QEPrize asks young designers to create the trophy for its awards

The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation (QEPrize) has invited young people around the world to test their design skills in the fourth international Create the Trophy competition. The competition, open to those aged between 14 and 24, seeks innovative trophy designs to be considered for next year’s QEPrize award ceremony.

Launched in 2011, the biennial £1 million QEPrize celebrates engineers responsible for a ground-breaking innovation that has had a substantial positive impact on humanity.

The previous Create the Trophy competition in 2016 garnered submissions spanning six continents. 15-year-old Welsh student Samuel Bentley was crowned the eventual winner after taking his inspiration from Mount Snowdon.

“Engineering is about creativity, ingenuity, and human impact,” said Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation. “The Create the Trophy competition enables some of the world’s best young minds to test their skills with the latest in 3D design technology, and to create something which represents the decisive role that engineering plays in society.”

The QEPrize3D app provides a catalogue of shapes and materials to choose from, and an in-app photo studio allows users to show off their creations.

Entries will be open until 12:00 GMT on 2 December 2018. The competition winner will be revealed, along with the 2019 QEPrize winners, at the announcement ceremony on 12 February.

In addition to seeing their design 3D printed into the finished trophy to be presented to the winners of the 2019 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, the competition winner will receive a state of the art laptop and an invitation to the London award ceremony, including travel and accommodation.

Ian Blatchford, director of the Science Museum and chairman of the Create the Trophy judging panel said: “Given the fierce competition we saw from Create the Trophy’s first international pool of entrants, I envisage an even tougher judging process for us this year. Nonetheless, I look forward to seeing the breadth of innovative designs that portray engineering’s integral role in society.”