The MacRobert Award is the UK’s premier award for engineering and attracts a number of high-quality nominations that demonstrate the very best of UK engineering innovation. Now in its 56th year, the MacRobert Award judging committee have the tough job to select three worthy finalists and choose the overall winner.
In this new blog series, we get to know the people behind the tough decisions.
This time round, we caught up with Professor Gordon Masterton OBE FREng FRSE. Gordon has been a MacRobert Award judge since 2018 and brings a wealth of knowledge to the role. Here, he shares his journey as a judge and some tips for a successful nomination.
You’ve been on the MacRobert judging panel for several years. What made you accept the invitation?
I have 10 years’ experience as a judge in total. The Academy first invited me to judge the 2013-16 Award years, and quite soon after that I became a Trustee and Director of the MacRobert Trust, which as the original funder of the Award, has an entitlement to nominate a judge to the panel. I returned in 2018 and have been on the panel ever since. The reputation of the MacRobert Award is held in such high esteem that I really didn’t need to be asked twice. I’ve always been an advocate for engineers to be more visible in celebrating the significance of their achievements and contributions to society, and this high-profile award – “the Oscar for engineering” is an excellent vehicle for that.
The MacRobert Award has received many brilliant nominations connected to your expertise in civil and structural engineering. In your expert opinion, what makes a successful nomination?
A successful nomination will be strong in all three criteria: innovation, proven commercial success and benefits to society. I’m a civil and structural engineer and I’d like to be seeing more applications from this field. The first joint winner in 1969 was the Freeman, Fox and Partners design team for the Severn Bridge, and subsequently we have had winners in 1984 (Netlon Ltd for polymer grids), 1999 (Buro Happold for the Millennium Dome), and 2009 (Arup for the Beijing Olympics Aquatic Centre) so it’s eminently possible to make a successful case for infrastructure projects. (View who our previous winners were, starting from 1969).
Applicants may perceive the criterion of “proven commercial success” challenging. New innovations can produce evidence of growth in sales and profit margins year on year, but this is not data that’s available to one-off infrastructure projects. But if the project has involved engineering innovation that has saved money during the delivery phase, then that is solid evidence of commercial success, especially if there is evidence of the innovation being adopted more widely, leading to wider economic benefits.
From your experience, what areas are growing in prominence and are there any innovation trends to look out for?
I think it’s important as a judge to keep an open mind and to be prepared to be amazed by any application that is submitted, whether it’s from one of the exciting new emerging technologies, or from long-established manufacturing sectors that have found new ways to maintain competitiveness through engineering innovation.
The Award’s winners have come from a diverse range of disciplines and organisations over the past 56 years, what do you think has been a common factor in the impressive submissions you’ve seen?
The MacRobert Awards of the past have done extremely well in showcasing outstanding teams as finalists or winners. Some are relatively new startup companies who have transitioned to becoming profitable but innovation can flourish in larger companies too, and the MacRobert Award is equally fitting for these teams that have made engineering breakthroughs.
The common factor is not the nature of the company behind the submitting team, but the quality of the engineering team that has created the innovation and nurtured it. If that journey has involved overcoming significant obstacles, all the better!
What has been some of the more memorable moments from your time on the judging panel?
Every time I visit a shortlisted company my enthusiasm for the transformative power of engineering is re-energised. Meeting supremely talented, diverse, committed teams working so hard to create successful outcomes in whatever field, unfailingly restores my faith for the future.
The MacRobert Award has a proud history of celebrating groundbreaking technological innovation. What do you think has been the most significant engineering or technological innovation in your lifetime?
It’s too tough to single out one! Breakthroughs in biomedical engineering have transformed lives, which is priceless, while communication and infrastructure innovations have benefitted billions, and climate-change mitigations could save the planet. Compared to 50 years ago, I think the biggest change (therefore arguably an innovation) is that engineers and engineering are back on centre stage in all these areas, and we need to be acutely and humbly aware of that opportunity to make a positive difference to the quality of life for all.
What advice would you give to any future nominations of the MacRobert Award?
Though it may seem appropriate to have your application written by someone with a communications background at your company (we can spot those!), it is important to make sure that the unique and innovative aspects of the engineering shines through. Getting the engineering team involved in the writing of the submission is essential for this very reason.
Quick fire questions
If you were not an engineer, what would you be? Somewhat lost.
Would you rather travel to the past or the future? My interest in the history of engineering would tempt me to the past. I would love to ask similar questions to Thomas Telford, John Smeaton, and James Watt.
Share something not many people know about you I’ve sung in the Carnegie Hall (Dunfermline!)
Name the piece of technology that you cannot live without My 1954 Wurlitzer Juke Box. (As old as me but with considerably more moving parts).
Which three people would you invite to your dream dinner party Peter Ustinov (British actor, director and writer), Iain M Banks (Scottish author) and Lady Rachel MacRobert (Read Gordon’s blog on Lady Rachel MacRobert to learn more).
Submissions for the 2025 MacRobert Award are currently closed. We will reopen for nominations this autumn for the 2026 MacRobert Award. This year's winner will be announced in July at the Academy's annual Awards Dinner.
Originally founded by the MacRobert Trust, the Award is now presented and run by the Royal Academy of Engineering, with support from the Worshipful Company of Engineers. Each year the winning team receives a gold medal, widespread publicity, a £50,000 prize and an exclusive weekend away at Douneside House.
Please contact Patrick Woodcock, MacRobert Award manager, on 02077 660 630 or [email protected] should you wish to discuss putting forward a nomination in the future.