This year, for the first time, a Region Winner will be chosen from each of Capricorn’s six zones—ensuring we’re recognising remarkable apprentices across the breadth of Australia and New Zealand. The Overall Winner will be chosen from among these six Region Winners.

An award that can have a huge impact.

Winning the Capricorn Rising Stars can be a career defining, life-changing honour for the finalists and the winner—while also boosting the reputation of the workshop that has supported, trained and recognised their talent.

The 2020 Rising Stars winner, Gabrielle Clift, was an apprentice at Highfields Mechanical and Off Road in Highfields, Queensland. She shares: “I’ve had so many opportunities, so many doors have opened and so many times I’ve been able to share my story and hopefully inspire others and encourage others within the industry.”

At the end of 2022, with the support of her bosses, Craig and Katherine Baills, Gabrielle left the workshop and moved to Brisbane to start her new job—with Triple Eight Race Engineering and the Red Bull Ampol Racing V8 Supercars team.

Last year’s winner was Megan Toia of Badgingarra Motors in Western Australia. In nominating her, Capricorn Member Harry Burgess was glowing in his praise for his highly motivated and enthusiastic second-year apprentice.

“Megan is a great asset to my business,” he said. “She applies pressure to herself to complete her tasks to the highest standards and she is very thorough. She is a fast learner who follows instructions, can work independently and takes constructive advice well.”

Megan is using her platform to advocate for more support to encourage apprentices from regional communities like her own to enter the automotive aftermarket industry.

The winner of the first-ever Capricorn Rising Stars in 2018, Mark Smith, was nominated by his parents, Steve and Julie Smith, of The Battery Terminal in Canberra. Mark encouraged Members not to be shy to nominate their apprentice.

“Even if you don’t think they’ll win it, the confidence it will give them is something that you can’t give them during the workday,” he said.

Prizes are awarded for both the apprentices who are winners, finalists and the workshops that employ them. In 2025, Region Winners will receive cash and vouchers from sponsors Castrol and Repco valued at $2,258, and the workshop receives a 12-month Autopedia subscription from Repco valued at $1,528.

The Overall Winner also receives $5,000 cash and their workshop gets $3,000 in support and advice from The Workshop Whisperer, Rachel Evans.

Nominations are open now and close on Saturday, 31 May 2025. Region Winners will be announced in September and the Overall Winner will be revealed in October.

Nominate your apprentice at cap.coop/stars

*2025 Capricorn Rising Stars Terms and Conditions apply, visit cap.coop/tc. All prizes are in Australian dollars apart from cash prizes which will be in Australian or New Zealand Dollars depending upon the recipient’s location.