Nominations are being called for New Zealand’s brightest talents in the racing industry, with the Industry Excellence Awards, powered by Entain New Zealand, now open for entries.

The tri-code awards, which were held for the first time last year, are open to anyone involved in the New Zealand racing and breeding industry between the ages of 18 to 40 and are an opportunity for the rising stars and future leaders to be recognised, Entain’s Managing Director – New Zealand, Sam Moncur said.

“We were hugely impressed by the calibre of last year’s nominees, and the finalists across the nine categories were a massive credit to the industry,” Sam Moncur said.

"With the awards now established through last year’s successful event, we’re sure the interest and subsequent number of nominations will continue to grow this year. We are looking forward to recognising the 2025 stars at the awards evening in June.”

There are awards for a total of nine categories, with a supreme winner chosen from the category award winners.

The award categories are:

Leadership Excellence;

Equine Licence Holder Excellence;

Greyhound Excellence;

Dedication to Breeding Excellence;

Stud, Stable & Kennel Excellence;

Administration & Innovation Excellence;

Care and Welfare Excellence;

Newcomer Excellence; and

National Racing Woman of the Year.

Last year’s Entain Excellence Award supreme winner was Cameron Ring, the bloodstock manager for the iconic Cambridge Stud.

“This is an incredible initiative, driven by Entain, to acknowledge the people that deserve to be recognised and rewarded in their field of work,” Cameron Ring said.

“I would highly recommend employers and individuals to apply as it is an awards night you do not want to miss out on.”

The awards ceremony will be held on 29 June, with flights and accommodation supplied for each of the category finalists. The finalists will be confirmed and announced in early June.

Category winners will receive $10,000 with finalists in each category receiving $2,000. The supreme winner will receive an extra $5,000 on top of their $10,000 category win, and a $5,000 educational package.

Information on the awards, including more details on each category, and the nomination process is at entaingroup.co.nz/industryawards.

Nominations open for 2025 awards to celebrate racing's rising stars