Congrats to our 2018 Prize Bridge Award Winners!

Read the press release and see all the winners in our bridge archives. 

Bridge designers of today are as much artists as engineers.  They must strike a delicate balance between economics and aesthetics. This is just as true for simple highway
overpasses as it is for the iconic river crossings.

Awards are made in several contest classifications. Size and function determine the category in which the bridge is eligible to compete. Project team members are recognized for their contribution and achievement with engraved plaques presented during a ceremony in front of their peers.

The National Steel Bridge Alliance and the American Institute of Steel Construction sponsor this competition to celebrate industry achievements and to promote innovation.

Rules
All award-winning bridges are built of North-American fabricated structural steel and are located in the United States (defined as the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories.) Eligible bridges must be completed and opened to traffic between May 1, 2015 and September 30, 2017.

Bridges can only be entered in one category. The categories for the 2018 competition are listed below.

• Major span – One or more spans greater than or equal to 400 ft.
• Long span – Longest span equal to or greater than 250 ft. but less than 400 ft.
• Medium span – Longest span equal to or greater than 140 ft. but less than 250 ft.
• Short span – No single span greater than 140 ft.
• Movable span
• Reconstructed – Having undergone major reconstruction, rehabilitation, or widening
• Special purpose – Bridge not identifiable in one of the above categories including pedestrian, pipeline, and airplane

In addition to these categories; judges may offer special commendation to projects that best exemplify Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) and a full range of sustainable
attributes.

Criteria
Entries are evaluated on the following criteria: innovation, economics, aesthetics, design and engineering solutions. Quality of submitted presentations, though not a criterion, is important. Judges reserve the right to move the submitted bridge from one category to another based upon the information presented.

How to Apply
Entries will be accepted through an online web portal where you can create and manage applications. If you have submitted an application in previous competitions you will be able to log in with the same information; otherwise, you will simply create a new profile. 

A good application is one that throughly documents the merits of the bridge: the more information that is included in the application, the better the chances of winning. For example, address questions such as: What are the unique attributes of the bridge? Did the fabrication or construction of the bridge require innovative approaches? How did this project advance the state of the art in the steel industry? What made this bridge type economical for this situation? Were there engineering challenges to be overcome?

All applications require contact information for the engineer of record and the department of transportation or other entity that functions as the bridge owner. Award recipients will be asked to submit additional team member contact information.