Nominations open: Celebrating Emerging Talent in Defence Industry Engineering
In partnership with the Worshipful Company of Engineers and the Engineers Trust, AWE is proud to launch the Defence Industry Early Careers Engineering Prize for 2026.
This prestigious award recognises early-career engineers whose innovations make a real impact – whether improving safety and efficiency for frontline forces, delivering cost savings to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), or advancing the wider defence engineering community.
Nominations are now open!
The winning application will receive £1,200 along with a framed certificate, and will be invited to attend the Worshipful Company of Engineers Annual Awards Ceremony in June 2026 in London where the prize will be presented.
Award Criteria
- You will be asked to explain how the nominated innovation meets the judging criteria:
- Enhances the safety or performance of frontline members of the armed forces; or delivers a measurable financial saving to the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
- Benefits the wider engineering community and/or defence industry.
- The engineer(s) must be in the early stages of their engineering career – whether following further or higher education, an apprenticeship, a career break, or a career change.
- Each entry may nominate up to five individuals who were major contributors to the project.
- Applications should cover work conducted within the last two years only.
- You will need to identify the engineer or engineers responsible for the work and provide two referees who are sufficiently knowledgeable to support the nomination. Whilst a classified project would not be excluded, please ensure that the MOD or other suitable organisation are able to formally approve the release of information for general publication for prize administration, judging and publicity, prior to the application. Although not encouraged, by exception an additional classified annexe to the submission may be considered by specific arrangement with the prize administrators.
Eligibility
- Any organisation, whether in the private, public or charity sectors, may apply for the award. Although the ultimate ownership of the organisation and the nationality of the nominated individuals are not relevant, the innovation, impact, efficacy or safety, financial savings and benefit to defence engineering should be key areas of the submission and must have a substantial UK content. The organisation must nominate no more than five individuals who were the major contributors to the defence engineering project as part of the submission.
- If you’re interested, please fill out this form, and email it to: [email protected]. Closing date for applications is 31 March, 2026.
Previous winners:
AWE Defence Industry Early Careers Engineering prize-winner announced – AWE
