The Malaspina Awards is an honour bestowed by the Spanish Embassy in Canberra and the Association of Spanish Researchers in Australia-Pacific (SRAP) to individuals and organisations who have made a significant contribution to the scientific and/or cultural relationship between Spain and Australia.
The award will be presented in two categories, an individual category and one for organisations. The name of the award acknowledges the Spanish scientific expedition led by Alejandro Malaspina, which arrived into the area that is today known as Sydney in 1793, this was the first foreign mission to visit the British colony just five years after the arrival of the First Fleet.
The 2025 Malaspina Awards have been conferred to
- Mr Bill Bennett (Individual
- Macquarie University (Organisation)
Mr Bill Bennett is a “fiercely independent” filmmaker, producer and writer. In 2024 he released the film The Way, My Way on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his famous memoir of the same name. Far from clichéd, the film tells Bennett’s own account of walking the 800 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, and offers a respectful and insightful portrayal of Spain. Halfway between film and masterfully researched documentary, The Way, My Way has prompted collaborative opportunities in film, tourism, and education, and it has been released in 10 countries so far.
Bennett is currently working on his upcoming film project The Way, Her Way, scheduled to be filmed in Spain again in 2026, to fill the gap on gender approaches on El Camino.
Among his many achievements Bennett has earned two Logie Awards, two Australian Film Institute Awards and has been nominated a further twelve times. Some of his films have been selected in renowned international film festivals. Furthermore, he is the author of the popular Young Adult supernatural thriller trilogy “Palace of Fires”. He has been an Adjunct Professor of Creative Industries at the Queensland University of Technology.
Macquarie University has been instrumental in cultivating enduring scientific and cultural ties between Spain and Australia, through both formal institutional partnerships and dynamic grassroots academic initiatives. Macquarie University is not only engaging in bilateral academic activity, but acting as a bridge for both countries’ institutions, researchers, students, and industries by promoting PhD Cotutelle projects and supporting industry-research collaborations. Furthermore, since 2015, Macquarie University has supported and actively participated in most of the SRAP Australia-Spain Research Forums, hosting 6 of them in their main campus, as well as initiatives aiming to build networks between Australian and Spanish universities.
Macquarie University is ranked #11 in Australia and #138 globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026. It is ranked #10 in Australia and #178 in the world by Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025.
The 8th Malaspina Awards has been sponsored by Navantia Australia. The award is embodied by the statuette “Heart” designed by the internationally renowned Spanish artist Óscar Martín de Burgos.
The Malaspina Award ceremony will take place at the Australian Academy of Science in Canberra on Friday 31 October 2025, 11am-1pm.
The Malaspina Award Ceremony is an invitation-only event. If you wish to attend, please contact us before COB Mon 27th October.