IET India Volunteering Award
The IET India Volunteering Award was instituted as part of our 150 years celebrations in 2021, with the objective of recognising and rewarding Indian volunteers of the IET that are championing innovation, embodying engineering excellence, and making a difference.
Every year we strive to inspire more IET volunteers in India by spotlighting excellent examples of dedication, passion and a drive to give back to the community!
About the IET India Volunteering Award
2026 Nominations open on 1 July 2026
We often say, “we are our volunteers”. The IET India Volunteering Award recognises commitment and contributions by a single volunteer to further the IET’s cause in the region.
Criteria and details:
- The nominee should have demonstrated IET’s core values of integrity, excellence, and teamwork to deliver activities and larger impact and build an ecosystem of volunteers for the region.
- This award is not open to self-nomination.
- This award is a non-monetary award aimed at recognising extraordinary engineers who give back to the community. The winner will receive a citation (certificate/plaque) to signify their winning of the award.
- Last date for nominations is 31st August 2026.
- The award winner will be announced in September 2026.
Celebrating our Volunteering Awardees
Volunteering has always been at the heart of what we do.
Awardees demonstrated integrity, excellence and teamwork, while creating meaningful impact and strengthening the volunteer ecosystem. Our past winners are:
2021 winner: Prof Prasanna Bharathi
Prof Prasanna Bharathi began his IET journey as a Faculty Advisor in 2014 and went on to chair the Young Professionals Section of the IET Chennai Local Network.
Under his leadership, the Network delivered several impactful initiatives, including the groundwork for an IoT Research and Innovation Lab in collaboration with a leading technology company.
His efforts have created valuable internship and employment opportunities for student members, while mobilising volunteers for major IET initiatives such as the Industry Institution Summit, Smart City Challenge and the South Asia Communities Volunteers Conference.
2022 winner: Dr Santhosh Kumar
Dr Santhosh Kumar has been an active volunteer with the IET Bangalore Local Network, recognised for his integrity, excellence and teamwork.
He independently designed and delivered the Network’s first IET 150 Hackathon, bringing together industry, academia, NGOs and international subject-matter experts around the theme of sustainability.
His efforts helped generate 31 entries from across India and strengthened engagement with academic and professional communities.
2023 winner: Dr Kalyan Sagar Kadali
An IET volunteer since 2010, Dr Kalyan Sagar Kadali has played a significant role in expanding the IET’s presence in the Hyderabad region.
He helped establish three new IET On Campuses between 2022 and 2023, extending the IET’s reach among students and academic institutions.
Through mentoring, webinars and community initiatives, he has encouraged young engineers to engage with real-world challenges and use engineering to create a better world.
2024 winner: Dr Vaishali A Gaikwad
Dr Vaishali A Gaikwad, Associate Professor at Xavier Institute of Engineering, Mumbai, has been an active volunteer with the IET Mumbai Local Network since 2013.
With a PhD in Cyber Security and 41 published papers, she has contributed to the IET through several leadership roles.
Her commitment to education and volunteering has earned her recognitions including the IET’s “Best Promising Teacher” and “Champion of the Year” awards.
About the IET India Awards
The IET India Awards were established in 2021 to recognise engineering excellence across the region and celebrate the people and teams shaping India’s vibrant engineering landscape, and included both individual and team awards.
As the technology and engineering ecosystem in India continues to evolve, we have paused all categories except the one listed above while we review the programme and format and prepare to relaunch it in a more relevant and meaningful format.
We continue to offer a wide range of awards, prizes and scholarship globally, designed to recognise, support and champion engineers and engineering teams at different stages of their journeys.