Award Categories
Thirty-three categories across eight groups, with the judging criteria each is scored against.
These categories are set out in the NEEA Award Categories & Judging Criteria Guide, Version 02 (revised 16 October 2026), which incorporates the joint consultation of 30 September, the Committee's refinements of 1 October, the three TVET categories added on 8 October, the judging panel provisions of 14 October and the People / Project nomination types of 16 October.
Every category is either a People or a Project nomination. The type decides which contact details the nomination form asks for.
The thirty-three award categories
How entries are scored
Criteria are grouped by award type rather than written separately for each category. Each scored set totals 100 points, following the benchmarked CESA Aon and ACEC model.
The judging panel
A single panel owns the judging process, following the NEEA Judge Eligibility Requirements.
Minimum thresholds
Every competitive entry must meet these before it can be scored or an award made. A category with one qualifying entrant may still make an award, as a Commendation. A category with no qualifying entrant makes no award this year.
Project-based categories
Categories 3–17 and 31 also follow these two rules.
ECN registration
The Engineering Council of Namibia has confirmed that full ECN registration is compulsory for individual nominees in the applicable People Award categories and in the Lifetime Industry Achievement Award.
The requirement is applied leniently to the Academia Awards, as some nominees in those categories may not be registered engineers.
For the TVET Awards, student and graduate nominees are not expected to be registered. Whether registration applies to other TVET nominees, notably engineering technicians at NQF level 6, is being confirmed with ECN.
Award tiers
A three-tier structure, so that strong entries are recognised even where a category draws few competitors in the first year.
The Outstanding Engineering Undergraduate Award sits outside this structure. All institutional nominees receive a Certificate of Excellence, and the award is not contested between institutions.
Rules that apply throughout
- A single judging panel owns the judging process. Every nominated candidate who meets the Judge Eligibility Requirements serves; the Judging and Awards Committee only checks eligibility.
- Every judge declares interests in writing and recuses themselves where a conflict exists. At least five judges score every entry.
- Panels score demonstrated evidence, not adjectives.
- Sponsorship confers no influence over nomination, shortlisting or adjudication, including in named categories.
- The panel may decline to make an award where entries do not meet the standard.
Organisations consulted
The category list was developed with the endorsing organisations and issued to them for sign-off ahead of nominations opening.