A chance to be recognised - Institution looking to reward frontrunners

The Institution is committed to recognising excellence and encouraging the highest standards of academic  and industry based research.  Its prestige awards have a proud place in the history of the Institution and have marked the contribution of much ground breaking research over the years.  If your academic research has stimulated development and innovation within industry, or if your industrial research has  furthered excellence within the wider engineering sector, you could follow in the footsteps of engineering giants by being nominated for one of the Institution's six prestige awards.

The world-class, life-changing achievements of such engineering grandees as Henry Ford, Sir Frederick Lanchester, Sir Frank Whittle, Dr Igor Ivan Sikorsky, Soichiro Honda and Sir Christopher Cockerell have been recognised at various points in history with one of the Institution's prestige awards.  

These awards are divided into two categories of eligibility. One category contains four titles which are open to any engineer, both from the academic and industry worlds: the James Watt International Gold Medal, James Clayton Prize, IMechE Equality and Diversity Award and The Award for Risk Reduction in Mechanical Engineering. The other category contains two awards which are solely open to academic engineers: The Thomas Hawksley Gold Medal and The George Stephenson Gold Medal.

This year, the Institution is keen to encourage  nominations for each of these awards, as it aims to reward those whose original research has developed modern engineering science; innovation that has contributed to the applications of mechanical engineering; cutting edge developments which have contributed to improved operations; or work which has gone on to fuel the commercial growth and ongoing success of engineering and manufacturing organisations.

Anyone can put forward a candidate by filling in a nomination form which must be submitted by 31 March 2012.

Following that date, the Trustee Board Awards Committee (TBAC), will then consider all those who have been nominated and select the award recipients. All of the recipients will be invited to attend the Vision Awards ceremony, which will be held at the Institution’s HQ in Birdcage Walk during autumn 2012.

The ceremony will see those selected receive their award alongside other winners from the Institution throughout the year. Recipients can also look forward to a special personal prize, with medals and monetary prizes on offer to those that pick up an award.

TBAC Vice Chairman Alec Osborn said: “I’m delighted to announce the re-launching of the six prestige awards that are on offer to both non-members and members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. These awards aim to highlight the work that engineers have achieved both nationally and internationally on a number of different fronts.”

“Whether someone has gained world-wide recognition for their work, has contributed to improving safety or has broadened involvement in the profession then they could be in with a chance of gaining an award.

“It is important to reward both members and non-members of the Institution in order to praise them for their hard working attitude which has been recognised by their fellow engineers. We look forward to some challenging judging after the submission deadline of the end of March.”

For more information on the awards and how to nominate, please visit: www.imeche.org/prestigeawards