Airwards announces global drone award winners

Global drone awards recognises pioneering conservation work, lifesaving health operations and groundbreaking tech solutions

27 May 2022: Identifying malaria mosquito breeding sites; delivering urgent health supplies to remote communities; tracking Pangolin poachers; locating people faster in disaster relief operations; measuring methane to reduce carbon emissions; and educating children in drones with a STEM-themed Mars flight training mission – are just some of the groundbreaking, lifesaving and pioneering drone projects to be awarded in the 2021/22 Airwards.

Over 120 global submissions were judged by 38 drone experts and business leaders to award this year’s 18 Airwards main category winners. Announced during the second-ever Airwards Winners’ Week (23-31 May 2022), the winners have been recognised by Airwards as the pinnacle in innovative, responsible and impactful projects made possible with drones.

From L-R: GLOBHE Drones for Medical and Healthcare; Swoop Aero for both Delivery and Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief; Wildlife Drones for Conservation and Environment; CENTUM Research & Technology for Sensors and Payload; Flylogix for Energy; and Drone Legends for Education and Research.

Airwards is the first digital awards of its kind to identify, recognise and champion the breadth of positive drone use cases. This year’s 21/22 Airwards winners hail from around the world, including Malawi, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Brazil, India, Vietnam, Germany, France, Spain, Australia, the UK and the USA. The full list of Airwards 21/22 Winners is available on the Airwards website and below.

Airwards 21/22 Winners – Technology
Sensors & Payload: CENTUM R&T for The fastest UAV’s phone location system
Software – Captured data mgt. analysis: PlotBox for Drones: Future of cemetery management
Software – Enabling flight ops. mgt.: TechEagle for Saving Lives with Delivery Drone

Airwards 21/22 Winners – Operations
Airspace Management: Queensland Uni of Tech. (QUT) for Australian Drone Facility Maps
Delivery: Swoop Aero for Creating the future of air logistics
Survey and Inspection: sees.ai for Electricity grid aerial inspection

Airwards 21/22 Winners – Supporting Services
Consultancy: Hover UAV for BVLOS from Remote Operations Centre
Training and Certification: RPAS Training Academy for Genesis Hub Drone Academy

Airwards 21/22 Winners – Industry/Field
Construction and Planning: HEROTECH8 for Power Station Aerial Inspection
Defence Security and Surveillance: ModalAI for VOXL CAM for smaller smarter safer robot
Energy: Flylogix for Emissions Measurement Offshore
Media Events and Creative: Mirragin for Elevate Sydney Drone Sky Show
Medical and Healthcare: GLOBHE Drones for Maladrone Project

Airwards 21/22 Winners – Giving Back
Conservation and Environment: Wildlife Drones for ‘Protecting pangolins from poaching’
Education and Research: Drone Legends for ‘Drone Flight Mission!’
Emergency Response and SAR: Zipline for ‘COVID Vaccine Distribution Across Ghana’
Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief: Swoop Aero for ‘Creating the future of air logistics’
Public Safety: Cyberhawk for ‘How Drones Help Keep the Lights On’

Richard Nichols, Airwards founder, says: “We’ve been blown away by the breadth of groundbreaking drone work in the past year. Coming out of the pandemic hasn’t been easy, but I think the winners all demonstrate the commitment – by companies of all sizes – in providing lifesaving solutions with drones. The judges had a tough job determining the winners but all those recognised in this year’s Airwards demonstrate the highest level of innovative, responsible and impactful drone work. We’re excited to see all of these positive use cases flourish – pushing boundaries and improving the world we live in – and to see what the next 12 months hold!”

About Airwards
From pioneering conservation work and lifesaving projects to groundbreaking innovation and tech, Airwards is the first global awards programme to recognise the breadth of drone work being carried out around the world. Launched in 2020, the not-for-profit is dedicated to demonstrating that ‘Life’s Better With Drones’ by recognising positive use cases and championing global best practice scenarios in which drones are helping industries solve problems and save lives.

Airwards is open to a range of individuals and companies from December to March each year, including drone specialists, startups and large corporations. Each submission is benchmarked on three criteria: Innovation, Responsibility and Impactful, real-world solutions. Airwards judges include business leaders, drone experts and industry specialists curated to reflect the diverse range of innovation and incredible work being accomplished by the international drone industry.