Prizes & awards

Ben Rudzyn Memorial Prize

In recognition of the life of Ben Rudzyn and his commitment to UNSW’s wider community, and for his contribution to both computing and biomedical engineering at UNSW, the CSE School has established "The Ben Rudzyn Memorial Prize".

This Prize recognizes the outstanding achievements of a student (undergraduate or postgraduate) in the School of Computer Science and Engineering who has been enrolled here for at least (2 years or 6 terms). 

About Ben Rudzyn

Ben Rudzyn was the 2006 University Medallist for Computer Engineering. He was an outstanding student who arrived at UNSW in 2001 from North Sydney Boys High, completed a Bachelor of Computer Engineering and Masters in Biomedical Engineering over the next five years and earned a series of scholarships and awards. He also participated in International Exchange at the University of Toronto, Canada. Among his academic coups Ben developed a groundbreaking robot audition system for his undergraduate thesis.

Ben epitomised the true meaning of friendship. He highly valued the sense of community spirit at UNSW, volunteering however and whenever he could and also wholeheartedly participating in whatever social opportunities were on offer (such as Yellow Shirts/O Week, Uni Reviews, Clubs, Open Days, Student Representative, and mentoring.) He is remembered for his quick wit, his sense of humor, his honesty, his compassion and his care of others.  

After graduation, his software development talents excelled in his career as a Research and Development Engineer at Australian Hearing’s National Acoustic Laboratory. 

Everything Ben was working towards ended a few days before Christmas 2008 when his life was tragically taken by the actions of an inebriated, unlicensed, unregistered driver.  Ben was 26 years old.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Prize in 2022, students must be enrolled in any degree program in 2022 (undergraduate or postgraduate), offered by the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the time of application and have been a student in UNSW for at least (2 years or 6 terms).

Selection criteria

The annual prize is to be awarded on the following basis:

1. Contribution to the promotion or enhancement of the benefits of computing to society
   
2. Demonstrated use of computing to improve health, wellbeing or through the development or use of medical devices. (This might be through coursework, project work, internships, or volunteering activities)  
   
3. Contribution to the wider computer science and engineering community through activities which enhance the student experience (e.g. volunteering in student societies, serving as a student representative, creation of new activities for others e.g. mentoring programs, leading hackathons, workshop development, networking events, skills development events etc.) 
   
4. Meritorious academic performance in their studies to date, including outstanding performance in the field of computing and/or biomedical engineering.
   

Application requirements

Applicants will be expected to submit a one-page document detailing how they meet the selection criteria and to demonstrate high levels of excellence in most, if not all of the criteria. 

The selection panel reserves the right not to award this prize in a given year. Applicants may be interviewed as part of this awards process and their application may be provided to the external award sponsors as part of the evaluation process. 

Application closing date

Applications will close at 5pm at the end of flexibility week (typically week 6 of Term 1) in each year.

Nominations should address the selection criteria, and must be sent to cse.sm@unsw.edu.au.

Prize $1,000

The Anita Borg Award recognises students who’ve made a significant contribution to the benefits of computing for women. If you have an excellent academic record and have completed two years of full-time study with us, you may be eligible for this prestigious award.  

History of the award  

Dr Anita Borg co-founded the Anitab.org (formerly, The Institute for Women and Technology) in 1997 with the vision to change the world for women and technology. The Institute aims to connect, inspire and guide women to develop to their highest potential in technical fields.  

In 1999, Anita Borg visited UNSW and conducted a workshop in science and technology for primary school girls. It was the first workshop of its kind for this audience.  

In recognition of her significant contribution to women in computing and to UNSW, Gernot Heiser and Trudy Weibel established the Anita Borg Award.    

Prize details 

Nomination: If you’re a Computer Science and Engineering student, you can be nominated by a peer, staff member, or you can opt to self-nominate.  

Deadline: November 2021 

Prize amount: $2000 

Eligibility 

To be eligible for the award, you must: 

• be a local or international student studying an undergraduate or postgraduate program  
• be enrolled and studying a program offered by the School of Computer Science and Engineering including double degrees 
• have completed two-years full-time study by the end of the year before the closing date. 

Selection criteria & how to apply 

The award will be bestowed on the following basis: 

1. The recipient has contributed to the promotion/enhancement of the benefits of computing to society. This includes encouraging or facilitating the participation of women in computing.
2. Meritorious academic performance, including outstanding performance in the field of computing. 

If you’d like to apply, simply submit a one-page document with:  

• a description of how you meet the selection criteria above, paying particular attention to criteria 1 
• your student number 
• full name.  

Once you have completed your application, email Shayne Harries. 

Previous Anita Borg Award winners