Celebrate excellence at the AFBE Awards 2025
The AFBE Awards 2025 honour those making a difference in the engineering industry. Nominate deserving individuals or explore categories that don’t require nominations. Recognise the dedication of colleagues, mentors, and companies championing diversity and innovation.
Nominations have now closed, finalists will be announced on the 4th of September. We look forward to seeing you on the 6th of November at the Gala & Awards Dinner where Winners will be announced.
Award Categories
Young BME Professional of the Year
Sponsored by Leonardo
This Award is run by the AFBE-UK Scotland with the expressive purpose of encouraging and recognizing an outstanding young engineer from the BME community. This nomination should be an acknowledgement of this member’s impact on the company’s results. Award’s eligibility criteria are as follows:
- Engineer from BME origins employed in any field.
- Holds Bachelor and/or Master’s degree in engineering or a related field.
- Under 10 years post-graduation experience with outstanding contribution to current team’s objectives.
- Age limit 35 years
STEM Champion of the Year
Sponsored by Wood Plc
This award is run by the AFBE UK with the express purpose of recognizing any individual or Organisation committed to championing STEM. Nomination can be made by the individual applying or a third party. This nomination should be an acknowledgement of the person or Organisation’s contributions and commitment to widening participation in STEM. Open to anyone working in any sector.
- Evidence of a personal interest in STEM.
- Evidence of a commitment to widening participation in it’s broadest sense within STEM.
- Evidence of innovative and creative approaches used to widen participation for young people.
- Evidence of sustainability incorporated.
Entrepreneur of the year
Sponsored by SLB
This award is run by AFBE UK to recognise an Individual or Entrepreneur that has demonstrated outstanding entrepreneurial excellence and a commitment to driving impactful change. Nominations can be submitted by the individual or organisation or by a third party. This award acknowledges their leadership, innovative contributions, dedication to fostering growth and efforts to create a sustainable and inclusive impact.
Open to nominees from any sector:
- Entrepreneurs or businesses must have been in operation for at least three years at the time of nomination.
- Evidence of a clear entrepreneurial vision, ambition, and the personal passion driving their ventures.
- Demonstrated efforts to empower under-represented groups or foster inclusiveness within their entrepreneurial endeavors.
- Application of innovative and creative approaches to solve challenges or create opportunities in their industry or community.
- Evidence of social value add and impact.
Mentor of the Year
Sponsored by Aspentech
This award recognizes the vital role mentors play in passing on their knowledge and expertise to the next generation of people in the engineering sector, and the extraordinary commitment of these individuals to learning and improvement across the industry.
Company of the Year
Sponsored by Oceaneering
This Award is run by the AFBE-UK with the expressive purpose of encouraging and recognizing an outstanding company in the area of diversity and inclusion. Nominations can be made by the company applying, by an employee of the company, or by a third party. This nomination should be an acknowledgment of this company’s efforts to promote a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
- Any company can apply for this award
BME Leader of the Year
Sponsored by Shell
This award is run by AFBE-UK with the express purpose of encouraging and recognising an outstanding leader of BME origin.
Nominations can be made by the individual applying or a third party. This nomination should be an acknowledgment of the dynamism and impact of this leader.
- Generally, with at least 10 years of experience
- Evidence of dynamism and daring to be different or challenge the status quo.
- Cutting-edge inventions, process improvements, digital innovations, or joint ventures.
- Technical or creative excellence that has been recognized internally and/or externally.
- Effective leadership contributing to, project delivery, profitability, and business development.
- Achieving success beyond immediate business objectives, expectations, or targets.
- Involvement in driving important business initiatives or tackling business issues.
- Outstanding contribution to the cultural transformation of teams or Organisations.
- Evidence of significant influence on internal and/or external stakeholders.
- Unique or outstanding contributions to the relevant profession or sector.
- Evidence of exceptional motivation, purpose, and the burning desire for results.
- Evidence of exceptional motivation, purpose, and the burning desire for results.
- Anecdotal evidence that others are significantly inspired by the nominee and their business.
Special Appreciation Award
Sponsored by Mott Macdonald
This award is presented to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to industry and/or society. The winner will be annouced on the night.
Ethnicity ERG of the Year
Sponsored by Harbour Energy
This award recognises a particular Employee Resource Group (ERG) that has a proven track record of success. A top contender will be an ERG that is continuously elevating diversity, implementing intersectional and collaborative programming with other ERGs, and advocating for racial equity in its workplace.
Criteria
- It should be an Ethnicity Employee Resource of Affinity Groups
- Award will assess membership growth
- Evidence of Influence within the company
- Evidence Social Impact
