The Hunter Manufacturing Awards has announced its finalists across 16 award categories, recognising manufacturers, industry collaborations and individuals ahead of its annual gala in Newcastle on 30 October 2026.
According to the Hunter Manufacturing Awards (HMA), the finalists represent businesses and individuals working across manufacturing, product design, innovation, export, digital transformation and sustainable operations in the Hunter region.
The 2026 finalists include manufacturers of different sizes, with awards recognising both individual contributions and business performance. Categories include Apprentice of the Year, Rising Star, Excellence in Manufacturing Leadership, Excellence in Manufacturing Capability and Manufacturer of the Year.
In the Apprentice of the Year category, sponsored by WesTrac Cat, the finalists are Jayden Edmonds of Downer, Eliza McLean of HunterNet Career Connections and Jack Jenkinson of Tomago Aluminium.
The Rising Star Award finalists are Brody Kyle of AGRANA Fruit, Kieran Burgess of Australian Electric Vehicle Specialists, Amanda Bloom of Vanhomes and Graham Lyall of Varley Group. The Excellence in Manufacturing Leadership Award includes Kellie Whybrow of AGRANA Fruit, Jye Hollier of Australian Electric Vehicle Specialists, Tony Stace of Downer, Samantha Swain of Protective Fencing and Leo Aspite of The Alternative Board Gosford.
Business-focused categories cover a range of manufacturing capabilities and commercial activities. Finalists for Excellence in Export and Global Supply Chain include 3ME Technology, Chamberlain Australia, Omnia Wheel, Pitcrew AI, Protective Fencing and UGL Transport.
The Excellence in Product Design Award features Design Anthology, Kaebel Leisure, Novecom, Omnia Wheel, SafeGauge, Senquip and Streamline Blast Solutions. Meanwhile, the Excellence in Innovation category includes 3ME Technology, Bennetts Steel, Elecbrakes, Omnia Wheel, Pitcrew AI, Protective Fencing, Supacell, Tomago Aluminium and Whiteley.
Finalists for Excellence in Manufacturing Capability are Omnia Wheel, Sandvik Ground Support Australia and UGL Transport. Apollo Engineering, Biofeed and Steber International are shortlisted for Excellence in Sustainable Operations, while Aruma Manufacturing, Protective Fencing and Talking Stones are finalists for the Diversity in Manufacturing Award.
The Excellence in Digital Transformation Award finalists are Chamberlain Australia and Elecbrakes. The Collaboration Partnership Award recognises four partnerships: Australian Electric Vehicle Specialists and Hedweld Group; Bekaert Australia and DCA Engineering; Downer and Sydney Trains; and Resourceful Living and Glendale City Centre.
The awards also recognise manufacturers according to workforce size. Finalists for Manufacturer of the Year with fewer than 50 employees are Elecbrakes, Industrial Gaskets & Sealants, Omnia Wheel, Protective Fencing, Senquip and Steber International.
In the category for manufacturers with 50 or more employees, the finalists are AGRANA Fruit, Apollo Engineering, Bekaert Australia, Sandvik Ground Support Australia, Tomago Aluminium and Vanhomes.
Other categories include Excellence in Marketing, with Bennetts Steel, Grolia and Streamline Blast Solutions named as finalists.
The HMA said the awards would celebrate the region’s manufacturing community, including the products developed, businesses established, collaborations formed and careers created across the industry.
The 2026 Hunter Manufacturing Awards Gala will be held at NEX on King Street in Newcastle on Friday, 30 October. Guests are expected to arrive at 6.15pm for a 7pm start. The event includes a three-course dinner and a four-hour drinks package, with a black-tie dress code.
Tickets are available through Humanitix.
The gala will announce the winners across the award categories and bring together businesses and individuals involved in manufacturing across the Hunter region.
