In their second decade, the Prospect Awards stand as the nation’s only awards program solely dedicated to celebrating excellence across the mining and mineral processing industry.
Promising to be its biggest and best instalment yet, the 2025 Australian Mining Prospect Awards will take place at one of South Australia’s most iconic venues – the Adelaide Oval.
Each year, the Prospect Awards recognise individuals and companies making outstanding and innovative contributions to the resources sector.
With 12 categories on offer, including Discovery of the Year, Engineering Success of the Year, and Innovative Mining Solution, the awards highlight projects and people making a meaningful impact across the industry.
Among the standout winners in 2024 was Buru Rehab, an Indigenous-owned mine rehabilitation and earthworks business based in Western Australia.
The company took home the Indigenous & Community Engagement Award for its on-Country road maintenance and civil work project in collaboration with Mineral Resources (MinRes).
This win has enabled Buru Rehab to expand its capacity and take on larger, more complex civil works projects.
However, Buru Rehab owner George Todd said the achievement goes far beyond business growth.
Platform for Indigenous voices
Todd told Australian Mining that the Prospect Awards represent a vital platform for Indigenous businesses to share their work and voice.
“The Prospect Awards give Indigenous companies the exposure they require to spread their important messaging,” Todd said. “We need to heal our Country, and we need people to listen to us.
“The awards hold a really important place in the mining industry and a lot of the miners have the opportunity of attending.”
With Buru Rehab’s greater visibility since the 2024 Prospect Awards, the company can educate the wider industry about the value of Indigenous-led approaches to land restoration.
“We’ve received exposure to a wider community,” he said. “A lot of those people are wanting to know what Aboriginal people are doing themselves to try and heal their country.
“How we do it is by teaching each other the way Indigenous people like to do it and aligning that with the best practices government is putting forward.”
Buru Rehab highlighted the increasing focus on mine rehabilitation and the vital role Indigenous people play in shaping its future.
Todd said rehabilitation must begin the moment mining activities cease, and that Aboriginal communities are best placed to lead this work.
“The one thing I’d like the broader industry to understand is that this Country needs to be healed, and it needs to be healed by Aboriginal people,” he said.
The power of nominating
Todd encourages businesses to consider nominating for the Indigenous & Community Engagement Award. His advice for future nominees is to be clear about their goals and their reason for engaging in this space.
He believes many new entrants to the mining industry want to drive sustainability but may lack the cultural understanding needed to do so meaningfully.
“I encourage miners to reach out to businesses like ours that are fully Aboriginal, engaged throughout Western Australia, and make sure they help junior miners understand what healing country really means,” Todd said.
Guests will kick off the 2025 Australian Mining Prospect Awards with a networking cocktail hour, set against the stunning backdrop of Adelaide’s riverbank precinct and sweeping city skyline views.
The 2025 Australian Mining Prospect Awards will be held on September 24 in Adelaide as part of Asia-Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX).
To nominate, attend the event, or explore sponsorship opportunities, visit prospectawards.com.au/get-involved/
This feature appeared in the July 2025 issue of Australian Mining.
