Reactionary prize takes off

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers and colleagues of Frank Whittle, the inventor of the jet engine, have joined forces to launch an award for gifted engineers.

The Whittle Reactionaries Prize has an annual award of at least Pounds 1,500. Whittle's colleagues call themselves The Reactionaries after the principle of action and reaction.

To qualify for the prize, engineers must be under 30, members of IMechE, working in British industry and/or studying at a British institution. They must produce an "innovative, forward-looking paper on aerospace propulsion".