Queensland has opened nominations for the Women in Manufacturing Apprentice Awards 2027, a statewide award for female apprentices in manufacturing trades with two categories, a $15,000 total prize pool and a nomination deadline of 9 October 2026. Winners are announced in March 2027 at the Brisbane Women in Manufacturing Breakfast, timed to coincide with International Women’s Day.
The breakdown, as reported by Manufacturers’ Monthly on 1 September 2026: the Leading Apprentice Award winner takes $10,000 and the Highly Commended Apprentice Award recipient takes $5,000. The awards judge leadership, initiative and communication excellence across Queensland’s manufacturing sector.
The money can go straight into a tool kit
This is not a plaque and a handshake. The prizes can be spent on professional development, training, education, tools or uniforms, which is unusually practical for an award of this kind.
That matters because tools are the cost apprentices carry longest. A first or second-year putting $10,000 into their own kit is buying gear most tradies assemble slowly, one pay packet at a time, and then keep for a working lifetime.
”Back yourself”, says last year’s winner
The 2026 Leading Apprentice Award went to second-year automotive electrician Zahlee Wheeler, from Allweld Manufacturing, who said winning had been an incredibly proud moment.
Wheeler said she was “very passionate about lifting up other female apprentices in the manufacturing industry” and that “there are so many opportunities for women to build rewarding careers, take on leadership roles and make a real impact in this industry”.
Her advice to anyone weighing up whether to put their hand up was blunt. “I’d say back yourself, embrace the opportunity and be proud of what you have achieved,” Wheeler said.
“I’d say back yourself, embrace the opportunity and be proud of what you have achieved.”
She also said “Doing my apprenticeship has shaped who I am”, and that the award recognised the work she had done encouraging other young women into a trade.
Who’s in scope
Manufacturing is a broad church here, and the trades it covers are the ones a lot of BCN readers already work in. Wheeler is an automotive electrician at a welding and fabrication business, which gives you a fair idea of how wide the net goes.
Minister for Manufacturing Dale Last put the sector’s range on the record when announcing the nominations. “Whether it’s advanced manufacturing, robotics or critical minerals processing, we want more women seizing the opportunities being created as Queensland manufacturing grows,” Last said.
Last tied the awards to the state’s workforce push. “The future of Queensland manufacturing is being built by apprentices today,” he said, adding: “Through our Transforming Queensland Manufacturing Strategy, we’re growing the skilled workforce Queensland manufacturers need to innovate, compete and create jobs.”
The Crisafulli Government said the awards form part of that effort. The strategy itself sits with the state government at qld.gov.au.
It’s a nomination, not an application
Here’s the bit worth reading twice if you employ apprentices or supervise them. The pathway in is a nomination, which means the apprentice does not have to put herself forward. A boss, a leading hand or a trainer can do it for her.
Last made that pitch directly. “If you know an outstanding apprentice, nominate her. Her success story could inspire the next generation of Queensland manufacturers,” he said.
For a small fabrication shop or workshop with one or two apprentices on the floor, that’s about ten minutes of paperwork against a shot at $10,000 landing in your apprentice’s tool box. It also gives you something to point at when you’re trying to convince the next school leaver that a trade beats a desk.
What to watch
The hard date is 9 October 2026. That window sits inside Queensland Manufacturing Month, which kicked off on 1 September 2026, so expect the state to be pushing the awards through workshops and training providers over the next few weeks.
After that, it’s a five-month wait to the March 2027 announcement in Brisbane. If you’ve got an apprentice worth nominating, get her name in before the month is out, because these deadlines don’t get extended for the shop that got busy.
Frequently asked questions
How do I nominate an apprentice for the award?
The Women in Manufacturing Apprentice Awards are nomination-based, not a self-application. A boss, leading hand or trainer can nominate an apprentice before the 9 October 2026 deadline.
What can winners spend the prize money on?
The $10,000 Leading Apprentice Award and $5,000 Highly Commended Apprentice Award can be spent on tools, uniforms, training or further education.
When are the winners announced?
Winners are announced in March 2027 at the Brisbane Women in Manufacturing Breakfast, timed to coincide with International Women’s Day.
Who is eligible for the awards?
The awards are open to female apprentices across Queensland’s manufacturing trades, judged on leadership, initiative and communication excellence.
Sourced from Manufacturers’ Monthly. Original article.
