2025 Women in Engineering Awards
Nominations now open for 2025.
Cast your nomination now
At UNSW Engineering, we recognise that world-changing action starts with fearless thinking.
These four award categories celebrate bold and inspiring engineers and engineering students who are shaping the future. Fuelled by creativity, innovation, and a passion they lead with purpose and inspire others.
Celebrating outstanding excellence is only possible with the support of our community. Help us shine a light on the exceptional women, non-binary, and gender diverse individuals making a difference through their careers by submitting your nomination below.
Nominations close at 11:59pm on Sunday, 25 May.
Award Categories
Inspiring Student Award
A new award category celebrating 10 years of the UNSW Women in Engineering Program
The Inspiring Student Award recognises a UNSW Engineering student from Sydney or Canberra who has demonstrated exceptional qualities in leadership, innovation, resilience and/or community engagement. This award honours a student whose passion for engineering, commitment to learning, and ability to inspire others have made a meaningful impact through project involvement, mentorship, or contributions to the engineering community.
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Nominees must be:
- A current UNSW Engineering student (undergraduate or postgraduate) based in Sydney or Canberra.
- Must be a woman, non-binary or gender-diverse person.
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- Leadership and Community Initiative – Demonstrates leadership through mentorship, teamwork, and a passion for engineering. Actively engages in engineering-related clubs, projects, societies, or initiatives.
- Innovation and Problem-Solving – Applies creative thinking to engineering projects and contributes to meaningful outcomes. This may include class projects, research, student competitions, or other activities involving new ideas, novel solutions or outreach.
- Commitment to Gender Equity and/or Diversity and Inclusion – Actively contributes to a supportive and inclusive community. Leads by example, showing respect for peers and their individuality, and fosters an environment that exemplifies the values of respect, equity, and belonging.
The Maria Skyllas-Kazacos Early Career Award for Outstanding Achievement
The Maria Skyllas-Kazacos Early Career Award for Outstanding Achievement is open to all eligible alumni from the UNSW Faculty of Engineering (Sydney and Canberra) working in any branch of industry or academia, in recognition of a significant achievement in their field.
The recipient will have no more than 10 years of industry or academic experience at the time of nomination (excluding career breaks).
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- Demonstrated achievement in the discipline/profession through recognition of technical innovation or the successful delivery of a significant project
- Demonstrated commitment to professional development, including formal learning, stretch assignments, and other workplace or professional opportunities
- Demonstrated engagement with the broader profession and/or community for example through involvement in professional societies or associations
The Judy Raper Award for Leadership
The Judy Raper Award for Leadership is open to all eligible alumni from the UNSW Faculty of Engineering (Sydney and Canberra), in recognition of their sustained and significant contribution through demonstrated leadership within the discipline/profession in Australia.
Effective leadership is characterised by passion and commitment, setting bold objectives and achieving results, and, most importantly, motivating and mobilising the talent of others for the benefit of the discipline/profession and the community at large.
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- Demonstrated track record of working in partnership to produce outcomes that were only possible as a result of their high-quality leadership.
- Demonstrated vision, passion, and commitment to advancing their field over time, including through motivating and mobilising the talent of others.
- Demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning, resulting in an enhanced ability to lead.
The Ada Lovelace Medal
The Ada Lovelace Medal is open to all eligible Australian engineers. It is named for Augusta Ada Byron (1815-1852), Countess of Lovelace, an English mathematician widely considered to be the first computer programmer. This award recognises individuals who are acknowledged nationally, and potentially internationally, as leaders in the engineering profession.
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- The nominee has at least 15 years of progressively senior engineering experience and is currently widely recognised, nationally and/or internationally, for their leadership in the engineering community.
- Can detail specific, significant contributions to their field of engineering in Australia and/or internationally through technical achievements, leadership, and impact to communities.
- Demonstrated empowering of others through initiatives to inspire and develop the next generation of engineers.
FAQs
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The awards are open to all women, as well as individuals who are non-binary and gender diverse.
Recipients of the following categories — the Maria Skyllas-Kazacos Early Career Award, the Judy Raper Award, and the Ada Lovelace Medal — must be Australian citizens, permanent residents, or New Zealand citizens residing in Australia.
Recipients of the Inspiring Student Award must be currently enrolled international or domestic students in UNSW Engineering, based in either Sydney or Canberra.
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Yes, you can nominate the same engineer for multiple categories in the same year, as long as they meet the criteria for each category. A separate nomination must be submitted for each category.
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There is no limit to the number of people you can nominate, as long as they meet the selection criteria, however you can only nominate each person once per category. Repeat nominations won’t influence entry or judging results.
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No, unfortunately the nomination cannot come from the nominee themself.
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Yes, you may nominate someone who has been previously nominated. Previous winners however are not eligible.
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After nominations have closed, the selection panel will convene to shortlist nominees and select a winner for each award category. Winners and their nominators, and all other nominators, will be notified of the outcome via email.
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Award recipients will be announced at the Women in Engineering Awards event in Sydney on Tuesday, 1 July 2025. Further event details will be shared in the coming weeks.
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Yes. Prize details are as follows:
Winners of the Maria Skyllas-Kazacos Early Career Award, Judy Raper Award, and Ada Lovelace Medal will each receive AU$5,000.
The winner of the Inspiring Student Award will receive AU$2,000.