Design Engineer of the Year

**RECONFIGURED**

This category recognises the all-round contribution of engineers to the success of their employers. The winning entrant – who should be nominated by another engineer – will have produced a range of innovative designs within strict budgetary and time constraints, often finding solutions that improve on the initial design brief.

Likely to be a leader, the winner will also be making a broader contribution to the industry – perhaps by participating in professional bodies – and working to promote engineering as a career.

Entries should be accompanied by a brief CV, outlining the nominee’s career and achievements. Entrants can be any age, but as well as assessing their achievements in their own right, they may also be assessed relative to the length of time and experience the candidate  in the has spent in the profession.

Design Project of the Year

This category is designed to reward collaborative endeavour in the delivery of an engineering project. Entrants into this category will be able to demonstrate the successful combination of teamwork in the creation of an engineering product or system, as well as those combining both elements.

The successful entry will outline the team’s composition and how the members interacted. It should also explain how design decisions enabled the project’s success, with emphasis on problem solving.

To be eligible, the product or system must have been on the market or delivered to the customer no later than 1 November 2020.

Digital Innovation of the Year

In this category, the Judges will be looking for a product or component whose design and development has been facilitated and improved by a readiness to employ the latest digitally-enhanced design or manufacturing techniques. These may include additive manufacturing, generative design; augmented reality; virtual reality; any combination of these or any other novel technology that has been used to enhance the product development process.

As well as readiness to embrace the use of new technology, the Judges will be looking for evidence of how the need to use of that technology was arrived at and justified and the improvements achieved as a result.

Products entered in this category must have been available commercially since 1 November 2020.

Engineered Product of the Year

Sponsored by:

The Judges will be looking for an engineering product in which an innovative approach has been used to meet a market need

The Judges will be looking for evidence of how the need for the product was assessed, along with an indication of time to market. Other considerations that may impress the Judges are designs that take advantage of new manufacturing processes, techniques and products that have exceeded their design brief or met it under-budget or ahead of time. A successful production introduction will also be looked on favourably, as will evidence of a multi-disciplinary approach.

Products entered in this category must have been available commercially since 1 November 2020.

High-Impact Innovator of the Year

Sponsored by:

Smaller concerns make up the bulk of the UK’s engineering sector and therefore a sizeable proportion of its innovations.

This category is designed to celebrate those companies that punch above their weight in terms of innovation and can demonstrate successful track records in delivering products or services despite being relatively small or new to the market.

To succeed in this category, entrants must provide evidence of a sound business plan, a product or service that meets a market need and the successful reception of that product. The Judges will also want to see evidence of the entrant either competing successfully with much larger rivals or exploiting a viable market niche.

This category places no restriction on the number of employees or length of time the business has been operational, but these factors will be taken into account by Judges when assessing its achievements.

Materials Application Of The Year

Sponsored by:

**RECONFIGURED**

This category celebrates the way in which the correct choice of material can transform and enhance designs. The Judges will therefore be looking for examples where material selection has been the key to success or where it has transformed the properties of the end product to a significant degree.

Entries should outline the performance issues which needed to be solved, how the material was selected and how that material enabled or improved the performance of a product or system.

Please note that this category is about the successful application of materials rather than the development of new materials themselves.

Projects entered in this category must have been available commercially since 1 November 2020.

R&D Project of the Year

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.

Unlike many other BEEAs categories, this one 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

Design Software/Development Tool of the Year

In this category, The Judges will be looking for design software or a development tool that has been able to address a particular market need and which brings a significant performance improvement when it comes to problem solving and supporting electronic design, either over a previous product or competitive solutions.

The Judges will be looking for evidence of how the need for this software or tool was assessed. In the case of an upgrade to an existing solution, evidence must be provided of how it has improved the development process.

Products entered in this category must have been available commercially since 1 November 2020.

Electronic Component of the Year

In this category, the Judges will be looking for an electronic component that addresses a particular market need and which brings a significant performance improvement; either over a previous product or over competitive devices.

The judges will be looking for evidence of how the need for the product (or upgrade) was assessed. In the case of an upgrade, evidence must be provided of how the performance was improved.

Products entered in this category must have been available commercially since 1 November 2020.

Semiconductor Development of the Year

In this category, the Judges will be looking for a device or IP that has been created for a CPU, GPU, FPGA, ASIC, SoC, or a programmable device, that has been developed to address a particular market need. It can be a new device or an upgrade to an existing device which brings significant improvement in performance; either over a previous product or if compared to other competitive devices.

Products entered in this category must have been available commercially since 1 November 2020.

Engineering Ambassador of the Year

This category is open to people, companies and organisations who have championed the cause of engineering and the development of skills – particularly among the young. The judges will select the winner of this category by taking a range of factors into account, including: the activities undertaken to promote a career in engineering; the time and resources devoted to this; and the levels of success achieved in doing so.

The Judges will also be influenced by the entrant’s ability to act as an ambassador for their chosen profession. Individual entrants must be nominated by their employer, while companies or organisations may put themselves forward.

Grand Prix

The winner of the British Engineering Excellence Awards Grand Prix will be selected by the Judges from winning entries in the Awards programme. The winner will have demonstrated significant achievement in terms of application of new technology, innovative design and market achievement.