Engineering Heritage Awards

Engineering Heritage Australia manages three award programs. These programs are:

John Monash Medal

A list of recipients of the John Monash Medal is available here.

This medal was approved by the Council in l976 and perpetuates the memory of Sir John Monash who is recognised as Australia's greatest military commander, and who was an engineer of exceptional and diversified talents. In l921 Sir John Monash was appointed Chairman of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria and was responsible for the Latrobe Valley power scheme. He was awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in l929.

The John Monash Medal was originally awarded for the best paper on engineering related to General Engineering interests, with the award being first made in l979. In 2002, the John Monash Medal was re-designated as an award for Engineering Heritage.

The John Monash Medal is awarded by Engineering Heritage Australia (EHA) and recognises outstanding contributions made by an individual towards increasing awareness, and conservation, of Australia’s engineering heritage. Worthy contributions considered for the award include promoting awareness of engineering heritage matters within the profession or the community, recording and documenting, and conserving or adapting engineering heritage. The award is open to members and non members of Engineers Australia.

Colin Crisp Awards

A list of recipients of the Colin Crisp Awards is available here.

The Colin Crisp Awards perpetuate the memory of Colin Crisp, who was a structural engineer well known for his work in the conservation of heritage structures. More information on Colin Crisp's achievements are included in an article by Ken Baker on pages 4 and 5 in the June 2015 edition of the EHA Magazine.

These biennial awards include categories of Conservation Project and/or Documentation Project. The criteria for both categories are similar, with the Conservation Project including the criteria of ‘use of sound engineering practice and principles’. The subject of either the conservation or documentation project can be quite broad and past awards have been for conserved piece of machinery, adapted industrial site, a book, report, or outstanding interpretation of an engineering heritage work.

Award of Merit

A list of recipients of the EHA Award of Merit is available here.

In 2002 Engineering Heritage Australia established an award called the Award of Merit for Engineering Heritage. This award compliments the Monash Medal, which is an award for ‘outstanding achievement in Engineering Heritage’. The Award of Merit is aimed at recognising and showing appreciation for outstanding service to people who make significant contributions to the cause of engineering heritage, in a variety of ways, mostly as volunteers and often over many years.

Nominations for the Award of Merit Nominations can be made at any time by Division heritage groups, by individual Members of Engineering Heritage Australia, including Corresponding Members or by other persons or organisations. Nominations shall be submitted to the Chair of Engineering Heritage Australia via the email address eha@engineersaustralia.org.au. Nominations shall be treated as confidential. A nomination shall comprise a signed letter and a statement of about 300 to 600 words (an A4 page) describing the nominee's contribution to engineering heritage and its significance. An electronic copy of the statement is required, preferably in Microsoft Word

Criteria for the Award of Merit
An awardee shall be an individual deemed by the Executive of Engineering Heritage Australia to have made a notable contribution to the cause of engineering heritage, through one or more of the following activities:
• raising awareness of engineering heritage within the profession and/or the community;
• promotion of engineering heritage conservation within the profession and/or the community by:

→ recording and documentation of engineering heritage works; or

→ activity relating or leading to, the conservation of works of engineering heritage.

• such other contributions to the cause of engineering heritage conservation, considered by Engineering Heritage Australia worthy of recognition.

Approval of Awards
Nominations shall be assessed and approved by the Executive of Engineering Heritage Australia, which shall report its decisions together with its justification for making the awards, to the next meeting of Engineering Heritage Australia.

Presentation of Awards
Awards would be presented by the Chair of Engineering Heritage Australia, a Councillor or senior office bearer of Engineers Australia, at a suitable function.