Liam Eagle
Engineer, Ward & Burke Construction
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The aim of the James Rennie Medal (JRM) is to promote general awareness of the role of newly professionally qualified Chartered Engineers involved in the civil engineering world. The competition was first held in 1996 and is won by the best Chartered Professional Review candidate.
Who was James Rennie?
James Rennie was a well-known civil engineer. He passionately believed that to work in civil engineering you need in-depth and thorough training.
Rennie spent most of his 70-year career carefully tutoring his pupils to make them great civil engineers. Former ICE President Douglas Oakervee was one of these pupils.
After his death in 1994, the ICE created The James Rennie Medal. It celebrates Rennie's commitment to training young engineers and encouraging them to become ICE members.
Who can enter the award?
The James Rennie Medal is awarded annually to the best Chartered Professional Review (CPR and CPR progressive) candidate. It is open to all applicants who have passed their CPR/CPR progressive in the year prior to the award, whether through a review session or via the Technical Report Route (TRR) Review at CPR level.
Candidates must demonstrate outstanding qualities throughout their Chartered Professional Review, showcasing a deep understanding of engineering design and construction principles while also promoting advancements in civil engineering.
What is the nomination process?
Professional Reviewers nominate candidates who show outstanding qualities in their Chartered Professional Review and really promote developments in civil engineering.
Their report and presentation also need to show they thoroughly understand engineering design and construction principles.
- The Awards Panel selects the top 10 candidates from all those nominated in December of each year.
- The James Rennie Medal Sift Panel review and select the top 3 candidates from those selected by the Award Panel in January of each year.
- The 3 finalists are invited to present their professional review report at the James Rennie Medal Final held in March of each year at One Great George Street and will participate in a lively question-and-answer session with the audience and judging panel.
- The winner of the James Rennie Medal is announced on the night and receives the James Rennie Medal and £1,000.
- The winner is invited to the ICE Annual Awards Ceremony to receive their medal.
- All three finalists also get the chance to have their reports published in an ICE journal.
2026 winner
2026 winner
Liam Eagle, engineer at Ward & Burke Construction, has won the 30th anniversary of the James Rennie Medal.
Eagle presented on his role as the engineering design lead on a £13m scheme to connect two sewer overflows and reduce spills into Bradshaw Brook in Bolton.
On winning the medal he said:
“It’s a real honour to win it. It’s a really prestigious award, and I’m really excited to be able to win it and showcase some of the work I’ve been doing in the industry. It’s a career highlight for me.”
Olivia Perkins, chair of the 2026 James Rennie judging panel reflected on the evening:
"The standard of the presentations this year was phenomenal. The variety of topics we covered was fabulous.
“Liam was chosen as this year’s winner due to the breadth and depth of knowledge he showed in terms of delivering an engineering project,” she said.
“He really showed from cradle to grave the thought of design, through to construction, and through to that long term purpose of the product.”
Hear from our previous award winners
Find out what it means to win the James Rennie Medal
Emma McGregor
Tony Gee and Partners
2025 winner
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Emma McGregor
The Institution of Civil Engineers and James Reenie Medal panel announced Emma McGregor, a senior engineer at Tony Gee and Partners, as the winner of 2025 James Rennie Medal Award.
McGregor was awarded the prize for presenting on her experience working on the Viking Wind Farm, a 103-turbine, 443MW onshore wind farm on mainland Shetland.
This pioneering development is anticipated to be one of the most productive wind farms in the world, powering 500,000 homes.
On winning the medal she said:
It’s hard to put into words how I feel – privileged, honoured, and delighted in equal measures.
It’s a really prestigious award. The competition tonight from James and Carys was intense, their presentations were amazing, so to come away with it feels extra special.
Joseph Roper
AECOM
2024 winner
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Joseph Roper
Joe presented on his journey to successfully achieving a contract incentive milestone involving deep foundation installation on the HS2 Area North Project in 2022.
He explored how its learning has shaped him as a civil engineer to then lead the successful delivery of a 72-day rail blockade amidst a number of challenges.
On winning the medal he said:
Wow, what an amazing feeling! After years of hard work, it’s great to be recognised with the medal. It’s a true testament to the people that have supported me in getting to this position!
Once again, thanks for organising a fabulous event, I felt very lucky to be a part of it!
Melissa Klavins-Bridge
AECOM
2023 winner
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Melissa Klavins-Bridge
Chartered Engineer Melissa Klavins-Bridge from AECOM won the 2023 James Rennie Medal for her presentation on designing a processing building to transfer hazardous materials from the world’s oldest waste pond for the first time.
Klavins-Bridge’s presentation explained how a mechanically led project enabled the material to be transferred out of the pond, located at a UK Nuclear Licensed Site.
On winning the medal she said:
I feel overwhelmed, it has been a lot of hard work to get here, and the process has pushed me to improve. It is a great testament to the really excellent mentoring I have received through my degree and development through to post chartership."
Ronan Royston
Ward and Burke Construction
2022 winner
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Ronan Royston
Royston won 2022’s James Rennie Medal for his presentation on the Blanchardstown Regional Drainage Scheme Project.
Royston’s presentation outlined his role as the project and design manager on the Blanchardstown Regional Drainage Scheme Project, an €88 million investment to construct 3.2km of tunnelled sewers and 30,000m³ of attenuation.
On being selected by the judges as the winner, he said:
I'm honoured for the accolade, especially after watching all the presentations competing in the final. For others aiming for professional qualification, I’d encourage them to embrace engineering and the challenges it presents, to get on site and do the hard work that is needed to produce good engineering and carbon-efficient solutions"
Chris North
Morgan Sindall
2021 winner
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Chris North
For the competition, North outlined his work on the Thames Tideway Tunnel which will capture an average of 39 million tonnes of sewage a year and prevent it from polluting the River Thames in London.
On being selected by the judges as the winner, he said:
I am extremely proud to have been awarded the James Rennie Medal, particularly alongside two other great finalists. This is a great achievement for me. I hope that our diverse presentations will encourage other civil engineers in their pursuit to become professionally qualified with ICE."
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