The Northern Lights Aero Foundation is now accepting nominations for its 12^th annual awards program. Each year the national not-for-profit foundation honours outstanding Canadian women who have made a significant contribution to aviation or aerospace, and who continue to lay the groundwork for other women to enter or excel in these industries.

The Northern Lights Aero Foundation’s Elsie MacGill Awards, or ‘The Elsie’, is named after aviation pioneer and human rights advocate Elsie Gregory MacGill, the world’s first female aircraft designer. MacGill graduated from the University of Toronto’s electrical engineering program in 1927 and later became pivotal in the design and production of the Hawker Hurricane in Canada during the Second World War. During her career, MacGill was appointed to the Canadian Royal Commission on the Status of Women and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

The Foundation is always working on new initiatives. 2018 brought the introduction of our Northern Lights Aero Foundation Mentorship Program, sponsored by Porter Airlines, while 2019 brought the introduction of The Captain Judy Cameron Air Canada Scholarship.

The 2020 recipients will be selected by a judging panel comprised of industry experts and veterans, and will be honoured at the Elsie MacGill Awards Gala at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel and Conference Centre in Richmond Hill, Ontario on Saturday, September 26, 2020.

To nominate an outstanding woman, or for more information about the Northern Lights Aero Foundation and sponsorship opportunities, visit their website.

Nominations submission deadline is March 31, 2020.