Since 1998, the Defence Industry Committee of New Zealand has presented Awards for Excellence at the annual get-together of the NZ Defence Industry Association, the lobby group for companies that profit from bloodshed and war. The criteria for their awards are a mystery - are they for the company whose products have caused the most death and destruction? the company which has had the biggest public subsidy for private profit? the company which has contracts with the most oppressive governments and armed forces around the world?

There is no mystery about the DICK NZ Awards. They recognise the reality of the business of the NZ 'defence' industry. First held in 2001, the DICK NZ Awards are back this year - and from now on they too will be an annual event.

And there is no mystery about the 'Guided Missiles and Misguided Men' Awards for Government Politicians either - they are awarded to those who by their words and/or actions support bloodshed and war. The name for these Awards is from a statement by Martin Luther King, Jr: "we have guided missiles and misguided men"".

We encourage you to make as many nominations as you like, providing you use a separate form for each. The closing date for nominations is Friday, 2 September 2005.

• Criteria for the DICK NZ Awards

You can nominate any company that is involved in weapons related production, military supplies, or military contracts. The company can be NZ owned, an NZ subsidiary of an overseas company that is involved with weapons production or military contracts here in Aotearoa, or a company that is involved in weapons production or military contracts overseas and is involved in some other way in the NZ economy. The company nominated will have been involved in their offensive activity during 2004 or in 2005 before the closing date.

Please include as much supporting detail as you can with your nomination for each company - cuttings from newspapers or magazines, notes from a radio or TV programme, printed web pages, and so on. If you don't have much in the way of supporting information, please don't let that stop you from making a nomination.

• Criteria for the 'Guided Missiles and Misguided Men' Awards for Government Politicians

You can nominate any government politician (including politicians from parties that are in coalition with Labour) who by their words and/or actions support bloodshed and war. The words or actions for which you are nominating the politician will have taken place during 2004 or in 2005 before the closing date. If you are nominating a politician for something they said, please include the direct quote together with the source of it. If you are nominating a politician for something they did, please include as much supporting detail as you can.

• Sources of supporting information for the Awards

• Nomination form for the 2005 Awards

The winners of the Awards will be chosen by public vote. Details of how you can vote will be available in mid September. The Award recipients will be announced at an event in Wellington on 18 or 19 October while this year's Defence Industry Forum is taking place.