Nominations open for next year’s Queensland Women in Manufacturing Apprentice Awards

Nominations have opened for the state government’s Women in Manufacturing Apprentice Awards 2026, which recognises outstanding female apprentices in the Queensland manufacturing workforce.

The two awards on offer are:

• Leading Apprentice Award winner ($10,000 prize); and 
• The Highly Commended Apprentice Award for the runner-up ($5,000 prize)

“These awards are about celebrating the trailblazing women leading the way in manufacturing, because we want more young women to see the exciting opportunities in this sector,” said state manufacturing minister Dale Last in a statement on Tuesday.

“Opening doors for young women to pursue diverse careers in manufacturing is a priority for the Crisafulli Government, because it’s about delivering real opportunities for the next generation.” 

This year’s winners, named in August, were

• Samantha Johnson, who earned the Leading Apprentice Award while completing a Certificate IV in Engineering Fabrication at Blask Engineering; and
• Jessica Martin, who received the Highly Commended Apprentice Award from Rodney Industries for her work as a boilermaker.

Entries for the 2026 awards are open until November 14. More information is available here.