Winner of 2021 Create the Trophy competition announced

Today the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) announced 20-year-old Hannah Goldsmith from the United Kingdom as the winner of the 2021 Create the Trophy competition. The competition, open to those aged between 14 and 24 around the world, seeks innovative trophy designs to be presented to the winners of the QEPrize. The winning design combines elegance and complexity, and it draws inspiration from the circuit boards on which much engineering is done.

The 2021 competition saw entries received from over 40 countries worldwide, and a breadth of unique and innovative designs. The ten finalists were then selected for review by an expert panel of judges – designers and engineers led by Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group. Joining him on the panel were structural engineer Roma Agrawal, designer Rebeca Ramos and Dr Zoe Laughlin, Co-founder and Director of the Institute of Making.

Hannah is currently in her second year of a degree course in Design for Publishing and was delighted to have her design chosen by the judges as the winning entry. “When I found out my design was selected to be awarded to the winner of the QEPrize, I was just astounded, I couldn’t believe it.” Hannah said.

“I am proud of my design, and I am proud of what it will embody, and I hope that the winners will cherish it, appreciate the honour and with it understand that all their hard work has amounted in an incredible achievement.”

As an indication of the incredibly high standard of this year’s entries, for the first time the judges made a Highly Commended award, recognising the work of 18 year old Indian student Atharva Gai. Atharva’s design impressed the judges with its careful and considered eye for detail and traditional manufacturing techniques.

Hannah’s design will be 3D printed and presented to each of the five winners of the 2021 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering later this year. Isamu Akasaki, Shuji Nakamura, Nick Holonyak Jr, M. George Craford and Russell Dupuis are recognised for the creation and development of LED lighting, which forms the basis of all solid state lighting technology, and for the tremendous contribution the technology has made, and will continue to make, to reducing energy consumption and addressing climate change.

Also shortlisted were Valerio Di Stefano (age 20 from Italy), Enxi Hong (20, China), Kalina Sokolova Nikolova (16, Bulgaria), Robert Collins (18, UK), Luka Vukovic (24, Montenegro), Hussein Al-Safi (21, Iraq), Adrija Misra (14, India) and Nandan Ambure (17, India).

The Create the Trophy competition gives young people the opportunity to create a piece of engineering history using the latest in 3D technology, QEPrize3D, a free app available on both iOS and Android. The app provides a catalogue of shapes and materials to choose from, and an in-app photo studio allows users to show off their creations.

The shortlisted designs can all be viewed at: qeprize.org/trophies/2021-qeprize-trophy

From Create the Trophy’s Judging Panel:

Sir Ian Blatchford: “Judging the Create the Trophy competition was an exceptionally difficult task this year – though it is always so stimulating and enjoyable. The winning design combines elegance and interest – it draws inspiration from the circuit boards on which much science and engineering is done. We were particularly struck by Hannah’s entry as it had the audacity of design, it was something our winners can be proud to have on their mantlepiece.”

Roma Agrawal: "This year was particularly challenging for us as judges, there were so many brilliant designs! In the end, we loved Hannah's approach to translating the circuitry of engineering into a beautiful organic form. I particularly like how she used the third dimension to add depth to her design. I was also hugely impressed with Atharva's piece, it reminds me of ancient Japanese joinery techniques and I enjoy how turning it around gives you a new view of the design, with a focus on the empty space inside the shape."

Zoe Laughlin: “The winning Create the Trophy entry was beautifully designed. It is abstract but you could read meaning into it. We saw a great range of ages in the shortlist, and entrants from all far flung corners of the world, from India to Italy. There were very powerful themes – very much looking at universality and what unites us, and the endeavour that engineering represents. If you’re interested in making stuff and problem solving, then you’re interested in engineering”.

Rebeca Ramos: “Hannah's design came across as considered and distinctive. It stood out among the submissions from this and past years, as it took into account details of every side of the design, including the materiality. In our final discussions, we enjoyed debating the possibilities of how the trophy could be made to achieve the result she presented, and that is always a great sign. I personally found the proposal attractive to the eye and quite delicate which was very refreshing to see.”