2020 PEO York Chapter
Engineering Project of the Year Award

PEO York Chapter is the largest chapter of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), with over 10,000 members in York Region and accounting for 10% of PEO's membership! With such a large engineering presence in the community, the Engineering Project of the Year Award acts as York Chapter's platform to build new, or deepen existing, relationships with high-tech companies and related businesses in the region, and ultimately highlight the engineering profession in our community!

The awards gala for the 2020 competition will be held in March at a business venue in York Region; the winner and runner-up of each category will be invited to attend the gala. The winner from each category will also receive the coveted honour of delivering a presentation on their successful project as part of the evening’s address, with the option to present video or other multimedia demonstrations showcasing the organization, the project team, and its engineering achievements.

peo sqObjective (Top)

The objective of this competition is to recognize the contribution, both to the engineering profession and to the local community, by an organization that has undertaken or completed an outstanding project of a technical nature within the past year.

The benefits of participating in this competition are significant for both the Applicants and the engineering profession in York Chapter. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Connecting high-tech companies to their local engineering community and potential community partners
  • Educating engineering experts about local high-tech companies, connecting key talents and businesses
  • Creating positive economic growth through executing technological innovation and resulting in job creation and employment opportunities through technological innovation
  • Local businesses have a wide public forum in which to market their technical expertise and showcase their engineering successes
  • Raises public awareness of the engineering profession and the highlight current York Chapter activities

 

peo sqCompetition Description and Deadlines (Top)

Phase I: Abstract Submissions

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, January 20, 2021 @ 11:59pm EST. To submit your abstract, download and complete the application file and submit via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

Phase II: Preliminary Evaluation

Finalists will be selected by the Engineering Project of the Year Award Committee and will be notified on Friday, January 29, 2021. The selections will be made based on the strength of each application in its ability to satisfy the evaluation criteria.

Phase III: Preparation of Final Submission

The top finalists from each category will each prepare and deliver a short presentation that illustrates the project highlights. Further details about the nature of the presentation will be communicated when the finalists are announced.

The presentations will be delivered to a panel of judges on a Saturday in Mid-February 2021. The committee is monitoring the COVID-19 situation and will determine whether the finalist presentation will be held in-person or in a digital format (i.e. on Zoom). 

Phase IV: Selection of Engineering Project of the Year Award Winner

Based on an evaluation of the detailed presentations, the winner for each category will be selected and announced at the Awards Gala in March 2020. The committee is monitoring the COVID-19 situation and will determine whether the Awards gala will be held in-person or in a digital format (i.e. on Zoom).

 

peo sqEvaluation Criteria (Top)

Project Categorization:
Projects of all types of engineering (discipline) will be considered equally. Projects will be sorted into 1 of 3 project categories (Small, Medium, Large), taking into consideration company size, project team size, and project value. Projects will then be placed into comparison with other projects in that project category. Company size will be determined by the total number of employees in the company's office(s) in the GTA and York Region. The sizing breakdown is as indicated below:
  • Small Size Company: 1 - 50 employees
  • Medium Size Company: 51 - 250 employees
  • Large Size Company: 251+ employees

*Note: Applicants will be able to select their company size in the application form. However, PEO York Chapter reserves the right to make changes to the sizing and sizing category. Any change to an applicant's competition category will be communicated within 1 week of the application submission deadline.

Evaluation Criteria:

All project submissions will be judged for their quality within the following four criteria, which will be weighted as indicated below:

  1. Innovation, Technical Merit and Distinction (25%)
  2. Environmental and Social Sustainability (25%)
  3. Commercial Viability (20%)
  4. Impact to York Region & Neighbouring Communities (30%)

 Guiding questions for the criteria are shown within the application form.

 

peo sq Prizes and Honours (Top)

The 1st place winner from each category will be invited to give a 5-minute presentation on their winning project at the Awards Gala.Additionally, each 1st place winner will receive the following prizes and recognitions:

  • A commemorative trophy
  • A complimentary free table at the Awards Gala for 6 or equivalent to celebrate with members of their project team.
  • A promotional article of their winning project on the Awards section of PEO York Chapter website.
  • Invitation to display an informative booth at the Gala, showcasing their projects and/or other company achievements, and presenting marketing information (limited spots available).

The runner-up in each category will receive the following prizes and recognitions:

  • A commemorative trophy
  • Complimentary invitation for 2 representatives to attend the gala (option to purchase additional tickets is available)

 

peo sqEligibility (Top)

Contestant eligibility is determined based on the candidate business successfully satisfying the following conditions:

  1. Organization has an operational presence in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) or York Region
  2. The project must be overseen by at least one licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario
  3. The project must have been completed within 2020
  4. The project must be at a substantial stage of completion (e.g. substantially designed, constructed, or manufactured)
  5. Project details submitted must include only publicly available information1
  6. Projects that received 1st or 2nd place honours in previous year's competition are not eligible for resubmission.
  7. Projects that were not selected as finalists in the previous competition are eligible for submission, provided all of the above eligibility criteria are met.
 

peo sqQuestions (Top)

Please direct any questions relating to the competition to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Questions and answers that may be beneficial to all applicants will be published to this website.

Q and A
How many teams are competing for the Engineering Project of the Year award?
The total number of applicants will not be known prior to the application deadline. All eligible entries will be considered.
What publicity will applicants receive during the application process or after the award?
Projects selected as finalists may be profiled on the PEO York Chapter website. All finalists will be invited to the awards gala, which is attended by PEO York Chapter members and various dignitaries including PEO council members, OSPE representatives, and local MPs and/or MPPs.
How much information will we have to disclose?
Please review the application form. You will need to disclose enough information to complete the required fields. If selected as a finalist, you will be asked to prepare a presentation with additional detail about your project. Please ensure that any information you provide is internally reviewed and approved for public release. If your project is of a proprietary nature and cannot be described without revealing sensitive information, you may wish not to apply.
Will we get a "single point of contact" throughout the process?
The PEO York Chapter Awards Committee will strive for consistency in communication wherever possible. You will be contacted by one of the members of the steering committee. The official contact for the committee is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Will there be any up front cost?
There is no application fee. You only need to invest your time for the preparation of the abstract and, if selected, the final presentation.
Do we have to provide a demo of our product/system?
A product or system demonstration is not a requirement and may not be feasible depending on the nature of the project. However, where appropriate, demonstrations (or prototypes, etc.) are most welcome as part of the final presentation.

 

peo sqSponsorship (Top)

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Notes

  1. Submission of project details implies express consent to publish any and all information in a public forum. PEO York chapter is not responsible for the safeguarding of information once it has been received. It is suggested that applicant organizations conduct a thorough review of all application materials prior to submission to address any commercial or proprietary issues related to the release of information.
  2. Contest details and deadlines are subject to change. Modifications to the competition schedule and/or logistics will be posted to this website and/or communicated directly to contest participants.
  3. The applicant agrees to provide the required information to the PEO York Chapter Awards Committee.
  4. The applicant hereby authorizes the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) York Chapter Association of its sponsors and partners to use, release and retain the applicant(s) name(s), non-financial information, photographs, video recordings, and audio recordings of the applicant(s) in connection with the promotion, administration or evaluation of this award without any compensation to the applicant.
  5. The applicant is required to submit the information with the attached application form. Only complete application forms will be considered.
  6. The applicant agrees to promptly disclose any conflicts of interest that may exist. PEO York Chapter reserves the right to resolve the conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
  7. The Judging Panel may request the applicant to provide further information as necessary.
  8. The decision of the Judging Panel is final.