The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering 2021 seeks nominations from the public. The prize celebrates a wide variety of engineering innovations across all sectors of the profession, and a breadth of nominators from all corners of the globe.
The £1 million prize is the world’s most prestigious engineering accolade, awarded to up to five engineers responsible for a bold, groundbreaking engineering innovation of global benefit to humanity.
Perceptions of engineering are often outdated. If people think of it at all, they tend to associate engineering with heavy industry and civil infrastructure. This is not only a limited view of what engineering is really about, it means many young, creative people – especially women – don’t consider a career in engineering.
The prize will recognise and celebrate the best and also serve to illuminate the sheer excitement of modern engineering. It will provide an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate how engineers and engineering are making a real difference across the world. The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering will excite and inspire a whole generation of young people.
The winners will be awarded:
A total cash prize of £1 million (one million GBP); and
Appropriate memorabilia to be decided by the Trustees in their sole discretion. In the event that the Prize is received by more than one individual (but not more than five individuals, as above) collaborating under a single nomination, the Prize money will be shared between the winners as determined by the Trustees in their sole discretion on the advice of the Judging Panel.
Entry to the Prize is open to:
Any living individual (or not more than five living individuals working as a team);
Of any nationality;
Who is personally responsible for a ground-breaking innovation in engineering which has been of global benefit to humanity.
Self-nomination is not permitted.
The Trustees reserve the right to reject any nomination where, in their reasonable opinion, there is or is likely to be a conflict of interest between the nominees, nominators or any referees and any other nomination or the Prize more generally.
Judging Criteria
The judges will use these criteria to select the winner, or winners, of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering:
What is it that this person has done (or up to five people have done) that is a ground-breaking innovation in engineering?
In what way has this innovation been of global benefit to humanity?
Is there anyone else who might claim to have had a pivotal role in this development?
Application
Full nominations should be made by completing the nominations form from the link below. You will be asked to explain how the nominated innovation meets the judging criteria, identify the engineer or engineers responsible for the innovation, and provide two referees who are sufficiently knowledgeable to support the nomination.
If you have limited information on an innovation but believe it to be ground-breaking and to have already displayed a significant benefit to humanity, please provide as much information as you can. The information will be used to make further enquiries as to the suitability of the suggestion and, where appropriate, to prepare a full nomination.
