Engineering Leaders Under 40 Official Rules


Official Rules

Void where prohibited.

1. How to nominate: Nominations for the 2023 Engineering Leaders Under 40 program must be submitted via web form provided on the program’s landing page; No email submissions will be accepted; There is no fee to nominate any individual(s) for this program. Nominations open April 3, 2023.

2. Criteria:

  • Official rules are subject to change at any time by CFE Media.
  • No responsibility is assumed for late, lost, damaged, incomplete, illegible or misdirected nominations.
  • Information submitted must be true.
  • Any submission may be published by CFE Media according to terms below.
  • Upon submission, all nominations are final.
  • Prior winners are not eligible. Prior nominees who did not win are eligible if they meet other criteria here.
  • Nominees must be 40 years old or younger as of Sept. 1, 2023 (birthday must be on or after Sept. 1, 1983).
  • Online nominations must be completed as required and submitted by 5 p.m. (U.S. Central time) on June 30, 2023.
  • Nominees must have control and/or plant engineering products or systems purchase or specification responsibilities from among the following:
    • Control systems including HMIs, PLCs, PACs, DCSs, single-loop or PC-based controllers
    • SCADA, historian, alarm management or data acquisition systems
    • Design, analytics, PLM, ERP, MES, batch, scheduling, SCM or IOT systems
    • PCs, IPCs, mobile devices, embedded components, edge computing or other computer equipment
    • Process, discrete or vision systems, sensors, transmitters, relays, timers, RFID, bar code, power supplies
    • Motors, drives and actuators
    • Wired or wireless networking (Ethernet, switches, routers), device bus, fieldbus networks, I/O modules and systems
    • Motion control systems and robotics
    • Safety for process or machine systems
    • Power distribution systems or power protection systems, and enclosures
    • Analytical instruments, test or calibration equipment
    • Pumps, valves, positioners

3. Judging: The selection of winners, and in regard to all matters relating to this contest, shall be final. Winners will be notified August 21, 2023.

4. Winners:

  • Winners are asked to submit a publishable image of themselves.
  • CFE Media assumes the right to publish, perform, display, digitize, transmit, reproduce and, as reasonably required for layout purposes, modify and reformat, in all formats and media now known or hereafter developed throughout the universe in perpetuity for any submitted photography, illustrations, graphics, other images, and related text.
  • Winners will receive recognition from Control Engineering and Plant Engineering magazines and will be announced in the print and online editions of the magazines as well as in Control Engineering and Plant Engineering e-newsletters. Winners grant CFE Media the right to use his or her nomination, name, likeness, hometown, and biographical information in advertising and promotion in all media without further compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law. All expenses, including taxes, if any, related to winning are the sole responsibility of the winner. Winner releases CFE Media, affiliates, suppliers, and agents from any and all liability for any loss, harm, damages, cost or expense, including without limitation property damages, personal injury and/or death, arising out of participation in this contest.
  • Nominations: By entering, each nominator, on behalf of nominee, agrees to the rules. Nominator, on behalf of nominee, agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Sponsor and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees and agents against any claims, losses or expenses (including, without limitation, legal fees) arising out of or related to the submission or any breach by the nominator or nominee of any of its representations, warranties or obligations set forth in these rules.

5. Publishing Rights: The nominator, on behalf of the nominee, grants CFE (a) a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free right and license to use the Work submitted, including all copyrights and other intellectual property rights therein and all renewals and extensions thereof, in all formats and media, whether now known or hereafter developed, including without limitation to publish, display, perform, distribute, reproduce, digitize, transmit, translate, modify and create derivative works of the Work for all or any purposes including but not limited to advertising and promotion; and (b) the right to assign or sublicense all or any of the foregoing rights. You agree that the foregoing license shall be exclusive until six (6) months following the publication of the Work by CFE and non-exclusive thereafter. You also hereby grant CFE (a) a non-exclusive worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free right and license in each work of authorship (including accompanying graphics, photographs and text) submitted by you to CFE for publication prior to the Term , including all copyrights and other intellectual property rights therein and all renewals and extensions thereof, in all formats and media, whether now known or hereafter developed, including without limitation to publish, display, perform, distribute, reproduce, digitize, transmit, translate, modify and create derivative works of each such work for all or any purposes including but not limited to advertising and promotion; and (b) the right to assign or sublicense all or any of such rights.

You further grant CFE the right to use your name, likeness and/or biographical information in connection with the above-licensed Works.

In return for the rights granted herein, CFE agrees to consider your Works for publication and, if published, to attribute authorship of the Works to you. You acknowledge and agree that you are not entitled to receive, and hereby waive in any event, any employee benefits offered to employees of CFE based on your engagement as an independent contractor.

You represent and warrant that (a) each Work (i) is your original work, (ii) has not been, and will not be, published prior to publication by CFE, (iii) has not been assigned, licensed or otherwise encumbered, (iv) is not libelous or defamatory and (v) does not violate any rights, including copyrights and rights of privacy or publicity, of any third party, and (b) you have obtained, or prior to delivery of each Work will obtain, all necessary releases, waivers and assignments, including those relating to models, likenesses and privacy, so that CFE may freely exploit the Works without further obligation or payment to any person or entity.

6. Inquiries: For inquiries about the contest, contact Amanda McLeman at amcleman@cfemedia.com.


Engineering Leaders Under 40 frequently asked questions

Engineering Leaders Under 40 landing page