Women and Drones Global Awards Move to CES 2022!

It’s the biggest and most influential technology show in the world: the giant Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas each year.  In 2022, the Women and Drones global awards will be presented at CES® 2022.

 Formerly held at the Interdrone drone conference, the Women to Watch in UAS Global Awards have been elevating and encouraging women in the industry for the last five years.  Now, the milestone 5th Anniversary Women To Watch (WTW) in UAS Global Awards 2021 program will take place at CES 2022 this coming January in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“The WTW program elevates the entire UAS/UAM/AAM industry by recognizing those who are making a positive difference in it. Nominations were gathered from March 8th (International Women’s Day), at the program’s official launch, until May 14th in the following individual categories:

• The Iris Automation Entrepreneurship Award – a woman innovator who has significantly impacted the UAS industry and possesses outstanding business acumen and innovative practices that led to the success of her company, projects or the efforts of others.
• The Skydio Public Safety/Service Award – a woman who serves the public in any capacity and epitomizes community involvement or betterment service-oriented activities indicating commitment and sacrifice, including but not limited to: humanitarian efforts (drones for good), public policy, military/federal/law enforcement or public safety efforts, etc.
• The Sabrewing Aircraft Leadership Award – a woman who demonstrates an exceptional ability to motivate people or groups to achieve a common goal, including but not limited to: education, policy, research & development, innovation, business and humanitarian efforts.
• The Unmanned Safety Institute Education Award – a woman teacher or instructor who actively engages students with drones, shares the value of drones within curriculum and develops drone programs opportunities and programs and provides professional development to others as an ambassador for drone and STEM education.

The program also recognizes outstanding teams:

• The Volatus Aerospace Innovation Team Award – a team, group, company, agency or organization in the drone ecosystem that actively encourages and inspires women to disrupt and innovate within the UAS industry.
• The FoxFury Team Spotlight Award – a global co-ed team, group, company, agency or organization in the drone ecosystem whose overall work contributes to the positive public perception of drones (“drones for good”) while fostering a culture of female empowerment and inclusiveness where women are engaged in key roles on the team and/or in leadership positions.”

The awards were originally scheduled to take place in August during the InterDrone conference: but the 2021 show was cancelled in June.  “When a door closes, a window opens,” said Sharon Rossmark, Women and Drones CEO. “We are absolutely ecstatic that CES, the world’s most influential tech event, is hosting our 5th Anniversary Women to Watch program!”

The program will take place on Thursday, January 6th, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Media is encouraged to attend, and space will be limited. “We also hope to have a follow-on evening event, in lieu of our historical luncheon gathering,” explained Dawn Zoldi, Ambassador for this year’s program and 2019 Woman to Watch for Leadership. “More information will follow as we finalize plans.”

“Every year at CES, tech leaders and promising entrepreneurs convene to share ideas, launch products and forge relationships – all paving the way for our future,” said Karen Chupka, EVP, CES, CTA. “We are excited to host the Women to Watch awards at CES 2022 and recognize the trailblazers, innovators, mentors and business leaders making significant contributions to the industry.”

This year, thanks to the program’s kind sponsors and other donors, Women and Drones will be providing honoree women and teams with a micro-grant for the first time. “The future is bright! We can’t wait to see everyone in Las Vegas!” exclaimed Rossmark.

For more information about CES 2022, visit: https://www.ces.tech/  Additional details about the Women To Watch Global Awards celebration will be available in the coming weeks.