Inside Unmanned Systems Launches the Innovation Vanguard Awards to Recognize Excellence in Autonomous Technologies

Red Bank NJ March 6, 2025 – Inside Unmanned Systems proudly introduces the Innovation Vanguard Awards (IVA), a premier industry accolade celebrating the most groundbreaking advancements in unmanned, autonomous, and uncrewed systems. These awards honor the visionaries, engineers, and companies pushing the boundaries of technology across defense, commercial aviation, security, emergency response, and maritime operations.

“The IVA is about recognizing the real-world impact of innovation in unmanned systems,” said Richard Fischer, Publisher of Inside Unmanned Systems. “These awards highlight the best technologies, deployments, and collaborations that are transforming industries today.”

Live Award Ceremony at XPONENTIAL 2025

The Innovation Vanguard Awards will culminate in a live awards ceremony on May 22, 2025, at XPONENTIAL. Industry professionals, innovators, and technology leaders are encouraged to submit an entry, attend XPONENTIAL, and join the celebration to recognize the industry’s most groundbreaking achievements.

Categories for the 2025 Innovation Vanguard Awards

The IVA program features multiple categories designed to recognize excellence across air, land, and maritime domains:

• Small UAS of the Year – Commercial & Defense: Recognizing the most innovative and best-performing small drone launched or operated in the past year.
• Medium UAS of the Year – Commercial & Defense: Honoring the best mid-size drone that has demonstrated outstanding performance and innovation.
• Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) of the Year: Celebrating the top-performing ground robotic system in defense, logistics, agriculture, or industrial operations.
• Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) or Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) of the Year: Recognizing advancements in maritime autonomy, including autonomous surface vessels and underwater drones.
• Best Unmanned System for Security: Acknowledging drones and autonomous systems designed for security, surveillance, and threat detection.
• Best Use of Unmanned Systems in Emergency Response: Highlighting impactful deployments of drones and autonomous vehicles in disaster relief, search and rescue, and public safety.
• Best Deployment of a Fully Autonomous or Semi-Autonomous System: Recognizing innovations that have advanced autonomy in real-world applications.
• Industry Collaboration of the Year: Honoring successful partnerships that enabled commercial scalability or solved critical operational challenges.

Why Attend XPONENTIAL and the IVA Ceremony?

As autonomous technologies reach a tipping point, XPONENTIAL serves as the ideal venue to celebrate industry breakthroughs. The Innovation Vanguard Awards provide an opportunity for leaders across sectors to network, gain visibility, and celebrate the future of unmanned systems.

IVA finalists will be featured in a special edition of Inside Unmanned Systems, distributed at XPONENTIAL in May 2025.

Who Can Be Nominated?

IVA is open to a wide range of industry leaders, including:

• Drone service providers and system integrators
• Companies deploying ground or marine autonomous vehicles
• Manufacturers of airframes, sensors, and autonomy technologies
• Organizations leveraging unmanned systems for security, defense, or emergency response

“We want to showcase the best innovations in autonomy and encourage broad industry participation,” Fischer added. “This recognition benefits the entire ecosystem by driving visibility and adoption.”

Nomination & Event Details

Nominations are now open! To submit an entry and be part of this industry-defining moment, visit insideunmannedsystems.com.

Join us at XPONENTIAL on May 22nd for the Innovation Vanguard Awards ceremony—a must-attend event to witness the next wave of industry-defining breakthroughs!

Media Contact:
Richard Thomas
Richard.Thomas@insideunmanned.com
Inside Unmanned Systems