23rd. Career Congress during HANNOVER MESSE
23. - 24. April 2026, Convention Center, Exhibition Grounds
On the occasion of the FEMWORX career congress at HANNOVER MESSE, Deutsche Messe is awarding the career prize for the thirty times. The “Engineer Woman Award 2026” is an award in recognition of a woman active in the MINT/STEM field (math, IT, natural science and technology) who, through her commitment, ideas and work has made a substantial technological and/or social contribution to her company.
• This call for nominations is directed to all national and international companies and institutions.
• The “Engineer Woman 2026” will be honored at the opening of the FEMWORX career congress and will receive an attractive PR package as well as two tickets each for the Networking Night and the FEMWORX Career Congress in 2026 and 2027.
• Nominations are made by the company or institute.
• After a screening process by an independent Jury, the Advisory Board of FEMWORX, the jury will judge the final field of three entries. The final prizewinner will then be chosen from this Top 3 group. The prizewinner will be announced at the FEMWORX career congress opening on April 23, 2026.
• Participation in the competition is free of charge.
• STEM Impact: Professional contribution and commitment in the STEM field - for example, through innovation, research, education, or professional achievements in technology and natural sciences.
• Social & Inclusion Impact: Commitment to diversity and social participation - for example, through mentoring, leadership, community work, or advocacy for underrepresented groups.
• Visibility & Public Engagement: Public presence and communication – for example, through publications, social media, speaking engagements, or other forms of visibility.
• Prof. Barbara Schwarze (Jury Chairperson) Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Competence Center – Technology/Diversity/Equal Opportunities e.V.
• Gabriele Hantschel Managerin IBM Technology Expert Labs DACH – Sustainability Software, IBM Deutschland GmbH
• Friederike Kämpfe Advisor on policy matters to the Deputy Prime Minister of Lower Saxony
• Dr. Kamila Klug Director of Business Development - Material Solutions, Altair
• Benjamin Maischak Social Sustainability Manager, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG
• Regina Mehler Founder and Owner, 1ST ROW & WOMEN SPEAKER
• Angelique Mesch Green Hydrogen Pursuit Lead, Schneider Electric SE
• Dr. rer. nat. Kathrin Rüschenschmidt Director Innovation Process & Project Management Office, Discrete Automation Emerson
• Nicole Maria Schmutte M.A. Head of Gender Equality and Diversity, Germanist, Editor, Equal Opportunities Officer, Business Coach Norddeutscher Rundfunk
• Franziska Šeimys Advisor Educational Policy, VDMA e.V.
• Rebecca Vangenechten Head of Automation & Engineering for Process Automation, Siemens AG • Christina von Rüden Manager Strategy and Coordination, ZVEI
• Prof. em. Dr.-Ing. Burghilde Wieneke-Toutaoui Chairwoman of the “Women in Engineering Network” of the Association of German Engineers (VDI), Chairwoman of VDI Berlin Brandenburg
The jury’s decision shall be considered final, and participants shall have no express or implied rights to legal recourse in connection with the jury’s decision.
Deutsche Messe pledges to distribute registration documents exclusively to people, including jury members, who are directly involved with the competition. This group of recipients is obligated to protect the confidentiality of these documents. Irrespective of this policy, we urgently recommend contestants to undertake the appropriate measures to protect their intellectual property rights (e.g. by applying for patent or utility model protection) before shipping their products and related documents. Deutsche Messe rejects any liability for damages resulting from a violation of the rights to any products submitted for the competition.
To submit a nomination, please use only the application form provided on the website. Please do not submit any additional information.
Unfortunately, other submissions and incomplete submissions cannot be considered. Deutsche Messe AG is excluded from participation.
Registration Deadline: February 15, 2026
By submitting the application form on the website, I confirm that:
• I am aware of and accept all the conditions pertaining to this award competition.
• All the information submitted on this form is factually correct.
• the below mentioned nominee’s achievement was either entirely or substantially achieved at the below mentioned company and that this company has authorized the relevant work as well as this nomination for the “Engineer Woman Award 2026” competition.
Contact For all matters related to submission, please e-mail the FEMWORX team:
We eagerly await your nomination! Thank you for your interest in FEMWORX 2026!
Dein FEMWORX Team
