From the cost implications of emerging manufacturing techniques, to the growing demand to consider a product’s full life-cycle today’s design engineering teams face a complex set of challenges requiring ever-greater levels of collaboration across disciplines and across the value chain. This award celebrates the design teams that have navigated this challenging landscape and achieved successful end results.

From the application of industry 4.0 technologies, to the use of digital twins, virtual collaboration platforms and even artificial intelligence, digital tools are transforming the world of engineering and enabling organisations to address some of their most pressing challenges. Aimed at engineering organisations across the spectrum, this award will celebrate demonstrable and outstanding examples of the application of digital technologies.

As the demand for engineering skills grows it’s never been more important for industry to ensure that it is tapping into the widest possible pool of talent and ensuring a truly inclusive workforce for the future. This award celebrates the engineering and manufacturing employers who are going above and beyond to attract and retain a diverse workforce and create a culture where everyone - regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, disability and other factors - can thrive.

Engineering consultancies play a unique and often crucial role in the product development process, bringing ideas from across industry to bear on clients’ projects. This award will celebrate consultancies at the forefront of this important dynamic, who are able to offer compelling evidence of both their expertise and their positive impact on a range of client projects.

From the fight against climate change to the challenges posed by a global pandemic, engineering is frequently key to addressing many of the biggest problems we face. This award celebrates engineering projects that have played - or are playing - a significant role in addressing these wider societal challenges.

Innovation comes in many forms and is common to all aspects of engineering. This award will celebrate individuals or teams who can demonstrate how their initiative and ingenuity have resulted in extraordinary outcomes for their company and/or for society at large.

From the deployment of technology to protect workers’ physical wellbeing to measures aimed at safeguarding the mental health of employees: health, safety and well-being is more important than ever for organisations across industry. This award recognises the teams or individuals who have gone above and beyond to ensure employee wellbeing and safety. Winners will show new ways of promoting wellbeing & safety and will be able to point to quantifiable improvements.

From the impact of the pandemic to the knock-on effects of the war in Ukraine, organisations across industry face an historically challenging time. This award celebrates the business leaders who have helped steer their organisations through these challenges whilst identifying opportunities and transforming company performance through innovative thinking and brave decision-making.

Improving UK manufacturing productivity will be key if the sector is to continue to compete on the global stage. This award celebrates the teams and individuals who have made a demonstrable improvement to their site’s productivity, either through the application of technology or the improvement of existing processes.

From the deployment of additive manufacturing techniques and robotic systems to the smart use of machine tools, the innovative application of production equipment is key to making the UK manufacturing base more nimble, more productive and more efficient. This award celebrates teams or projects that demonstrate an outstanding application of manufacturing technology.

The push for net zero by 2050 is a key driver of innovation across industry and is fundamentally reshaping the way that engineering and manufacturing organisations at every level of industry operate. This award will go to an industry individual or organisation at the forefront of successfully delivering on this challenge.

This category is designed to celebrate successful product research and development projects that, while they may not yet be complete, have nonetheless delivered measurable design successes.

This category does not require evidence of a finished or commercially-available product. Instead, judges will be looking for evidence of success in the form of:

• Commercial interest (pre-orders or similar)
• Successful prototypes
• Patents or other IP
• Technological breakthroughs

Please also include information relating to the history of the project (complete with dates and design brief), as well as the individuals involved.

The Rising Star award is awarded to an engineer who shows that age and experience are no barriers to success. Winners will demonstrate maturity and experience that belies their years and will be performing on a par with – or even ahead of – more experienced colleagues. Entrants for this category should be nominated by their employer rather than by themselves.

This award celebrates individuals (or organisations) who - through outreach, internal programmes, or other initiatives - have done the most to champion engineering careers and inspire young people to consider entering the profession.

Against a backdrop of accelerating technological change, it’s never been more important for organisations to ensure that they are equipping their workforce with the skills and expertise required to compete in this rapidly changing world. This award celebrates the achievements of a team or organisation that best demonstrates excellence in the training and development of its engineering staff.