Nominations for the 2022 Top 50 Women in Engineering - Inventors and Innovators are now closed.
Founded by the Women's Engineering Society in 2016, the WE50 awards are a UK event linked to International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) – the celebration of women in engineering that takes place on 23 June each year.
In association with The Guardian newspaper the 2022 Top 50 Women in Engineering Awards celebrate the Inventors and Innovators who can #ImagineTheFuture,
the amazing women in engineering, who identify an unmet need, then create the solution, or improve on existing products and processes to make our lives easier.
Nominations have now closed. Judging is in progress and winners will be notified in May 2022.
2022 criteria for nomination
We are celebrating women engineers who have created or improved a product or process and supported other women in engineering to do the same.
Essential Criteria – all nominees must satisfy these:
- A woman, aged 18 or older
- Based in the UK - nominees do not have to be UK citizens
- Not a previous WE50 winner
- Can demonstrate the creation or improvement of a product or process
Desirable Criteria:
- Inventions and innovations to support sustainability and/or combat climate change will score well
- Acting as an advocate for other women inventors and innovators
- Acting as an advocate for other women in STEM
- Working or studying in engineering industries and allied sectors, engineering education, or engineering research
- Achieving beyond what would normally be expected for career stage - nominations welcome at all career stages
Entries that focus solely on engineering or solely on supporting women will not do as well as those that demonstrate both.
Inventions and innovations do not have to have been made in the past year.
We regret that we cannot include nominations for anyone based outside of the UK, even if they are UK citizens, with the exception of women serving the armed forces.
We will be holding an Awards Ceremony on the afternoon of Friday 24 June 2022.
Hints & tips on writing a great awards application

Important WE50 dates
5 May 2022 – #WE50 winners notified
23 June 2022 – #WE50 winners announced!
Previous WE50 Award Themes
2019 – Current and Former Apprentices
2018 – Returners and Transferrers
2017 – Under 35
2016 – The Inaugural Top 50 Women in Engineering