The IET's Young Woman Engineer of the year Awards are prestigious engineering industry awards that celebrate women working in modern engineering. The awards aim to help change the perception that engineering is predominantly a career for men by banishing outdated engineering stereotypes of hard hats and dirty overalls.

These long-term awards are run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology as they work to engineer a better world. The IET inspires, informs and influences the global engineering and technology community to engineer a better world.

The awards are sponsored by a raft of impressive employers that actively support the career advancement of women engineers like Northrop Grumman and Capgemini Engineering - and see support from key partners like Where Women Work.   

Watch the Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2022 award ceremony here.

Meet the impressive Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2022 winners

Congratulations to the 2022 Young Woman Engineer of the Year winner Ama Frimpong [pictured above], who is Head of Product Development at 52 North Health.

Ama manages the company’s engineering teams in the development of NeutroCheck®. NeutroCheck is a low-cost, portable device that helps identify people living with cancer who are at risk of neutropenic sepsis - a life-threatening medical emergency occurring in immunosuppressed chemotherapy patients. Ama has made a lifelong commitment to volunteering as an ambassador, advocate and mentor to support and inspire more young people into STEM.

On winning, Ama said: “Wow! I feel truly honoured to be named the IET’s 2022 Young Woman Engineer of the Year, joining a line-up of incredible women who have come before me. As someone who has a passion for all things STEM, it’s amazing to have my work in medicine and healthcare recognised by leaders from across the industry. Growing up, I didn’t see any women engineers that looked like me, but thanks to the YWE awards, girls growing up today will see that there is a place in the exciting world of engineering for them. I want to use this platform to make a difference and encourage and inspire the engineers of tomorrow to change the world.”

Meet the WES Prize winner 

The 2022 Women's Engineering Society (WES) Prize winner is Eneni Bambara-Abban, a Robotics Engineer at the Techover. Eneni applies her robotic engineering experience to create custom and innovative technical projects for clients. Eneni is the founder of two organisations, the Techover Foundation and Anime and Chill. The Techover Foundation is an international NGO that focuses on encouraging, educating and supporting individuals from underserved communities into technology. Anime and Chill is a safe and inclusive community of people interested in anime and/or gaming to come together and network irrespective of gender, sexual orientation or race.

Meet the 2022 Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices winner

The 2022 Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices winner is Lauren Smith, a Trainee Medical Engineer at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust. Lauren is part of a team that ensures the proper function of medical devices within the healthcare setting and works to support the needs of clinical staff by repairing and managing the devices they rely on daily to diagnose, treat and monitor patients. Lauren gives talks about clinical engineering at a local college, speaking to more than 50 students, encouraging them to think about STEM careers.

Meet the 2022 Gender Diversity Ambassador Award winner

The 2022 Gender Diversity Ambassador Award winner Lynn Tomkins. For more than 30 years, Lynn has championed equality and worked to ensure everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their true potential. Operating in the skills environment in senior roles for most of her career has seen Lynn work closely with government, industry and key stakeholders at the highest level. She has always understood the importance equality, diversity and inclusion plays in the careers of individuals and the performance of organisations in both the public and private sector. As Co-Founder, Director and then latterly Chair of Trustees of the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), Lynn has supported the UKESF in developing a leading industrial scholarship programme, building greater connections between universities and industry. In total, the UKESF has supported more than 650 students with 92% of graduates working in the sector. Overall, 15% of awards had been made to female students, and as a result of Lynn’s work, this number has been increasing with almost a quarter of scholarships being awarded to female students last year. Importantly these young engineers act as ambassadors for the UKESF to encourage more girls to consider a career in electronics engineering. Lynn has also supported the UKESF to introduce a “Girls into Electronics” course to provide female sixth formers with a ‘taste’ of studying Electronics at university. Lynn was Chair of Skills4, the provider of the award winning Empower Career Advancement programme for women, as well as other specialist programmes which deliver measurable business improvements for high performing companies by addressing gender and diversity balance within business, predominantly in the engineering and STEM sectors.

The Gender Diversity Ambassador Award recognises the tremendous work being carried out by passionate individuals to change the perception of women in STEM. The award was created in recognition of an individual’s hard work in achieving gender equality within the engineering industry. The award is for a man or woman who is an innovative thinker who has actively addressed the gender gap by attracting and retaining women in engineering. It aims to showcase innovation and good practice to compliment the YWE Awards, by recognising the support and encouragement of women in STEM careers.

We applaud the IET YWE 2022 finalists

Constance Rudman is a Body Engineering Degree Apprentice at Jaguar Land Rover. Working in the interior lighting team, Constance creates innovative lighting solutions whilst studying for an Applied Engineering Degree part-time at Warwick University. Since beginning her apprenticeship, Constance has worked extensively alongside the Early Careers and Future Talent Teams to improve the experience of apprentices, as well as promoting apprenticeships and engineering more widely through work experiences and outreach as a STEM ambassador.

Veena Kumari is a Group Network & Security Engineer at Telent Technology Services. Supporting the development of a corporate network infrastructure, Veena works to develop and implement the latest generational technology to drive enhancements and efficiency across the business, as well as keep employees, assets and customers safe and secure from cyber threats. Veena thrives from helping others and is an active volunteer involved in several charitable activities.

The five women (winners and finalists) will play an ambassadorial role for the engineering and technology professions in the forthcoming months, promoting engineering careers to more girls and young people.

Consider entering IET's Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards

Learn more about applying for the IET's annual Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards.

Launched in 1978, it was originally known as the Girl Technician of the Year, but was changed to the Young Woman Engineer of the Year in 1988. The YWE award was originally sponsored by the Caroline Haslett Memorial Trust, which provided scholarships and other educational opportunities for women seeking or already pursuing careers in electronic, electrical or mechanical engineering. Dame Caroline Haslett (1895-1957) was the first Secretary of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) out of which grew the Electrical Association for Women (EAW) and Dame Caroline was appointed its Director and Secretary. Through the Association she encouraged the use of power in the home believing that electricity was the real emancipator of women. The Trust was formed in 1945 to commemorate the 21st anniversary of EAW and after Dame Caroline’s death it became a memorial to her. The Trust funds are now exhausted, but the IET continues to support the Young Woman of the Year Award.

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