Bengaluru : In a bid to challenge public misconceptions and the stereotypical image of engineering and technology and dispel its traditional image of hard hats and dirty overalls, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has launched its annual photography competition for 2019.

The IET Engineering & Technology Photographer of the Year 2019 encourages photographers, amateur and professional from across the globe to photograph any engineering-related subject that captures the dynamic, creative and progressive face of engineering and engineers today by both adults and children.  Participants, split into two age groups: under 16 and 17 and over, can enter up to five photos to the following five categories:

• Design & Production
• Digital
• Environment & Energy
• Structures
• Transport

Host of British Television series, Gadget Show and judge of the competition, Georgie Barrat, says, “Engineering is exciting and fast-changing – shaping the world around us and improving the quality of our everyday lives. There are so many creative and varied careers within the profession and yet traditional images of engineering and engineers tend to focus on hard hats and dirty overalls. That’s why this photography competition is vital in challenging public misconceptions and inspiring the next generation of engineers. I’m excited to be working on this competition for a second year and can’t wait to see everyone’s images.”

 IET YPC Vice-Chair Dr Imran Ansari, added “This is the third year that the IET has run this competition and we’ve had some really fantastic images entered over the past two years, showing just how cool and varied engineering really is. We want to build on this bank of images and banish the perception that engineers just fix or mend things. By making this call for creative and stand out images, we hope that we can help to highlight the modern, exciting and creative nature of an engineer’s work and demonstrate that their work is all around us and central to our everyday lives.”

 Along with Georgie Barrat, the judging panel also includes Nigel Atherton, Editor of Amateur Photographer magazine, Gillian Abbott, Picture Editor at E&T magazine and Vice-Chair of the IET Young Professionals Committee and electrical engineer, Dr Imran Shafique Ansari.

The judges will look at every entry and award cash prizes to five adult category winners and five junior category winners. An overall winner for the adult entries and an overall winner for the junior entries will be selected for an extra cash prize. The best photo taken on a smart phone across all categories will also win a cash prize.  Winners’ photographs will appear in a central London exhibit and be published in leading photography magazine, Amateur Photographer.