The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) SOC Limited is kicking things off on a high note with the launch of the prestigious AVI Afrique 2017 Awards.

Contestants from all over South Africa can enter and stand a chance to be crowned for their innovative excellence in the aviation sector at a prestigious Awards Ceremony on 25 October 2017.

Whether you are a scientist, researcher, industry professional, budding entrepreneur, journalist, university student or high school learner, this is your chance to break through the clutter and show the world your skills and what it takes to be a master innovator. Entrants can consider the following categories this year:

  • Student innovator: Strictly for 18 years and above and still studying,
  • Emerging innovator: Independent innovator not working for any research institution or university
  • Professional innovator: Working within an institution or involved in a research environment
  • Organisations: Any organisation including research and educational institutions
  • Media: Journalists with an interest in aviation

Currently in its sixth year, the AVI Afrique Awards is the opportune platform for individuals with a passion for innovation and elevating aviation through bright ideas, designs and prototypes, to showcase their capabilities. Also, with the 2017 website, this year’s registration process is easy and entrants can simply select the category that they would like to enter by answering a set of defined questions and uploading a document explaining the detail for the entry.

Thabani Mthiyane, CEO at ATNS, comments: “We are proud to announce the launch of our 2017 Avi Awards website, and cannot wait to see the amazing talent at this year’s awards.”

“In celebrating the centenary year, commemorating Oliver Reginald Tambo, ATNS has decided to rename the AVI Cumulus Award to the “OR Tambo Cumulus Award.” The grand prize this year will be a whopping R20 017.00, the second-place winner will receive R15 000, and third place will receive R10 000.

Mthiyane concludes: “We are excited to see what our innovators are going to come up with and look forward to receiving all the entries.”