About the awards
Says Modelling World Chairman, Tom van Vuren (Pictured Right) : 'Outsiders, even transport planning colleagues, often think that we are geeks, a homogeneous mass of introverts that rarely see the world outside, and that we are a necessary evil rather than a particularly valuable or helpful profession.
'I disagree; of course I disagree. That is why I am pleased to award the Master of Modelling title to professional peers; and over time we will build up a cadre of masters of modelling who can be trail-blazers for our profession. We need to surround this with positive publicity, build the reputation of modelling and modellers, shine a light on the excellent work that we, and particularly the winners, do.'

Awards Categories
Master of Modelling 2021
Lifetime Achievement
The Master of Modelling Award is a lifetime achievement award and is open to all modellers who are working, or who have worked, in the UK. It will be awarded to an individual who has:
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excelled in driving change
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challenged thinking
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done the most for 'moving modelling on' during their career
This award will be peer-reviewed and judged by the Modelling World Steering Group and key partners.
Winner in 2017: Luis Willumsen, Director, Willumsen Advisory Services & Kineo Mobility Analytics
Winner in 2018: Sonny Tolofari, Team Manager, Leicestershire County Council
Winner in 2019: Anon Allos, Director, ATKINS
Winner in 2021: Charlene Rohr, Technical Director, Mott MacDonald
The New Master of Modelling Awards: Moving Modelling On
The 'Moving Modelling On' New Master of Modelling Award will recognise a young professional between the age of 20 – 35 who has:
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shown willingness to challenge thinking and methodologies
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developed new ways of thinking and driven practitioner thinking forward
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inspired colleagues and wider industry
Entry criteria
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Applicants must be a young professional between the age of 20 - 35
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Applicants must supply details of submitted project in less than 2000 words
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Supporting evidence can be supplied, including images and video
Winner in 2017: Chris Wroe, Telefonica UK
Winners in 2018: Rebecca Wilson, Systra (Highly Commended: Steven O'Hare, Mott MacDonald)
Joint winners in 2019: Alex Dawn, City Science & Mike Oliver, PTV Group
Winner in 2021: Chris Storey, Senior Data Analytics and Modelling Officer, Transport for the North
Data Visualisation Challenge
This Award is for initiatives in data visualisation that presents modelling output (or input!) data effectively, with proven success in gaining new and dependable insights.
Models are in the end simplifications of reality. But many of the outputs that models produce are not recognisable as proxies of reality (for example, who outside of modelling understands trip length distributions or speed-flow curves?). We often present models and data as tables, sometimes as bar charts, but rarely as information that can be easily understood by non-modellers or even non-planners. This is not helpful for our professional reputation, and stops engagement by end users in the modelling and forecasting process. Big data does not ease this problem – quite the opposite.
This Award is for initiatives in data visualisation that present modelling input and output data effectively, with proven success in gaining new and dependable insights for decision-making. We are particularly keen to receive nominations that increase access to data and model results without losing sight of their limitations. This award is not so much about increasing realism in the visualisation of microsimulation models, but about the complex representation of travel dynamics in space and time, across different modes and trip purposes, and the need to compare between different scenarios (assessment years and policy options). There must be some excellent examples out there!
Entry criteria
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Applicants must supply details in less than 2000 words
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Supporting evidence is encouraged, including images and video
Winner in 2018: Transport for London
Winner in 2019: Cadence, City Science
Winner in 2021: Atkins
Sponsored by:
Contact Daniel Simpson on 020 7091 7861 or email daniel@landor.co.uk to secure your place or to discuss a bespoke awards sponsorship package.
Entry deadline:
Tuesday 31st May 2022
Please send entries to daniel@landor.co.uk
The winners will be announced during the drinks reception at Modelling World 2022, 9 June 2022 at Edgbaston Stadium. Please note that all nominees will need to be in attendance.
