Established in 2001, this award annually recognizes an SAE member whose work has furthered innovation in the manufacture, design and improvement of engine technology for ground, air or space vehicles. The award honors Max Bentele for his contributions to the field of mobility engines and his encouragement for others to innovate and promote advances in the area. The award is designated for engineers who have at most been out of school for ten years, who have made a major contribution through a new idea, concept, innovation or application which provides a recognized improvement in engine technology and which has been verified through proof of concept demonstrations. It is intended to recognize the global nature of the SAE and the breadth of the mobility community that it serves.
The award is made possible by a contribution from the Max Bentele Foundation.
| Year | Name | Employer |
| 2017 | Sage Kokjohn | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
| 2012 | William P. Attard | MAHLE Powertrain LLC |
| 2011 | Prof Gregory Matthew Shaver, Ph.D. | Purdue University |
| 2009 | Dr Andreas Broda DEng | Technische Universitat Braunschweig |
| 2007 | Jason Youd | Peterson American Corp |
| 2006 | William P. Attard | Univ of Melbourne |
| 2005 | Dimitrios Dardalis, Ph.D. | Rotating Sleeve Engine Technologies Inc |
| 2004 | Michael K. Anderson | General Motors |
| 2003 | Montajir Rahman, Ph.D. | National Traffic Safety & Enviro Lab |
| 2002 | Goro Tamai | General Motors |