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.
L-R Professor Clive Buckberry demonstrates the 2022 MacRobert Award winning Quanta portable dialysis machine to MacRobert Award Chair of Judges Dr Alison Vincent, Science Minister Lord Vallance and Academy President Dr John Lazar during a DSIT exhibition about the Award.
“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 31 January 2025
L-R Academy President Dr John Lazar CBE FREng with Science Minister Lord Vallance KCB HonFREng FRS FMedSci, MacRobert Award Chair of Judges Dr Alison Vincent FREng, 2022 MacRobert Award winner Professor Clive Buckberry MBE FREng of Quanta Dialysis, and Academy CEO Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE visit a special MacRobert Award exhibition at DSIT, showcasing some of the most recent winners of the MacRobert Award, which has been celebrating UK engineering innovation for 55 years.
Notes for editors
1. First presented in 1969, the MacRobert Award for UK engineering innovation is widely regarded as the most coveted in the industry, honouring the winning organisation with a gold medal and the team members with a cash prize of £50,000 and an exclusive weekend stay at Douneside House, the MacRobert Trust’s multiple award-winning country house hotel in the heart of the MacRobert estate in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire.
2. The award is named after geologist and suffragette Lady Rachel MacRobert, who died in 1954 after a long and eventful life, leaving her fortune to the MacRobert Trust, which continues her philanthropic legacy and support for science and technology education.
3. An expert panel discussed Google DeepMind's award-winning GraphCast technology and the future of weather forecasting in a special event on 17 October 2024: to watch see Innovation Incoming: Weather warnings from AI - a MacRobert Award special
4. The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.