IChemE Global Awards 2023

Matt Stalker offers some useful tips to anyone planning an awards entry this year

THE deadline to enter the IChemE Global Awards is fast approaching. With 19 categories covering every major aspect of chemical and process engineering, 2023 marks the 30th consecutive year of the institution’s awards programme.

The awards are free to enter and open to all. Past winners include major multinational organisations, as well as smaller companies and sole traders. As always, the best entry across all categories will be celebrated with our top prize, the Outstanding Achievement in Chemical and Process Engineering Award.

The deadline to enter this year’s awards is Friday 14 July. Winners will be revealed at the IChemE Global Awards Dinner on Thursday 30 November in Birmingham, UK.

Winning an IChemE Award is a great way to demonstrate your organisation’s professional competence and expertise. The programme serves as an ideal platform to raise awareness of new services and technologies, showcase your company as an employer/provider of choice and recognise the work of current team members.

What makes a winning entry?

Every winning entry is underpinned by professional excellence and there will always be plenty of competition. However, our judging panel has shared ten top tips to help your entry stand out from the rest:

1. Tell us what’s new

Winning entries aren’t always based on something that’s been developed from scratch. Some of the best entries we receive demonstrate incremental improvements to existing plant, process or projects. They are sometimes even based on work that has been recognised previously in the IChemE Global Awards. If you’re planning an entry that builds upon a previous entry, be sure to focus on what’s changed.

2. Benefits, evidence and even more benefits

The best entries articulate benefits and demonstrate evidence. Data such as cost and efficiency savings, increased production, waste reduction, capacity improvements, skills development, customer feedback, sales and commercial success will help the judges better understand the impact of your work. Entries based upon successful work you’ve already completed will always score more highly than those focused on what you plan to do in the future. 

3. Double your chances

Don’t forget you can submit your entry in two categories (excluding Young Industrialist and Young Researcher). Most participants will typically enter the category that best represents their industry sector and the type of work they’ve undertaken. For example, if you’re working in the pharma sector and your entry is based on a sustainability project, make sure you tick the box for both the Pharma and Sustainability award categories.

4. Read the entry form carefully

Always make sure you answer the question that is being asked. The entry form is designed to support the scoring model used by our judging panel. Complete all sections and your entry checklist. Stick to the word count limit.

5. Understand the scoring process

Judges look for evidence in five areas:

• engineering/professional excellence;
• evidence of application;
• process safety;
• societal benefit;
• sustainability/environmental benefit.

The weighting for each category is different and remains confidential but, for example, it’s safe to say that the process safety category places a greater emphasis on process safety than some other categories. Make sure you consider all of these areas when preparing your entry.

6. Keep it simple

Our judges are all specialists in their field, but you can help our panel by following the guidelines below when writing your entry:

• keep sentences short;
• use plain English;
• use lists and bullets;
• limit the use of acronyms and make sure they’re defined when first used.

7. Quality, not quantity

Our word count limit should not be your target! The limit exists to make it simpler to apply, ensure consistency across all entries and help our judges assess all of the entry forms in a timely manner. Many successful entries don’t use their full allocation though so focus on the quality of your entry, not just the quantity of words.

8. Don’t forget the deadline

The deadline for submissions is Friday 14 July 2023 so make sure you leave enough time to get sign-off internally and gain input from partners and colleagues where needed. Plan ahead with regard to who will need to see your entry ahead of deadline.

9. Seek inspiration from past winners

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we presented the IChemE Awards virtually for two years. Check out the IChemE YouTube channel to see presentations from many of our 2020 and 2021 winners and better understand what impressed the judges.

10. If in doubt, get in touch

Whilst we can’t provide technical support or review your entry ahead of submission, we are here to help. If you have any
questions contact awards@icheme.org