Chief of Army Essay Competition and Chauvel Prize
Since 2001, the Australian Army has periodically run an essay competition, the Chauvel Prize, named in honour of General Sir Henry George (Harry) Chauvel, GCMG, KCB, a former Chief of the General Staff and the first Australian to reach the rank of General. The prize aims to encourage writing on all aspects of land warfare and joint military operations. The prize is administered by the Australian Army Research Centre (AARC) and will be published in the Australian Army Journal (AAJ).
2027 Chief of Army Essay Competition
Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are emerging as transformative capabilities, offering new opportunities to enhance combat effectiveness while challenging traditional concepts. As the Australian Army prepares for future conflict, understanding the role of these technologies has become a strategic imperative.
The AARC is looking for original essays that address the following question.
What challenges and opportunities do the adoption of Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) present for the Australian Army?
The winning essay will not be focused on solutions to tactical problems, or training alone. It will need to consider how the Army as an organisation, and members of the Army as professionals, need to adapt to RAS and AI.
Entry Details
The Chief of Army Essay Competition is open to serving ADF personnel (SERCAT 3–7) and Australian public servants (APS) employed by the Department of Defence. Defence Contractors are welcome and encouraged to enter but will be ineligible for the prize money.
Essay Requirements. To be considered for the Chauvel Prize, submissions must be 5,000 words in length (+/- 10%, excluding footnotes), academically styled, original, and containing citations to relevant sources. Essays will be required to address the question listed above. The essay must be an original work that has not already been published.
AI policy. The AARC does not accept for publication any material generated by artificial intelligence (AI). All submissions must be the original work of the author and comply with academic integrity standards. AI-generated writing, including text produced by generative tools, is not accepted. Submissions will be subject to AI-detection tools and plagiarism checks. Any evidence of significant generative AI usage may result in disqualification. The AARC acknowledges that AI tools may be used to support the research or proofing of submissions, but this should be declared at time of submission. More on AARCs AI policy can be found on our page for Editorial Advice for Contributors.
Due Date. Entries for the Chief of Army Essay Competition will close at midnight on Friday, 30 April 2027.
Submission. Entries are to be submitted through the ‘Contribute’ page. Under submission type select ‘Competition’ and include the prefix ‘Chief of Army Essay Competition’ in the ‘Suggested Article Title’. Any queries can be directed to the AARC through the ‘Contact Us’ page
Prizes. The winning entry will be awarded the Chauvel Medallion and a $3,000.00 cash prize. There may also be the opportunity to travel to brief their paper at the Army Command Board or other Army conference at AARC expense.
The runner-up will receive a $500.00 cash prize and may also have the opportunity to present their paper.
Entries will be judged by the AARC and endorsed by Chief of Army.
Publication. The competition’s winning and runner-up entries will be published in the Australian Army Journal (AAJ). Judges will also identify submissions that are ‘Commended’ and these may be published in a Collected Papers series.
Previous winners of the Chief of Army Essay Competition, Chauvel Prize winner, Runner Up and Commended essays can be viewed here: Collections | Australian Army Research Centre (AARC)
