The Scientific Working Group of University Professors of Plastics Engineering (WAK) annually awards prizes to the best scientific papers in plastics engineering. The aim is both to document important advances in the science and technology of plastics, and to motivate and support young engineers in their scientific work. The prize money in the dissertation category is 5000 €. The prizes are provided by four innovative plastics technology companies.

• Wilfried-Ensinger-Award for the development and description of engineering plastics for innovative applications
• Oechsler-Award for methods and approaches in the development and design of components made of plastics
• Brose-Award for new processes and techniques in the processing of plastics
• Röchling-Award for new hybrid materials, systems, and process technology based on plastics

At the 41st meeting of WAK, which was held on 21.10.19 as part of the international K trade fair in Düsseldorf, Dr.-. Ing. Ronak Bahrami received the Wilfried-Ensinger-Preis 2019 for her dissertation entitled “Fracture Mechanics of Nanostructured Polymer Blends with Janus Particles”. Dr. Bahrami was a doctoral student at the Polymer Materials research group (Prof. Dr.-Ing. V. Altstädt) at the University of Bayreuth from December 2011 to June 2016.