The best bridges are built by teams, and any member of the project team may submit a bridge for consideration.

A panel of industry professionals judge the entries in seven categories:

• Major span – One or more spans greater than or equal to 400 feet
• Long span – Longest span equal to or greater than 250 feet but less than 400 feet
• Medium span – Longest span equal to or greater than 140 feet but less than 250 feet
• Short span – No single span greater than 140 feet
• Movable span
• Reconstructed – Having undergone major reconstruction, rehabilitation, or widening
• Special purpose – Bridge that does not fit any of the above categories. Examples include bridges for pedestrians, pipelines, and airplanes

The judges consider each bridge in terms of innovation, economics, aesthetics, design, and engineering solutions. They may move submitted bridges between categories if they think a project is better suited to a category that's different than the one in which it was entered.

At their discretion, judges may also offer special commendation to projects that feature Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques and a full range of sustainable attributes.

Winning teams will be recognized with a plaque presentation and during the World Steel Bridge Symposium at NASCC: The Steel Conference in Atlanta, April 22-24, 2020.

Any team member from an eligible bridge project may submit it for award consideration.

Eligible bridges must be:

• Built of structural steel 
• Located in the U.S., defined as the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories
• Completed and opened to traffic between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019.

Each bridge may be entered in only one category.

How to enter:

• Complete the online entry form.
• Upload high-resolution photographs and drawings of the project as detailed below. You must include photo credit information, and you must accept the AISC photo policy to submit your entry.
• Include contact information for the engineer of record as well as the department of transportation or other entity that owns the bridge

 There is no fee to enter the competition.

A good application is one that thoroughly documents the merits of the bridge. The judges need plenty of information. Although the quality of submitted materials, such as images, is not an official judging criterion, it is nonetheless quite important.

For example, please address questions such as:

• What are the unique attributes of the bridge?
• Did the fabrication or construction of the bridge require an innovative approach?
• 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?

If you are entering a pedestrian bridge that is an intrinsic part of an eligible building, we encourage you to enter it in AISC's IDEAS² competition.

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.

Print-quality photographs and graphics should show off your project and provide an adequate basis for a sound and comprehensive evaluation of the structure and its design.

Images are mandatory, but there are no specific requirements as to what they depict. AISC suggests that a selection of exterior, interior and steel construction images—all with photo credit information—accompany each entry.

A thorough image submission for a given project would include:

• At least one image showing each exposed side of the building or environment
• At least one additional image showing the immediate context of each exposed side of the building or environs (omit if the project's relationship to its environs is clearly defined in other images)
• For a group of buildings, at least one image of the project that is sufficient to illustrate the concept and scale, including its relationship to its environs
• For projects involving exterior alterations, at least one image of each altered (exposed side) together with at least one image of the side before alteration (unless evidence is submitted on the unavailability of the latter)
• A site plan, floor plan, and one or more sections that explain the project solution

Technical details:

• Images should be high-resolution (at least 300 dpi), at least four inches wide, and submitted as jpeg, tiff or eps files.
• Images can depict the construction and erection processes as well as the finished project.
• You may submit a total of 20 images per entry.
• All images must include credit information in the filename. (Example: Willis Tower exterior-creditJohnSmith.jpg)
• Submitted photographs and images used for exhibition or publication purposes will bear the customary photograph credit line. However, AISC is not responsible for errors or omissions. AISC reserves the right to use all submitted materials indefinitely to showcase the winning projects, feature innovation in the structural steel industry,  and promote the IDEAS2 program. Submitting an entry constitutes acceptance of this policy by firms, companies, and project photographers and indicates that they agree to the release of the photographs and images submitted for use by AISC.

• The 2020 competition entry period ends on SteelDay--September 27, 2019.
• Entrants agree to abide by all rules and regulations of the 2020 Prize Bridge Awards program as defined in this document. Neither NSBA nor AISC is not responsible for errors or omissions in entries.
• There is no cost to enter.
• Firms may submit multiple projects.
• Each entry will be considered separately.
• Award recipients will be asked to submit additional team member contact information.
• By entering, you grant NSBA and AISC permission to disclose information about the recipient of the award and the building project, including budget and cost details.
• Project team members of winning projects should expect to be asked for additional information and commentary about their projects by representatives of NSBA, AISC, and the media.
• Submitted photographs and images used for exhibition or publication purposes will bear the customary photograph credit line. However, neither NSBA nor AISC is not responsible for errors or omissions. NSBA and AISC reserve the right to retain indefinite possession of all materials for reproduction and subsequent exhibition. Submitting an entry constitutes acceptance of this policy by firms, companies, and project photographers and indicates that they agree to the release of the submitted photographs and images for use by NSBA and AISC.