After a month-long nomination process, the judging panel faced the difficult task of combing through the submissions to finalise a shortlist.

The outstanding achievements of the past year meant that it was impossible to keep the nominees to only four in each category.

The nominees are…

CEO of the Year

Nev Power - Fortescue Metals Group

Eduard Haegel - BHP Nickel West

Sandeep Biswas - Newcrest Mining

Ken Brinsden - Pilbara Minerals

Peter Cook - Westgold Resources

Mick Wilkes - OceanaGold

New/Emerging Leader of the Year

Andrew Cole - OZ Minerals

John Welborn - Resolute Mining

Nick Mather - SolGold/DGR Global

Paul Donaldson - Danakali

Deal and/or Merger of the Year

Gold Road Resources for its $350 million sale of 50% of Gruyere to Gold Fields

Evolution Mining's $880 million acquisition of 30% of Glencore's Ernest Henry

Metals X's takeover of Aditya Birla Minerals

The Metals X/Westgold Resources demerger

Superior Gold's $45 million acquisition of Northern Star Resources' Plutonic mine

Attila Resources' acquisition of MMG's Century assets

Explorer of the Year

Cardinal Resources for its Namdini gold project in Ghana

Kalbar Resources for the Fingerboards mineral sands discovery in Victoria

West African Resources for ongoing success at Sanbrado in Burkina Faso

MOD Resources for its T3 copper find in Botswana

Kidman Resources for the Earl Grey lithium discovery in Western Australia

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We will be profiling the nominees over the next couple of weeks while the judges deliberate and settle on a winner in each category.

The winners will be announced by July 21.