It’s no secret Engineers Australia’s Excellence Awards Program shines an important and impactful light on the best innovations and outstanding achievements of both our people and the profession.

The program promotes engineering excellence and the significant contribution engineering makes to the community.

Across the year we offer national awards, medals and scholarships that highlight the diverse areas of engineering we support and promote. In order to better manage the awards portfolio, showcase current engineering practice and consolidate our acknowledgment of the profession’s best and brightest we began an exhaustive review of the program to reflect this.

To that end, throughout 2022 we spoke with many stakeholders, members and office bearers and overwhelmingly the feedback was support for the introduction of a revised program that is more contemporary, while streamlining and simplifying the awards portfolio.

We have listened! The awards future state has been endorsed by the Board and our revamped awards program will be delivered this year.

Review purpose

• Ensuring Engineers Australia’s award categories are consistent, equitable and inclusive.
• Our awards align with Engineers Australia’s brand and purpose to advance society through great engineering.
• We have the financial capability to sustain our awards portfolio.
• One-Engineers-Australia award program – a yearly divisional two-step delivery method of local/state finalists and winners moving to national awards for people and projects.

What changes

Due to the short project timeline, changes from the review will be implemented in phases.

• People awards to be grouped by category and career achievement on a yearly basis.
• Project awards to move from bi-annual to annual to create consistency.
• Naming convention of the awards to be modernised to resonate with the target audience.
• Awards now open to international members.
• Nomination process updated: both self-nominated and nominator applications available.
• Judging criteria is updated for people and project awards to ensure awards reflect current best practice.
• Consistency across opening and closing dates for all awards to reduce confusion and maximise exposure.
• Aftercare package for winners and finalists to elevate the awards and recipients and increase the value of the awards, featuring the area of engineering specialty.

What is staying the same           

• A new category of Distinguished Career awards to encompass the Honorary fellows, PNR and President Prize. The process for these remains the same.
• Local award ceremonies to celebrate finalists and winners progressing to the national event.

We are excited about our prestigious awards program for 2023 and these enhancements that will have many benefits for the membership and the profession. Our new program will play a significant role in raising the profile and impact of engineering and engineers in the community and across many sectors including industry, government, business, and education.

For more detail head to our awards page on the website. Nominations for our new awards program open on Tuesday 4 April, so keep an eye on Engineering News for your chance to nominate.