That concludes Cove Competition 2023! A big thank you to everyone who submitted entries this year. There was a wide range of topics, styles, messages and reflections across all the entries. Keep a close eye on The Cove this week because every day a submission from each category will be published in reverse placing order. Once winners are announced, a selection of the other submissions that didn't place will be released on The Cove over coming weeks and published in the Combined Arms feature.

About the Cove Competition 2023

This year, authors were invited to submit written pieces (1,000 to 1,500 words) on the topic 'Describe how your role will evolve to contribute to Combined Arms operations in the Army of 2045'. We asked you to think creatively about how you rank, trade, corps or position might evolve to meet the challenges of future warfare.

The Cove Team assessed all entries in conjunction with this year's guest judge, Colonel Luke Brady, Commandant of the Combined Arms Training Centre.

COL Brady would like to share his reflections on this year's competition, and all the submissions:

Casting forward and envisaging a possible future is always a very difficult but important task. The Army is always required to adapt to current circumstances but also evolve to meet potential future challenges. To meet those future challenges we have to do the intellectual work to understand what those futures might look like. These essays have demonstrated that our Army has the right people to meet the future intellectual challenge of imagining those possible futures. I thank them all for their submissions.

Thank you to all contributors. Although many of the contributors were creative and interesting, ultimately a few submissions stood out. Find our prize-winners here:

Winners – Soldier Category

3rd Place: Gunner Lachlan Grant – 'The Forward Observer in 2045'

2nd Place: WO2 James Long – 'The Role of Welfare in Combined Arms Operations of 2045'

1st Place: CPL John Wellfare – 'Marking the Route Forward: How Military Police Will Evolve to Contribute to Combined Arms Operations in the Army of 2045'

Winners – Officer Category

3rd Place: Lieutenant Tom Murphy – 'Employment of Cavalry in Combined Arms of 2045'

2nd Place: CAPT Marlon Schroeder – 'Light Cavalry in a 2045 Combined Arms Setting'

1st Place: MAJ Joshua Watson – 'Excerpt from LWD 3-6-1 Employment of Engineers, released 10 September 2045'

Prizes

These authors receive an excellent prize pack from our prize pool. They have won:

  • 1st Place: $200 book voucher + Cove Trophy + Cove Coin + Cove Swag pack
  • 2nd Place: $150 book voucher + Cove Coin + Cove Swag pack
  • 3rd Place: $100 book voucher + Cove Coin + Cove Swag pack

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all who submitted to the Cove Competition 2023! The Cove Team would also like to extend a special thank you to our guest judge: COL Luke Brady.