ITS UK’s annual Essay Competition, for early career professionals and students, is now open for entries. This year, ITS UK is working with Smart Applications Management (SAM) and the University of Plymouth to deliver the Competition, which is being relaunched as the Allan Prize, to honour the memory of SAM employee Duncan Allan, a transport data specialist, innovator and ISAM wizard, who passed away last year.
As with previous years, the Allan Prize aims to encourage emerging talent in the intelligent mobility sector by inviting young people to submit an essay, with a chance to win cash prizes, mentoring and recognition across the industry.
The ‘Allan Prize’ Essay Competition is the industry’s annual celebration of those just starting out in the sector. Each year, we invite early career professionals, (those within the first five years of their career in the industry) and PhD, Masters or final year Undergraduate students to submit a 2,000 word essay on a subject related to transport technology and intelligent mobility.
The Competition aims to bring out the creative expression, originality, technical understanding and effective communication of the next generation of intelligent transport professionals and to act as a catalyst for new ideas and thinking in the sector. Often the newest, most profound ideas come from those just starting out.
Two winners are selected – one early careers professional and one student – each of whom will recieve a £750 prize and a one-to-one mentoring session with a leading industry expert. Plus, the winner will have their essay published by ITS UK and shared with thousands of members, giving them a fantastic head-start in their career. Also, the first time, four runners up will receive a prize of £250 each.
This year, the winners will be announced at ITS UK’s annual Parliamentary Reception, in front of 200 industry leaders.
The competition will offer two prizes: one for the best essay by an early careers professional in the first five years of their career, including apprentices; and one for the best PhD, Masters or final year Undergraduate essay.
The focus for this year’s competition is ITS UK’s theme for the year – ‘Transport 4.0: Integrated | Inclusive | Intelligent’. The theme reflects how transport is rapidly advancing as the economy is transformed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution – with data, AI and connectivity becoming key components of how we travel. Entrants are invited to focus on one of the three aspects – integration, inclusivity and intelligence – in their essays.
Details on how to enter are HERE.
(PIcture: ITS UK)
