Marine Air Flow International from Queensland and photoSentinel from Victoria were crowned joint winners of the Small Business category at the Austrade Australian Export Awards, celebrated on Wednesday at Parliament House.
Marine Air Flow International, a leader in maritime ventilation solutions, has spent nearly 20 years combating the corrosive effects of salt-laden air on ship engine rooms. With exports accounting for almost half of its revenue, the company serves commercial and defence sectors globally. Recently, it secured a significant contract to outfit two ferries built in Singapore for the UAE—a deal described as a “historic achievement” by director Bradley Martin. The company is now setting its sights on expanding into Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Victorian-based photoSentinel specializes in time-lapse photography technology, offering durable camera systems and software used in 55 countries. From documenting construction projects to environmental monitoring, its tools have broad applications. Having previously won in 2018, the company’s latest success is fueled by growing operations in the UAE and the U.S. CEO Matthew Perrier praised the team’s international expansion, which includes new hires in Dubai and America.
The top award of the night, Australian Exporter of the Year, was claimed by South Australia’s Rising Sun Pictures. The renowned visual effects studio has contributed to major productions such as Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
This year’s awards highlighted the creativity and resilience of Australian exporters, with over half the finalists being small businesses earning less than $10 million annually.
Winners of the 62nd Australian Export Awards
- Australian Exporter of the Year: Rising Sun Pictures
- Small Business: photoSentinel, Marine Air Flow International (joint winners)
- Manufacturing and Advanced Materials: TNA Solutions
- Emerging Exporter: Royal Poly Products, Whiskey Project Group (joint winners)
- Resources and Energy: MicroBioGen
- Sustainability and Green Economy: NOJA Power
- International Education: Engineering Institute of Technology
- Regional Exporter: Care Essentials
- Creative Industries: Rising Sun Pictures
- Professional Services: Reeves Envico
- e-Commerce: Life-Space Group
- International Health: ResMed
- Advanced Technologies: Fivecast
- Agribusiness, Food and Beverages: Frosty Boy Global
A full list of winners can be seen here.
According to Austrade, the 88 finalists – more than half of them classified as small businesses – generated over $7.8 billion in export earnings over FY2023/24.
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