Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is an international award for a ground-breaking engineering innovation that has been of global benefit to humanity. It carries a total cash prize of £500,000, it is nominated by third parties rather than applied for, and the rules page sets out unusually specific requirements for referees. This guide summarises the program as described on the official pages on 2026-10-29, and flags two places where those pages give different figures.
What it is and who runs it
The Prize is organised by the Trustees of The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation. The Trustees are advised by an international Judging Panel that they establish for the purpose. Winners receive a total cash prize of £500,000 plus memorabilia chosen by the Trustees. It is a recognition prize for work already done, not a research grant: nothing in it funds a future project, so it sits alongside, not inside, the usual research funder landscape, where a funder pays for work still to be carried out.
Eligibility
As described on the official prize rules page, entry is open to any living individual, or a team of living individuals, of any nationality, who is personally responsible for a ground-breaking innovation in engineering that has been of global benefit to humanity. Self-nomination is not permitted. The criteria page states that “self-nomination and posthumous nomination are not allowed”, which is consistent with the rules page wording “living individual”.
Two figures the rules page states differently
- Team size. The eligibility section allows “not more than ten living individuals working as a team”, while the section on the Prize itself refers to “not more than five individuals, as above”. Both appear on the same page. Confirm the current text before building a team nomination.
- Referees. The method of entry asks for three referees, while a later section refers to “at least two supporting letters” from suitable referees. Again both appear; plan for three.
What the Prize recognises and what judges ask
The nomination criteria page lists the questions the judges consider. Treat them as the outline of your nomination statement:
- What ground-breaking engineering innovation was achieved?
- In what way has this innovation been of global benefit to humanity?
- Is there anyone else who might claim to have had a pivotal role in this development?
The third question matters most for attribution. A nomination that names a small team while the field credits a wider group invites exactly this question, so the evidence of who personally did what needs to be in the nomination, not left for the judges to discover. The first two questions are about the innovation and its reach, so a strong statement describes the achievement concretely and then shows, with evidence a referee can confirm, how it has benefited people beyond the originating organization or country.
Nomination steps
Per the criteria page, nominations are managed online. The sequence it describes is:
- A nominator submits the nomination on the Prize website, identifying the engineer or engineers responsible for the innovation.
- The nominees are contacted by email.
- The referees named in the nomination are invited to enter their references on the website.
- Completed, eligible nominations go to the judges.
Referees are described as distinguished people who are not employed in the same organization as the nominee, and who are not collaborators or immediate family. This independence rule is the most likely reason a nomination stalls: a respected colleague down the corridor does not qualify, so line up independent referees early and tell them a reference request will arrive by email. If you also write letters for other schemes, the guide to NSF GRFP reference letters shows how another program specifies referee requirements.
Typical timeline phases
The criteria page presents the cycle for the 2027 Prize as phases: a call for nominations, a closing date for nominations, judging, and a public announcement of the winner. The rules say the shortlist is chosen by the Judging Panel from the nominations, the winner is decided by the Trustees on the Panel’s advice, and the announcement is made when the Trustees choose. Check the official page for the dates of the current cycle rather than relying on any secondary listing, and work backwards from the closing date: the nominator needs time to prepare the statement, and referees need time to respond after the invitation arrives.
Common mistakes
- Trying to nominate yourself, which the rules prohibit.
- Choosing referees from the nominee’s own organization, or collaborators and family, which the criteria page excludes.
- Leaving referees until the last moment: they are invited by email only after the nomination is submitted and must enter their references on the website.
- Describing an institution’s output instead of the named individuals’ personal responsibility, given the “personally responsible” wording.
- Skipping the “anyone else with a pivotal role” question.
Related programs
| CASRAI page | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Major private foundations that fund institutional research | Other charitable and foundation funders, as a contrast to a nominated prize |
| Major early-career foundation fellowships compared | Application-based awards for researchers, which differ from a nomination-only prize |
| Royal Society University Research Fellowship | A UK award with its own eligibility and application process |
| How grant writing actually works | Writing to a funder’s criteria, a skill that carries over to a nomination statement |
FAQ
Can I nominate myself for the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering?
No. The prize rules state that self-nomination is not permitted.
How much is the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering?
The rules give a total cash prize of £500,000, plus memorabilia. If more than one person is named in a nomination, the rules say the money is shared between the winners as the Trustees determine.
Who chooses the winner?
The Judging Panel shortlists from the nominations. The Trustees of The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation decide the winner, advised by the Panel.
How many referees do I need?
The official pages mention three referees in the method of entry and at least two supporting letters elsewhere. Plan for three independent referees.
Sources
- The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, “Prize rules and conditions”: https://qeprize.org/nominate/prize-rules, checked 2026-10-29.
- The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, “Nomination criteria”: https://qeprize.org/nominate/criteria, checked 2026-10-29.
