Nominations are now being accepted for the AURIN Peter Woodgate Award for 2026.

The Award honours the late Dr Peter Woodgate’s legacy of leadership, mentorship and impact.

Dr Woodgate had an illustrious career in the space and geospatial sectors that spanned more than 30 years.

He roles and appointments included Chair of the SmartSat CRC, Chair of the Steering Committee for the 2030 Space and Spatial Industries Growth Roadmap, Chair of the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN), and Chair of Canthera Discovery (a national cancer therapeutics research organisation).

He was also a member of the Australian Space Agency’s Space Industry Leaders Forum, a Board member of Geoscape Australia and an Honorary Fellow of SSSI.

The AURIN Peter Woodgate Award aims to recognise an individual whose contribution to Australia’s geospatial profession reflects the qualities that defined Dr Peter Woodgate’s remarkable career.

Award not just for senior professionals

“We’re inviting the geospatial community to nominate an individual whose work they believe has strengthened the profession and created lasting benefit for industry, government, research or the broader community,” said Professor Pascal Perez, Director of AURIN.

“Nominees can come from academia, government, industry or the not-for-profit sector and may be at any stage of their career. 

“We encourage nominations that reflect the diversity of people, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives across Australia’s geospatial profession.”

The award is not limited to those with long-established careers or senior titles — emerging and mid-career professionals who are already demonstrating leadership, innovation, mentorship, collaboration and impact are eligible to be nominated, and indeed such nominations are strongly encouraged.

“If someone in your organisation, network or community is making a meaningful contribution to the future of the profession, we encourage you to put their name forward,” said Professor Perez.

Panel of professionals to assess nominations

All nominations for the AURIN Peter Woodgate Award will be assessed against five criteria:

• Collaboration – building meaningful partnerships and achieving shared outcomes.
• Mentorship – supporting and developing others through guidance and knowledge sharing.
• Leadership – providing direction, inspiring others and strengthening the profession.
• Innovation – developing new ideas, technologies, approaches or policies that create value.
• Impact – delivering lasting outcomes and advancing Australia’s geospatial profession.

The recipient will be selected by an independent judging panel of geospatial professionals from across academia, government and industry.

The Award will be presented during the Geospatial Excellence Awards at the Locate Conference in Brisbane on Wednesday, 25 November 2026.

Nominations close at 5:00pm AEST on Friday, 28 August 2026.