In 2026, the Resource Industry Network marks an incredible 25-year milestone and the RIN Awards Gala Dinner is set to be our most memorable event yet. For a quarter of a century, these awards have recognised the innovation, resilience and achievements of businesses across the resource and supply chain sectors.

The RIN Awards highlight excellence across seven categories, showcasing organisations that are leading the way in areas such as safety, culture, community connection and business growth. It is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on those making a real impact in our region.

With more than 250 industry leaders and professionals in attendance, the Gala Dinner is a standout event on the regional calendar. Guests will enjoy a premium dining experience, live entertainment, and the excitement of celebrating this year’s nominees, finalists and winners.

This year is more than an awards night – it’s a celebration of 25 years of industry, collaboration and progress, and the people and businesses who have helped shape it.

How to Get Started on Your Award Nomination:

Read these guidelines, including eligibility details and category criteria. Select the award/s that most apply to your business.

Begin collecting relevant data, testimonials, and documented accomplishments in response to the category criteria. Make good use of previous case studies, tenders, or grant applications to save you time.

Write dot points highlighting your successes. Organise all necessary documents and evidence. Get help and stand out. Outsource the writing to an internal word wizard or copywriting subcontractor.

Complete the cover sheet and sign the declaration.

Submit your application to events@rin.org.au before the 6 July deadline.

Award Categories

There are seven (7) award categories. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to nominate. Judges consider an organisation’s size when assessing its nomination.

Need help? Contact the Grant and Tender Services Network at GW3 for support to write award nominations. Complete the online enquiry form on the website grantandtenderservices.com.au and select “I’d like a phone call” where someone from the GW3 team will get back to you.

Awards Timeline

29 May

Tickets on sale

6 July

Nominations Close

15 July

Finalists Announced

17 July

Finalists Interview (Approx 20 minutes between 7:30am – 12:00pm at the RCOE)

3 August

Finalists Video Shoot Week Begins. (Up to 60 minutes, ideally at your location)

4 September

RIN Awards

The Benefits of Nominating

Nominating your organisation for a RIN Award allows you to oversee day-to-day business activity, assess operational achievements, and acknowledge employees for their contributions to your company. Nominees are profiled, gaining publicity for your business.

Finalists Receive

Recognition

Distinction from peers and increased industry exposure for your organisation and talent.

Visibility

Prestigious endorsement of your organisation, acknowledging the quality of your brand’s products and service delivery capabilities.

Marketing

Publicity and company profiling through digital media coverage and print promotions. A premium multimedia presentation (in the form of a highlight video reel) of your nomination to utilise in your own communications.

Personal and Professional Development

Network within the nomination group. The valuable experience of going through the finalist processes and presenting achievements to an industry panel, providing each finalist with great reflection and opportunity to set future goals.

Winners Receive

Competitive Advantage

Significant recognition of your company’s capabilities by industry and across the region.

Business Growth

Achievement featured in Resource Industry Network digital communications, providing branding opportunities to a distinct audience while highlighting your unique strengths and achievements.

Status and Credibility

A hand–cut glass trophy and a framed certificate. The award category winner 2024 logo can be used.

Employee Motivation and Recruitment

Foster a sense of pride and accomplishment within your team. Being an award winner makes your company more attractive to top talent looking to join reputable and successful organisations.

Safety Foremost Award

Awarded to an organisation that demonstrates a sustained safety performance and/or culture in a workplace, incorporating both physical safety and mental well-being.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. a commitment to safety backed up by a prolonged period of injury-free work.
  2. a psychological initiative encouraging a supportive approach to dealing with mental health issues in the workplace to improve the safety culture.
  3. a project completed safely by incorporating safety management practices, strategies, or innovation.
  4. safety leadership.
  5. a transformational turnaround or prolonged period in safety performance.

If your key safety measure only focuses on physical or psychological safety, include how your organisation promotes both aspects in your workplace.

Category Sponsor

Champion Culture Award

Awarded to an organisation that best demonstrates how they successfully engaged with their employees to deliver an improved workplace culture for their people and business operations.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. engagement with your people to produce a workforce-related outcome or improve a measurable human resource metric.
  2. an initiative in human resource management.
  3. a system, program or process that resulted in superior people performance.
Category Sponsor

Connecting in the Community Award

Awarded to an organisation that best demonstrates how they successfully engaged with the community or external stakeholders.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. actively engage or partner with the community or a community organisation to benefit those not directly related to your business.
  2. the organisation’s employees provide support to help others by giving up their time and/or resources.
  3. assisting the community or a community organisation in need.
Category Sponsor

Expansion into New Markets Award

Awarded to an organisation that demonstrates the most initiative, diversification, or success in developing a product or service that will aid in advancing decarbonisation or exploring foreign markets or expanding their supply chain to improve their domestic business outcomes.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. accessed an emerging market.
  2. diversified, adapted, or expanded your supply chain.
  3. establishing lower production or servicing costs.
  4. taken a product or service to a new market, deriving an economic benefit.
  5. supplied foreign markets through exports or decarbonisation such as renewable projects.
Category Sponsor

Manufacturing Excellence Award

Awarded to an organisation that demonstrates improving business sustainability by seeking out opportunities or altering practices to meet the current or future business environment. This may include innovations or the modification of products or services.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. ideates, engineers, modifies, or manufactures innovative products, services, or operational agility.
  2. practices or processes are in place to improve the business’s development and economic or environmental sustainability benchmarks (not excluding safety, productivity, minimising waste or recycling, or energy efficiency).
  3. delivers products or services that create future jobs.
  4. engages in mentoring, skills and training development that improves capability.
  5. integrates the Internet of Things (IoT) or adopts automation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, technological or robotic practices. 
Category Sponsor

Standing out from the Crowd Award

Awarded to one outstanding individual within your organisation who demonstrates commitment, loyalty, dedication, and resilience in current market conditions.

To enter this category, an organisation should nominate an employee who demonstrates one or more of the following criteria:

  1. constantly leads from the front and is a beacon to others, particularly during challenges.
  2. an innovator or champion of change to ensure organisational prosperity.
  3. provides sound reasoning and draws on experience to navigate decision-making.
Category Sponsor

The Tony Britton Award (Chair Award)

Awarded to an individual who demonstrates dedication, enthusiasm, and support beyond their own business interests for the benefit of the wider resource services sector and/or local community.

For more than 10 years, Tony Britton was an active and enthusiastic advocate for the Mackay Area Industry Network (MAIN). As a founding member and Director from 2003 to 2013, Tony consistently championed the capability and capacity of the region’s supply chain industry. His passion and dedication set a standard for others working within the sector.

The inaugural Tony Britton Award was presented in 2015.

Nominations for this category are made by industry peers, and nominees are not made public.

Category Sponsor

award Nomination

Please refer to all relevant category information above.

5:00pm Monday, 6th July 2026.
Nominations Close
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Organisation Details

Application

Refer to Criteria

Awarded to an organisation that demonstrates a sustained safety performance and/or culture in a workplace, incorporating both physical safety and mental well-being.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. a commitment to safety backed up by a prolonged period of injury-free work.
  2. a psychological initiative encouraging a supportive approach to dealing with mental health issues in the workplace to improve the safety culture.
  3. a project completed safely by incorporating safety management practices, strategies, or innovation.
  4. safety leadership.
  5. a transformational turnaround or prolonged period in safety performance.

If your key safety measure only focuses on physical or psychological safety, include how your organisation promotes both aspects in your workplace.

Awarded to an organisation that best demonstrates how they successfully engaged with their employees to deliver an improved workplace culture for their people and business operations.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. engagement with your people to produce a workforce-related outcome or improve a measurable human resource metric.
  2. an initiative in human resource management.
  3. a system, program or process that resulted in superior people performance.

Awarded to an organisation that best demonstrates how they successfully engaged with the community or external stakeholders.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. actively engage or partner with the community or a community organisation to benefit those not directly related to your business.
  2. the organisation’s employees provide support to help others by giving up their time and/or resources.
  3. assisting the community or a community organisation in need.

Awarded to an organisation that demonstrates the most initiative, diversification, or success in developing a product or service that will aid in advancing decarbonisation or exploring foreign markets or expanding their supply chain to improve their domestic business outcomes.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

  1. accessed an emerging market.
  2. diversified, adapted, or expanded your supply chain.
  3. establishing lower production or servicing costs.
  4. taken a product or service to a new market, deriving an economic benefit.
  5. supplied foreign markets through exports or decarbonisation such as renewable projects.

Awarded to an organisation that demonstrates improving business sustainability by seeking out opportunities or altering practices to meet the current or future business environment. This may include innovations or the modification of products or services.

To enter this category, an organisation should demonstrate one or more of the following criteria:

    1. ideates, engineers, modifies, or manufactures innovative products, services, or operational agility.
    2. practices or processes are in place to improve the business’s development and economic or environmental sustainability benchmarks (not excluding safety, productivity, minimising waste or recycling, or energy efficiency).
    3. delivers products or services that create future jobs.
    4. engages in mentoring, skills and training development that improves capability.
    5. integrates the Internet of Things (IoT) or adopts automation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, technological or robotic practices.

Awarded to one outstanding individual within your organisation who demonstrates commitment, loyalty, dedication, and resilience in current market conditions.

To enter this category, an organisation should nominate an employee who demonstrates one or more of the following criteria:

  1. constantly leads from the front and is a beacon to others, particularly during challenges.
  2. an innovator or champion of change to ensure organisational prosperity.
  3. provides sound reasoning and draws on experience to navigate decision-making.
Criteria for each award is listed in the respective section. Please respond to the criteria in 1000 words or less with relevant examples.
Click or drag a file to this area to upload. Please upload your supporting content as a single PDF document (recommended), with any images, links or media embedded within the file where possible.

Declaration of Applicant

Nomination Application Guidelines

Eligibility: Open to our members – Any business operating in the resources sector, including mining services, engineering and/or manufacturing industries within the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday and Bowen Basin regions can enter a nomination for the RIN Awards. Businesses must have a local office and staff based in the region or contribute to the region’s economic development. A business is ineligible to enter a category if it sponsors that Award category or was the 2025 Award category winner.

Award Categories: Entrants may nominate in multiple award categories, including nominating the same initiative or project across multiple categories, simply by completing one entry cover sheet and responding to each of the relevant category criteria. There is no fee for submitting an award nomination.

Criteria: Address one or more award criteria by exemplary or case study of outstanding excellence, geographical or financial success, or achievement. Clearly demonstrate how your organisation is in a stronger financial or operational position than previously. Responses to meet an award criterion by an organisation, employee, initiative, or project must be recent within the last 12 months. Entrants are not required to answer every criterion in each award category if it does not apply.

In 1000 words or less, outline how your organisation, employee, initiative or project has demonstrated one or more of the listed criteria for the selected award category. Be sure to include clear examples, outcomes or supporting evidence that strengthens your submission and showcases your achievements.

Please upload supporting material as a single PDF document, with any other images, videos, links or media embedded within the file where possible.

How to Enter: Entrants must complete the entry cover sheet (including contact name, address, phone number, and email address) and signed declaration form at the bottom of this nomination pack and supply criteria responses before the due date. Late applications will not be accepted.

The closing date for nomination applications is 5:00pm Monday, 6th July 2026.

Submit completed nomination applications to Resource Industry Network by one of the following methods:

  1. Emailed to events@rin.org.au as a digital folder linked via Dropbox, Google Drive or similar (preferred)
  2. Email as an attachment to events@rin.org.au
  3. Posted to RIN Awards 2026, Resource Industry Network, 65 Crichtons Road, Paget, Mackay, Qld, 4740, or
  4. Delivered in person to the same address.

Confidentiality: Content you provide with this application will become the property of Resource Industry Network. We reserve the right to use this content to promote the RIN Awards further. Should you have any concerns about privacy, please contact the RIN Comms Officer at comms@rin.org.au

Judging Panel: A panel of industry business leaders will judge the RIN Awards 2026. The panel ensures that the judging process is fair and objective, free of bias and influence. Judges are bound by a strict confidentiality agreement and must declare any conflict of interest in entries over which they deliberate and stand aside from deliberations concerning those entries. Judged decisions are final, and there will be no debate regarding award winners.

Evaluation Process: Judges receive a copy of the entrant’s application and select up to three entrants as finalists in each category. Successful applicants are notified that they are finalists by 15th July and must attend a 20-minute interview with the panel on Friday 17th July, at the Resources Centre of Excellence in Mackay. Finalists participate in a short video regarding their nomination, filmed by Tropical Exposure, at a day and time scheduled for the week commencing 3rd August, which will then be shown at the Gala Dinner on Friday 4th September. Refer to the timeline above.

Finalist Interviews: Successful applicants are requested to attend a 20-minute interview with a panel of judges on Friday 17th July, at the Resources Centre of Excellence (RCOE) building in Paget, Mackay. Please note this date at the time of submission, as interviews will not be possible on any other date. Should you be a finalist in a category and not be able to attend your interview on this date, your application is judged based on the nomination application only.

Gala Dinner: Winners of the RIN Awards 2026 will be announced on Friday 4th September at the RIN Awards Gala Dinner, a black-tie evening full of entertainment, fine dining and professional networking held at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC). Finalist organisations are required to pay for a representative to attend. Attending the Gala Dinner event itself is open to all businesses.

Gala Dinner tickets can be purchased on our website at www.rin.org.au from Monday 25th May

For further information regarding the RIN Awards, please contact our office via phone 07 4952 4184 or email admin@rin.org.au.