Postgraduate Prizes

Starting in 2024 the Department of Engineering will be awarding at least one Rex Moir Outstanding Thesis Prize each year. All PhD theses submitted before their final submission deadline will be considered upon the recommendation of their examiners.

There are a number of University academic prize competitions which may be of interest to postgraduate students within the Department of Engineering. Further details can be found below.

General Regulations

The University general regulations for prizes and medals (given in Chapter 12 of the University Ordinances) apply to all prize competitions, as follows:

10. Candidates shall be required to state, generally in a preface to their submitted work, and specifically in notes, the sources from which their information is taken, the extent to which they have availed themselves of the work of others, or have received help and advice from a Director of Studies, Supervisor, or other person, and the portions of the submitted work which are claimed as original.

11. Candidates shall also be required to state in the preface what previous use (if any) has been made of the submitted work, or of any part of it, and whether it has been published in whole or in part; and a Graduate Student shall further be required to state whether and, if so, how, its subject appertains to his or her approved course of research or to work submitted for a degree of the University.

12. No work submitted for a University prize shall be considered which in the opinion of the Examiners or Adjudicators for that prize is substantially the same as work published by the candidate or used by the candidate elsewhere as a thesis for a degree or for a prize before coming into residence in the University; and if part of the work submitted has been so used, or if, in the case of a Postgraduate Student, the work submitted has already been submitted for a degree of the University, or closely appertains to work which has been so submitted, the Examiners or Adjudicators shall have power to take that circumstance into consideration in making their award.

Further information

The Hamilton Prize

The Hamilton Prize was founded by Mr J.W.O Hamilton in honour of James Clark Maxwell (1831 – 1879), formerly a Fellow of Trinity College and the first Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics, with whose services to the science of wireless communication the donor also associated the names of Sir John Ambrose Fleming (1849 – 1945) and Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge (1851 – 1940).

Eligibility

Applicants must:

(i) be postgraduate students at the University of Cambridge; AND

(ii) have completed no more than twelve terms of their current course of research since admission as a graduate student; AND

(iii) have resided in Cambridge for at least sixty days during the twelve months prior to the deadline; AND

(iv) not have been awarded the Hamilton Prize in a previous year.

Subject

The Prize is awarded for the best report ‘embodying research carried out in the University on the theory or practice of the physics or engineering of any aspect of communication, propagation, or signal processing, associated with electromagnetic radiation or wave propagation’.

Reports must not exceed 5,000 words in length, excluding appendices. Reports may contain material already published, provided that the work was done in Cambridge, but must then include a connected account of the candidate’s complete investigations.

The report may be submitted jointly by two candidates who have carried out research in co-operation; in this case, the standard of work will be expected to be accordingly higher. The prize will be divided evenly between the two co-authors if they are granted the award.

Deadline and Mode of Submission

The competition is in two stages:

Stage 1: the candidate must submit a proposed title, and a statement of scope of no more than 300 words. These must be received by the University Scholarships Administrator, on behalf of the Registrary, not later than 15 September. The mode of submission should be by email attachment to studentprizes@admin.cam.ac.uk; the subject line should clearly specify that you wish to be considered for the Hamilton Prize. There is no application form. Applicants will be informed if they have progressed to the next stage approximately two weeks after submission of the proposed title and statement of scope.

Stage 2: Two hard copies of the full report must be received by the Student Funding Manager on behalf of the Registrary no later than the 31^st of October at the following address: The Registrary, C/O Student Funding Manager, Student Registry, The Student Services Centre, New Museums Site, Cambridge, CB2 3PT.

Assessment

There will be two examiners, who are appointed by the General Board of the Faculties before the division of the Michaelmas Term. One is nominated by the Faculty Board of Engineering, the other by the Faculty Board of Physics and Chemistry. The award will be made no later than the first day of Full Lent Term.

Total Award

The award varies depending on the net income of the Hamilton Fund that year; previous awards have been between £900 and £1,200. In 2022 the Prize was £3250. The prize is paid after receipt by the University Library of the successful report.

The John Winbolt Prize

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

(i) Under 28 years of age on the deadline for submission; AND

(ii) EITHER graduates of the University of Cambridge, OR current postgraduate students under the supervision of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering.

Notwithstanding the above, no person shall be eligible:

(i) whose name was first entered on the Register of Postgraduate Students more than four years before the deadline for entries; OR

(ii) who is already qualified for the Ph.D. Degree; OR

(iii) who has been awarded the John Winbolt Prize in a previous year.

Subject

The prize is awarded for a paper for a paper on some subject, selected by the candidate, and related to the profession of a civil engineer. All subjects studied for Part IIA and Part IIB of the Engineering Tripos are considered to be related to the profession of a civil engineer for this purpose.

This paper must have been accepted for publication in an established or learned journal. No applicant may submit more than one paper.  The paper may be submitted jointly by two candidates who have carried out research in co-operation; in this case, the standard of work will be expected to be accordingly higher. The prize will be divided evenly between the two co-authors if they are granted the award.

Deadline and Mode of Submission

The paper must be received by the Engineering Faculty Board Secretary no later than 1 May. The mode of submission should be by email attachment to faculty-board-office@eng.cam.ac.uk; the subject line should clearly specify that an entry for the John Winbolt Prize is attached. There is no application form.

Assessment

The award shall be made by the Head of the Department of Engineering and an Adjudicator appointed by the General Board of the Faculties on the nomination of the Faculty Board of Engineering in the Easter Term of the year in which the prize will be awarded. They may determine that no entry is of sufficient merit to be granted the award.

Total Award

The award varies depending on the net income of the John Winbolt Fund that year; previous awards have been between £1,000 and £1,500. The prize is paid after receipt by the University Library of the successful entry.

The Helios Prize

The Helios prize is made possible thanks to a generous donation from Cambridge Alumnus Mr John Firth

Eligibility

Applicants must:

(i)  be current postgraduate students under the supervision of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering; AND

(ii) have completed no more than twelve terms of their current course of research since admission as a postgraduate student; AND

(iii) not have been awarded the Helios Prize in a previous year.

Subject

The prize is awarded for a paper on some subject, selected by the candidate, on a topic under the broad heading of renewable energy or energy efficiency. This paper must have been accepted for publication in an established or learned journal. No applicant may submit more than one paper. 

Deadline and mode of application

The paper must be received by the Engineering Degree Committee Secretary no later than the deadline (tbc). In addition to the paper, applicants must submit a CV, and a covering letter which should include a statement describing their contribution to the paper. The mode of submission should be by email attachment to graduate-studies@eng.cam.ac.uk; the subject line should clearly specify that an entry for the Helios Prize is attached. There is no application form.

Assessment

Applications will be subject to an initial review by the Chair of the Engineering Degree Committee and the Head of one of the Engineering Department Divisions, to establish the relevance of the topics and that the work is of a high quality. The award shall be made by the Head of the Department of Engineering and two judges working in relevant fields. They may determine that no entry is of sufficient merit to be granted the award, or that the award should be divided between more than one entrant.

Total Award

The value of the award is Can$5,000 and varies depending on the exchange rate, but is expected to be in the region of £3,000. There is also a medal to be awarded; in cases of the prize being divided between more than one entrant, the judges will determine who should receive the medal.