To better reflect the growth, diversity and maturity experienced by the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) industry in recent years, the 2014 National ITS Awards program has been expanded to five categories.
ITS Australia Chief Executive Officer Susan Harris said establishing three new award categories will enable judges to recognise innovation from a wider range of organisations.
“Australia is now a world leader in ITS technologies. The expanded National ITS Awards program will take that message to an international audience of potential customers,” said Susan Harris.
“There is strong incentive to enter the new Industry Award and Government Award categories. These categories offer the chance to be nominated by ITS Australia for an Achievement Award to be announced at the 2015 ITS World Congress in Bordeaux, France. Those winners will be recognised on this important international podium in front of more than 10,000 industry colleagues.
“Another Award offering international exposure is the Young Professional Award. Open to ITS professionals under 30 years of age, the prize includes free flights, accommodation, and registration to the ITS Asia Pacific forum in Nanjing, China in April 2015.
“The ITS Australia Awards are a celebration of excellence across the intelligent transport system industry. Individuals and organisations that are not members of ITS Australia may also enter the Awards,” said Susan Harris.
In addition to the exceptional exposure ensured through the National ITS Awards, entrants also benefit from the actual process of nominating. Laura Shirtley, a Graduate ICT Engineer at Jacobs Engineering Group said her experience in writing her entry for the 2013 Young Professional Award was valuable.
“Answering the questionnaire made me truly reflect on my early professional ITS experience in a way I hadn’t had the opportunity to do so previously. It highlighted how I had developed as a professional ITS practitioner and it also furthered me on my path to becoming a Chartered Engineer,” said Laura Shirtley.
“Upon being short listed, I attended the Awards ceremony, which allowed me to meet many of the brightest lights in the industry. This recognition also enabled me to talk to many of my non-ITS colleagues at Jacobs to raise the profile of ITS and the important safety role it plays in modern society. I recommend all young engineers have a try and enter themselves,” she said.
Winning the 2013 Young Professional Award brought an extraordinary opportunity to New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services Mechatronic Engineer Ben Cribbin. “As the winner of last year’s ITS Australia’s Young Professional Award, I was given the chance to attend the 2014 Asia Pacific Forum in Auckland. It was a fantastic event with a vast range of ITS industry knowledge and experience being shared,” said Ben Cribbin.
“This event was also an excellent networking opportunity. I was delighted by how many people recognised me for having won the award. It opened a multitude of doors and introduced me to people from across the industry, all of whom gave me valuable insights into their part in it.
“This award has left me feeling very welcome in the ITS community. I look forward to all the future possibilities and opportunities in which I can participate,” he said.
The 2013 National ITS Awards Young Professionals competition also recognised two other finalists – South Australian Department of Planning, Transport, and Infrastructure ITS Project Manager Yanyan Xiao and Kapsch TrafficCom Australia Systems Engineer Daniel Shaw.
The 2014 National ITS Award program offers four categories for nominations. For more information on the categories, visit the National ITS Awards website. For enquiries and nomination forms contact admin@its-australia.com.au. Entries are due by 30 September.
The Awards presentation dinner will be held on 28 November, 2014 at Brisbane’s new premier top-floor venue Room Three Sixty, which offers panoramic city and river views.
