The annual CAETS Communication Prize, the Global Award for Engineering Communication, is awarded to the most outstanding audiovisual communication of excellence and innovation in technological sciences or engineering.
CAETS 2026 Communication Prize awarded to Ningshao Xia
Professor Ningshao Xia of Xiamen University has been awarded the 2026 CAETS Communication Prize – the Global Award for Engineering Communication for his video “The Story of China’s World-First Hepatitis E Vaccine”, nominated by the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Presented annually by the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS), the Communication Prize recognizes outstanding audiovisual communication of achievements in engineering and technological sciences. Entries are judged by an international panel drawn from the CAETS Communications Committee, with particular attention to their ability to make engineering accessible and engaging to wider audiences.
The prize was presented during the CAETS 2026 Annual Meetings in Munich, Germany, on 15 September 2026. Professor Zizheng Zheng, a member of Professor Xia’s team, received the award on his behalf.
Photo: From left to right: Lucas Noldus, Chair of the CAETS Communications Committee; Zizheng Zheng; and Zhiqiang Wu, Deputy Chair of the CAETS Communications Committee.
CAETS warmly congratulates Professor Xia and his team and thanks Professor Xia and Professor Zheng for sharing the story behind this achievement with a wider audience. Their work is a strong example of how clear communication can help people understand both the challenges engineers are working to solve and the contribution engineering makes to society.
Professor Xia’s award-winning video tells the story of the development of the world’s first hepatitis E vaccine, from scientific research and technological development to the collaboration and persistence required to bring the vaccine into being.
The film focuses not just on the final achievement, but on the people and work behind it. It explains a complex scientific and engineering story in a way that can be understood beyond the specialist community, showing why effective communication is an important part of bringing engineering achievements to the public.
The winning video can be viewed below.
The 2026 CAETS Communication Prize also awarded Honorable Mentions to two entries:
- Professor Katrina Knauer, University of Colorado, USA, for “AI-driven plastic redesign for recyclable materials”, on the use of artificial intelligence and materials innovation in developing more recyclable plastics.
- Candace Eslick, University of Cape Town, South Africa, for “Green LPG for sustainable and clean cooking in Africa”, on the development of cleaner and more sustainable cooking energy in Africa.
The three recognized entries address very different areas of engineering — public health, materials and artificial intelligence, and sustainable energy — while sharing the challenge of explaining complex work clearly to a non-specialist audience.
