rear Admiral Percival McNeil CB RAN, one of the founding fathers of Australian shipbuilding.
Nominations for the 2023 prize are now open.
The previous winners of the McNeil Prize are:
- 2016: Ian Croser AM, the co-founder of CEA Technologies.
- 2017: Peter Evans from Saab Australia Pty Ltd.
- 2018: Andrew Whittaker, Director of Shipbuilding at Raytheon Australia.
- 2019: Peter Jenkins, Founder and Managing Director of Jenkins Engineering Defence Systems (JEDS).
- 2020: Professor Jason Scholz, CEO, Defence Cooperative Research Centre – Trusted Autonomous Systems.
- 2021: Ted Huber, Founder and Chairman of Acacia Systems
- 2022: Jim Cuthill, BAE Systems Maritime Australia
Eligibility: To be eligible for the McNeil Prize, the nominee:
- is an individual or individuals from the Australian defence industry;
- has made a significant contribution to the capabilities of the RAN.
The Prize is awarded annually and presented at the ANI’s Vernon Parker Oration and Annual Dinner which will be held in Canberra on 20 June 2023.
Nominations are to be made in the form of a submission of no more than 500 words forwarded to the ANI Business Manager, Sue Hart at admin@navalinstitute.com.au. For further information contact the ANI Secretariat on 02 6290 1505.
The closing date for nominations for the 2023 McNeil Prize is 26 May 2023.
The criteria against which the prize is judged and a nomination form can be downloaded by clicking here.
