To participate, simply complete the online entry form below and attach your motivation, explaining why your company deserves this prestigious recognition. Join us in celebrating excellence and innovation in the industry by submitting your entry today!
Awards Guidelines
1. Entries are open now and closes on the 25 October 2025.
2. Depending on the description and criteria of the category, the finalists may nominate themselves or be nominated by a third party.
3. The majority of the judging process is based on qualitative criteria and not a quantitative process.
4. Two entries in a category are sufficient to maintain that category.
5. One entry in a category may be awarded a COMMENDATION if the judges believe it, is a worthy single entry. Should the single entry not be valid, the category will be withdrawn for that year.
6. Requirements of all entrants:
- Entered project must be from Southern African regions.
- Entered project must have been fully completed within the awards time period.
- A signed declaration from client is required.
7. Only projects completed between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024 are eligible for entry into the projects award categories for 2025. Projects must be completed on time, within budget and to the satisfaction of the client, and abide by all health and safety regulations.
8. Categories are divided into the following groups:
- Projects
- Business
- Individual
9. Awards entry closing date is subject to change but will be adequately communicated by SEIFSA
10. Finalists may be required to be interviewed by judges. Convenient times will be determined and in some cases site visits will be coordinated.
11. The awards event will take place 20 November 2025.
12. There are NO FEES payable for entries.
Categories
Metals Value Chain Award
Metals Value Chain Award
The criteria for entering this award are listed below. (The examples in the description are provided simply for guidance/context).
Entry Criteria:
- Demonstrable Impact: Show measurable improvements achieved through AI adoption in any aspect of the metal value chain such as efficiency, productivity, cost reduction or quality enhancement.
- Innovative Application: Highlight unique ways in which AI has been applied, whether in alloy design, production processes, waste reduction, 3D printing optimisation, supply chain management or process enhancement.
- Demonstrable Benefits: Provide evidence of concrete benefits resulting from AI implementation such as increased output, reduced waste, faster production cycles or improved product quality.
- Scalability and Sustainability: Demonstrate the potential for the scalability and long-term sustainability of AI initiatives within the company’s operations.
- Clear Communication: Present the AI adoption journey and its outcomes in a clear and understandable manner, emphasising the practical implications and real-world impact.
- Potential for Industry Influence: Showcase how the company’s AI initiatives have the potential to influence and advance the broader metals industry through innovation and best practices.
- Quantifiable Results: Offer specific metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) to quantify the success of AI adoption to enable the judges to assess the effectiveness of the initiative objectively.
- Customer/Partner Testimonials: Include feedback from customers or partners, if available, to validate the positive impact of AI adoption on relationships, service delivery or collaborative efforts within the value chain.
This award is made to a company with the best/highest rating by its customers for its dedication and performance in customer service.
At the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence Ceremony 2025, we are showcasing the best of the best in customer service. If your company consistently:
- Exceeds expectations,
- Delights customers,
- Sets the standard for excellence in service.
Then you belong in this prestigious category. Enter by registering your company.
This award aims to recognise a woman owned (51% or more ownership) or led business in the metals and engineering industries. The individual has grown a successful company in the industry. The individual has contributed significantly to the development of the South African metals and engineering sector through her dedication, conviction, vision, commitment and leadership.
Who is eligible to enter this category?
o All women-owned or women managed metals and engineering companies (51% or more ownership).
This award is made to a company that has the highest activity in artisan training each year (for itself and/or the industry).
To qualify, your intervention must have taken place between the period January and December 2024.
Describe the role artisans play within the business:
To assist you in answering this question, think about the following:
- Tell us how the company has invested in apprenticeships.
- Demonstrate the value apprentices bring to the business
- State how many artisans you trained during the period
Do you believe in making a positive impact on the lives of others?
Are you dedicated to creating meaningful change through your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives?If so, it is time to showcase your company’s commitment to social responsibility at the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence Ceremony 2025.
What We Are Looking For:
This award is for companies that have implemented a CSR project that makes a significant difference in the lives of its beneficiaries. If your company is dedicated to creating positive change and improving lives through its CSR initiatives, then this is the category for you.
- Describe the company’s primary mandate
- List the company’s values
- State the company’s location (Town, City)
- Describe the CSI programme and its outcomes.
This award aims to recognise the entity utilising new technologies and showing innovation in their approach to projects and/or their business. Technological advances can lead to significant transformation in ways in which manufacturing is planned, procured, delivered and maintained. This can also include innovation in Research and Development or Production, in the process of either gaining market advantage or reducing production costs.
To qualify, your intervention must have taken place between the period January 2023 and December 2024
Who is eligible to enter this category?
All companies in the Metals and Engineering Sector
Entries will be adjudicated based on the submission of the following supporting documentation:
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- Provide a 100-word executive summary of the entry for publication and presentation use
- The nomination may be made by an employee, industry colleague, client or the individual themselves. Where nominated, the nominee must agree to the nomination in writing.
- Evidence of the use of the advances of fourth industrial revolution (4IR) into their engineering projects. Entrant to provide evidence of the use of 4IR advances that are currently deployed in the metals and Engineering Industries, such as:
- Use of additive technology (3D printing) of construction models drawn from professional and 3D practitioners.
- Quantum computing and how this has been applied to improve business processes.
- Implementation of technology to improve sales and business processes.
- Nominees must be able to make themselves available to be interviewed by the judges.
What is the concept?
To assist you in answering this question, think about the following:
- Use of additive technology (3D printing) of construction models drawn from professional and 3D practitioners.
- Quantum computing and how this has been applied to improve business processes.
- Implementation of technology to improve sales and business processes.
What was the value of innovation in the company project?
To assist you in answering this question, think about the following:
- Describe how this innovation affected your bottom line?
- How did this innovation affect employees and suppliers?
- What was its unique value proposition?
- How did the company design the roll out of the innovation?
- Over what period did you roll out the innovation programme?
- What impact did the innovation have in the medium and long term?
- How was the innovation programme a catalyst for future improvements?
The Environmental Stewardship Award recognises a project in the Metals and Engineering Sector that has been completed in the past two years and exemplifies the practices of environmental stewardship
Describe the environmental challenge the company/department faced?
To assist you in answering this question, think about the following:
- What is the environmental challenge you are trying to solve?
- How did you discover the problem?
- How did you design the intervention?
Describe the significant change
- Significant changes or improvements to work practices that enhance the environment.
Stewardship practices and achievements.
- Describe the resource management goals and accomplishments in terms of stewardship. What does this mean?
Environment Stewardship at a senior level.
To assist you in answering this question, think about the following:
- Describe how the company practices environmental stewardship as a part of your company’s management programme.
- How has a stewardship philosophy impacted management strategies, and other activities that improve the public perception?
The health and safety award acknowledges best practice approaches and achievement in workplace health and safety. To qualify, your intervention must have taken place between the period January and December.
Describe the Health and Safety challenge the company/department faced?
- Identification and treatment of a previously unidentified significant hazard (Risk Assessments)
What was the significant change?
- Significant changes or improvements to work practices that enhance health and safety practice in your company.
How did you implement the programme?
Describe how you inculcated a culture of H&S to sustain the intervention?
How did the intervention enhance compliance with Health and Safety Regulation?
This category recognises a business entity owned by a person aged 35 years or younger. The company must be owner managed, independent, demonstrated growth for over two years and be contributing to job creation in the industry.
Who is eligible to enter this category?
o Youth -owned companies (51% or more youth ownership).
o Owned by under 35 years of age as at 31 December 2024.
Terms and Conditions for Participation
- Entries deadline – 25th October 2025
- The awards are open to any institution or entity meeting the entry requirements.
- Entities throughout South Africa may enter any category relevant to them.
- All applications need to be supported by relevant documentation.
- The judges reserve the right to cancel any category due to insufficient entries, or for any other reason, and the decision of the judging panel is final. The decision of the judges will be final and binding and no correspondence in this regard will be entered into.
- Entrants will be published on the SEIFSA website site.
- The information received by the organisers may be submitted in its entirety to the publisher of any industry-specific publication, both digital and printed, for inclusion in the publication and entrants should be mindful of submitting information that might be sensitive or confidential as it will be in the public domain.
- Entrants are reminded that the information they submit will be accepted verbatim by the
- publishers and therefore should be checked and approved by all parties prior to submission.
- Entrants should be aware that their information will undergo an editing process, necessary to ensure that both entrants and category winners can be accommodated in published material and presentation applications.
- Entries must be emailed to the advertised email address. All written copies must be provided in MS Word. All photographs must be labelled and titled.
- Entries must be submitted on or before the final day for submissions.
- Finalists may be subjected to site visits by adjudicators.
- Winners will be announced formally at the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence event, 20 November 2025
- SEIFSA reserves the right to cancel or postpone the awards event or change the venue or format of the awards event for any unavoidable reason. All changes will be communicated effectively.
- There are NO FEES payable for entries.
SEIFSA Awards for Excellence 2024 – Celebrating Outstanding Achievements in the Steel Industry
The prestigious SEIFSA Awards for Excellence ceremony was held on 21 November , at the stunning Johannesburg Country Club in Auckland Park . This event brought together industry leaders, innovators, and key stakeholders from the South African steel and engineering sectors to honour the outstanding achievements and contributions of individuals and companies. The evening highlighted excellence in various categories, including innovation, sustainability, and leadership, and provided a platform for networking and sharing ideas on the future of the industry.
Have a look at the winners below in each category, and be sure to watch the highlights video to relive the memorable moments from the evening!
Join us as we celebrate the excellence and success that drive the growth of South Africa’s steel sector!
