Australian sports business’ best and brightest lit up The Grand Electric in Sydney on Thursday night for the third annual Ministry of Sport Awards.
On an unforgettable evening of appreciation and revelry with a twist, the crowd was treated to a splash of glamour befitting the occasion courtesy of a performance by the all-star international cast of Blanc de Blanc, the runaway burlesque success from cabaret maestros Strut & Fret.
“We’re celebrating the outstanding work being done in the business of sport while trying to make it a fun and engaging night,” Ministry of Sport found Ben Parsons enthused.
“We are all essentially in the entertainment industry, so we’ve tried to produce an awards night that’s different to everything else out there.”
In a year of especially high achievement in the realm of sports business, 2023’s industry leaders, creative talents, bar raisers, trailblazers and barrier breakers were honoured across eight MOS Awards categories, each featuring a stacked field of nominees.
A panel of 40 independent judges from a diverse range of industries meticulously assessed an abundance of blue-chip shortlisted contenders and came up with a worthy group of winners.
Sports entertainment and experiences company KOJO received the Best Sports Event award for their delivery of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The phenomenally successful tournament, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in July-August, also collected the Diversity and Inclusion Advocate in Sport on the back of its ‘Beyond Greatness’ campaign.
There were double celebrations, too, for World Surf League, who carried off the gong for Innovative Sports Technology, courtesy of the Apple Watch and WSL Surfer App, while WSL General Manager Andrew Stark was named Administrator of the Year in Sports.
Telstra’s long association with the AFL and NRL was the basis for their new creative platform, ‘This is Footy Country’, which earned the nod for Best Sports Marketing.
AFLW Workplay is an industry first networking platform for women’s sport in Australia and saw the AFL awarded the Best Wellness Initiative in Sports.
Woolworths received the Best Sports Sponsorship honour for their Pick Fresh Play Fresh campaign, which aims to inspire healthy eating habits in Australian kids through sport.
Ally Kirkwood, a Junior Creative Producer at The Gemba Group, was named Sports Industry Best Newcomer.
“Congratulations to all the winners tonight,” Parsons expressed.
“There was such a high standard of entries from what has been an extraordinary year for sport – and sports business – in Australia, and Ministry of Sport is proud to recognise their achievements.”
Article republished from the Ministry of Sport website with permissions. Maake Creative produces content for the Ministry of Sport and run their event program.
