Create the future: The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering

Nominations for the inaugural Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering opened earlier this year, and with submissions rolling in and extensive media coverage we thought that it was time for a Canadian update.

The QE Prize is a £1 million award made every two years, selected by an international panel of experts and presented by HM the Queen herself. It aims to be the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for Engineering, awarded to an individual or small team “responsible for a ground-breaking innovation in engineering that has been of global benefit to humanity.” Nominations are currently open, and will close at 17:00 GMT on 14 September 2012. The award itself will be made in the spring of 2013, and you can keep up with news and annoucements on the QE Prize Twitter feed (@QEPrize).

Canada has a strong tradition of innovation in engineering, from the enrichment-free CANDU nuclear reactor and Orenda jet engine in the 1950s to quantum computers and the International Space Station’s robotic arm today. We can expect to see a strong showing from Canada’s engeineering community, and will do our best to highlight the nominations after the deadline (assuming that we can get a copy). If you’re involved in Canada’s engineering community, this is your big chance to get the word out and win global fame and recognition for yet another Canadian innovation.