The first Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering was awarded to five pioneers of the internet and world wide web at a ceremony at the Royal Academy of Engineering today.
Commenting on the awarding of the prize, ICE President Professor Barry Clarke, said:
'This prize puts on the world stage the engineers and engineering feats that too often don’t reach the public or media spotlight. At a time when engineers have such a fundamental role to play in meeting the challenges facing our environment and economy, this increased recognition and awareness has never been more important.'
An inspiration for future engineers
Robert Kahn, Vinton Cerf and Louis Pouzin were honoured for their contributions to the original internet protocol, alongside worldwide web innovators Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Marc Andreessen.
Barry Clarke added that 'the prize winners will no doubt inspire budding engineers and importantly, capture the imagination of youngsters so they consider engineering as a career and see how it really can transform the world in which we live.
'Our congratulations go to all those involved and all the other engineers and projects which made the shortlist - we hope to see this prize go from strength to strength.'
Chosen by leading engineers and scientists
The winners were selected by a panel of leading engineers and scientists from around the world, including civil engineer Paul Westbury (CEO, Buro Happold).
HM The Queen herself will present the winners with a trophy designed by young people with interests in science, engineering, design, art and architecture. The winning entry came from 17-year-old Jennifer Leggett who plans to study civil engineering next year.
Find out more about the prize and the five winners on the QE Prize website.