Entries open for iconic MacRobert Award

The MacRobert Award recognises outstanding engineering innovations developed in the UK that can demonstrate commercial success and a tangible benefit to society. The winning team receives a £50,000 cash prize, the MacRobert Award gold medal, national publicity, and an exclusive weekend away at Douneside House in the heart of the MacRobert estate in Aberdeenshire. The award is presented and run by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the MacRobert Trust, with support from the Worshipful Company of Engineers.

Over more than five decades the MacRobert Award has been remarkably accurate in predicting the key innovations that have transform the world we live in. The inaugural winners in 1969 were Rolls-Royce for Pegasus – the world’s first short takeoff and vertical landing engine, used in the iconic Harrier aircraft – and Freeman, Fox, and Partners for the Severn Bridge, which heralded a new era of bridge building and was Grade I listed in 1999.

The MacRobert Award has celebrated a string of engineering firsts developed in the UK that have defined many sectors, including medicine, transport, manufacturing and technology. More recent winners include Jaguar Land Rover, mini-computer pioneers Raspberry Pi and structural engineering experts Arup and Buro Happold.

Google DeepMind were announced as the winners of the 2024 MacRobert Award in July for their pioneering AI weather forecasting technology, GraphCast. Its AI-powered technology uses cutting edge machine-learning algorithms and vast data sets to provide highly accurate weather predictions in a fraction of the time needed for many traditional forecasting techniques.

Dr Alison Vincent CBE FREng, recently appointed as Chair of the MacRobert Award judging panel, says: “Engineering innovation is not just part of the UK’s legacy, it’s also vital to our future success, as the government has recognised this week through its industrial strategy. The MacRobert Award champions this approach and celebrates innovations that demonstrably improve people’s lives. I am delighted to be chairing the judging panel for this unique award and I look forward to seeing our entries.

“We welcome applications from all engineering disciplines, companies of all sizes, to recognises the importance of engineering innovation in driving economic growth and addressing some of the greatest societal challenges.”

Science Secretary Peter Kyle said: "The MacRobert award has recognised and celebrated the best of British innovation for decades. From using AI to improve forecasting, building the UK’s most iconic landmarks and creating portable dialysis machines. I was delighted to welcome the Royal Academy of Engineering to the Department to exhibit winners past and present, as we set about spurring innovation and growth across the country.

“As British innovators push ahead in driving economic growth and creating new solutions to improve society, I would encourage them to enter the MacRobert award to celebrate their success and share their potential with the country.”

Finalists for the award will be announced in June 2025 and the MacRobert Award will be presented at the Academy Awards Dinner in London in July.

To enter the award visit: https://macrobertaward.raeng.org.uk/about-the-award/how-to-apply

Entries will close on Friday 31st January 2025