National Academy of Engineering Charles Stark Draper Prize
It is a goal of the National Academy of Engineering to honor those who have contributed to the advancement of engineering and to improve public understanding of the importance of engineering and technology.
Recognized as one of the world's preeminent awards for engineering achievement, the Charles Stark Draper Prize honors an engineer whose accomplishment has significantly impacted society by improving the quality of life, providing the ability to live freely and comfortably, and/or permitting the access to information.
The Draper Prize is awarded for a specific achievement or for a series of achievements in any engineering discipline, and may be awarded to an individual or a group of individuals contributing to the same achievement. Consideration will be given to achievements in all engineering disciplines. The Draper Prize is not awarded posthumously.
Draper Prize Selection Criteria
The narrative description of the achievement that accompanies the nomination form and additional materials should provide qualitative and quantitative evidence that the following criteria are met:
* Success in the number of people actually or potentially benefited by the innovation or achievement, and the extent of this benefit.
* Demonstrated novelty, originality, and fundamental character of the technical idea or concept underlying the innovation or achievement.
* Demonstration that the innovation or achievement has removed fundamental barriers or constraints to subsequent incremental improvement and refinement, or that it embodies wholly new scientific principles.
* Demonstrated richness of technical ramifications of a new concept or invention, and applicability in many different areas of application far removed from each other.
* Demonstration of the extent of follow-through on the part of the originating individual or team. Excellence in design, execution and management of the innovation, and commercialization or “operationalization ” of a new idea should be demonstrated, in addition to the ingenuity and novelty of the original technical conception of “proof of principle.”
* Demonstrated economic impact, actual or potential, of the innovation or achievement. Economic impact would include gross revenues generated by a new product or process, cost savings made possible by a new process, reductions in environmental impact, or benefits to health and safety in the workplace or of consumers.
The Draper Prize is awarded annually*, the recipient receives a $500,000 cash award, and the prize recognizes achievements in all engineering disciplines. NAE members and non-members worldwide are eligible to receive the Draper Prize.
*The 2009 Charles Stark Draper Prize and Bernard M. Gordon Prize were awarded on February 17, 2009. It is anticipated that these awards will next be presented in February 2011. Nominations submitted in anticipation of awards in 2010 will be considered for the 2011 prizes. The Call for Nominations for the 2011 prizes will begin on January 4, 2010 and end on April 1, 2010. If you have any questions, please contact Deborah Young at (202) 334-1266 or e-mail at dyoung@nae.edu.
National Academy of Engineering
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