Project of the year award

Nominations open

This award highlights Australia’s top endeavours in engineering and the teams behind them. Specifically, we’ll assess how each nominated project: 

  • Captures Engineers Australia’s purpose to advance society through great engineering. 
  • Formulates resourceful, innovative and elegant engineering solutions or pioneers the use of materials or methods. 
  • Contributes to sustainable and inclusive ethical practices. 
  • Delivers excellence. 

Nominations are open until Friday 31 May.

Submit now

You’ll find everything you need to complete a nomination in the project award handbook. 

project awards cover

You can nominate your own project or be nominated by someone else. 

To be nominated for a project award your project must have been completed between the dates specified in the project handbook. 

When nominating, include the following information with your application:  

  • Official project title. 
  • State or region of entry (this must be one of Engineers Australia’s division locations). 
  • Engineering discipline or area that you’re applying under (e.g. design, construction, project management, operation and maintenance). 
  • Description of your project (500 words max). 
  • Project completion dates. 
  • Five high-quality photos of your project. 
  • Project video (optional at nomination stage). 

The entry fee is $1300 inc. GST.  

The project award winners are decided by a panel of judges selected by the Honours and Awards Committee. The judging panels are made up of representatives from each of Engineers Australia’s nine divisions and its engineering communities. 

The Honours and Awards Committee 2024: 

  • Hon William Marmion HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec – Chair  
  • Dr David Cruickshanks-Boyd HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec NER – Deputy Chair   
  • Prof Ana Deletic HonFIEAust 
  • Dr Marlene Kanga AO HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec NER 
  • Hon Patricia White AM HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec NER 
  • Em.Prof John Wilson HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec NER 

To find and celebrate top engineering projects from across Australia, we have different award divisions based on location. We’ll choose a finalist from each division, and these projects will go on to compete for Project of the Year – our national award.  

We’ll celebrate the winning project at a special awards event, and they’ll receive:   

  • A trophy and certificate. 
  • Digital badges for their email signatures and social media posts. 
  • Project coverage in create magazine and across Engineers Australia’s digital channels. 

You must agree to the following terms and conditions before you can enter a nomination for the Project Award. 

  1. Entrants must agree to a two-stage judging process and non-refundable fee $1300 must be at the time of submission. 
  2. Payment of the entry fee must be made online.  
  3. Engineers Australia staff may not prepare a nomination on behalf of a nominee. 
  4. There is to be no monetary gain or other direct inducement or incentive provided to a nominator, nominee or employer of either party. 
  5. Engineers Australia staff will not participate in the judging or voting process, however they may provide advice to judging panels as requested. 
  6. The judges’ decision relating to any of these awards is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 
  7. When entrants agree to the terms and conditions, Engineers Australia: 
    1. has the right to use the content of the entrant’s submission for promotional purposes. 

Project of the Year 2023

Boola Katitjin, Murdoch University by Aurecon (Western Australia)

Boola Katitjin exemplifies a perfect fusion of modern engineering and ecological stewardship, along with a focus on community service. Central to its design is student well-being, achieved through biophilic principles that connect occupants with nature. Features like wide views of the Beeliar wetlands and natural ventilation breezeways enhance this connection. The project, Western Australia’s first mass-engineered timber building, has garnered global recognition for promoting sustainable, renewable, and circular methods in construction, aiding in achieving net-zero carbon goals.  

The project's innovative use of mass-engineered timber has resulted in a spacious, column-free building, benefitting the community and achieved through collaboration among academia, industry, and Indigenous groups. With a 6 Star Green design rating, it incorporates energy-efficient and water-conserving measures, and native landscaping. Incorporating robotics in construction and sourcing sustainable timber, Boola Katitjin is a triumph in sustainable construction.