Overview

The CIHT West Midlands Awards are now open for entry! This year we have 2 new categories: the CIHT WM Women's Network Women's Achievement Award and the CIHT WM Women's Network Allies Award.

The deadline for entries is 23:59 on Friday 21 March 2025. A shortlist of entries will be published in late April 2025. 

Winners will be announced at the CIHT West Midlands Annual Dinner on Thursday 8th May 2025 at the Burlington Hotel in Birmingham.
Book to attend the CIHT West Midlands Annual Dinner here.

Attend to surround yourself with today's leaders and rising stars for an evening of celebration, networking and opportunities to entertain your clients and business partners.

The Awards - 7 opportunities if you win

• Showcase your work
• Boost your profile in the region and use as a stepping stone to greater recognition in the sector
• Demonstrate your commitment to excellent standards
• Promote your achievement with press coverage opportunities
• Add this achievement to your tenders and corporate literature
• Motivate your workforce to strive for the highest standards.
• Receive formal recognition of your dedication and achievements

How to enter

To making entering the CIHT West Midlands Awards 2025 as straight-forward as possible, we have split the categories across two entry forms. One for project awards and one for people awards. Please find here a short list of the project and people award categories:

The Awards & Guidelines

Judging Criteria

Best Large Project Award

Individual projects (over £5 million) that are outstanding examples of transportation or highway projects, demonstrating they have been delivered on time, to budget and made a major contribution to the West Midlands.  

Best Large Project Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award:

• Benefits to the community and contribution to the West Midlands (15%)
• Benefits to the environment (10%)
• Client satisfaction (10%)
• Implementation and project delivery (10%)
• Engagement and communication with Stakeholders (10%)
• Planning and Design (10%)
• Enterprise, innovation and ingenuity (10%)
• Objectives met incl. time, cost & quality (10%)
• Value for money with benefits vs costs (10%)
• Wider implementation potential (5%)

Best Small Project Award

Individual projects (less than £5 million) that are outstanding examples of transportation or highway projects, demonstrating they have been delivered on time, to budget and made a major contribution to the West Midlands.  

In addition, this year the judges welcome examples that demonstrate effective management considering the current social and financial crisis on the health safety and wellbeing of workforce and customers.

Best Small Project Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award:

• Benefits to the community (15%)
• Benefits to the environment (10%)
• Client satisfaction (10%)
• Implementation and project delivery (10%)
• Engagement and communication with Stakeholders (10%)
• Planning and Design (10%)
• Enterprise, innovation and ingenuity (10%)
• Objectives met incl. time, cost & quality (10%)
• Value for money with benefits vs costs (10%)
• Wider implementation potential (5%)

Collaboration Award

Examples of excellence in collaborative team work and problem solving in the highways and transportation industry in the West Midlands.

Collaboration Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award:

• Evidence of Collaborative Teamwork (30%)
• Evidence of Collaboration to Achieve a Solution including efficiency and sustainability (30%)
• User feedback & benefit (20%)
• Implementation of solution including communications (20%)

Environment and Sustainability Award

Examples of excellence in sustainability (social, economic and environmental) in the highways and transportation industry in the West Midlands.

Environment and Sustainability Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award:

• Evidence of social sustainability as a key driver (15%)
• Evidence of economic sustainability as a key driver (15%)
• Evidence of environmental sustainability as a key driver (15%)
• Design of solution including efficiency and sustainability (15%)
• Performance measures, user feedback & benefit to the user (10%)
• Implementation of solution including communications (10%)
• Value for money including outcomes and benefits versus cost (10%)
• Wider implementation potential (10%)

Innovation & Research Award

Examples of innovative problem solving in the highways and transportation industry in the West Midlands. Innovation or research entries must have been active or completed in financial years 2023/24 or 2024/25. Entries must clearly explain how the submission meets the criteria specified.

Innovation and Research Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award:

• Enterprise and ingenuity (20%)
• Design of solution including efficiency and sustainability (20%)
• Performance measures, user feedback & benefit to the user (15%)
• Implementation of solution including communications (15%)
• Value for money including outcomes and benefits versus cost (15%)
• Wider implementation potential (15%)

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award

This Award is open to CIHT Members including employers or individuals that have implemented (or been involved in) an EDI (Equality, Diversity, Inclusion) initiative of merit within the West Midlands and establishing themselves as a positive role model for the industry.

Owners, clients or direct stakeholders, working in highways or transportation in a public, private or voluntary capacity in the West Midlands region can nominate themselves or be nominated.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award:

•    Addressing of the EDI initiative (30%)
•    Stakeholder engagement (25%)
•    Clarity on aims & objectives (15%)
•    Lessons learnt (15%)
•    Longevity (15%)

Emerging Professional / Apprentice Award

This Award is open to CIHT Members including Apprentices, Graduates, entry level professionals and those early in their career/career change professionals, with less than 10 years relevant experience who are making a valuable contribution to highways or transportation in the West Midlands and establishing themselves as a positive role model for the industry.

Entries must clearly explain how the submission meets the criteria specified. Emerging Professionals and Apprentices who are members of CIHT may nominate themselves for the Award or be nominated by their CIHT Region or their employer.

Emerging Professional / Apprentice Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award:

• Contribution to the West Midlands highways or transportation sector (40%)
• Role model for highways or transportation (40%)
• Active in positively promoting the industry/sector within the West Midlands (20%)

Emerging Student Award

This Award is open to CIHT Members including students or 2024 graduates, who are making a valuable contribution to highways or transportation in the West Midlands and establishing themselves as a positive role model for the industry.

The judges will be awarding a £100 prize for the Best Emerging Student(s). Entries must clearly explain how the submission meets the criteria specified. Students or 2024 graduates who are members of CIHT may nominate themselves for the Award or be nominated by their CIHT Region or their educational institution.

Emerging Student Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award:

•    Contribution to the transportation sector (40%)
•    Role model for highways or transportation (40%)
•    Active in positively promoting the industry/sector within the West Midlands
(20%)

Women's Network Women's Achievement Award - NEW -

 CIHT West Midlands Women’s Network is proud to promote this Award category which will celebrate and showcase women's achievements in the highways and transportation sector in the West Midlands region.  

This Award recognises all the remarkable women who are carrying out outstanding work in the field of highways and transportation not just on projects but overall, shaping the lives around us. 

Our eligibility criteria are any woman who has made:  
•    A significant contribution to this industry. 
•    A positive impact or influence on your organisation/industry/sector or in any other area 

Women's Network Women's Achievement Award Guidelines

 Judging Criteria for this Award

Positive Impact or Influence

• Highways and Transportation Industry: Describe the nominee's contributions and their positive impact on the industry. Consider innovations, improvements, or significant projects they have been involved in. (20)
• Values and Behaviour: Describe the values and behaviours that the nominee exhibits which make them stand out. Consider qualities such as integrity, dedication, innovation, collaboration, and leadership (20)
• Influence In Your Organisation: Explain how the nominee has positively influenced your organisation. This could include leadership, teamwork, project success, or other notable contributions. (20)
• Additional Positive Impacts: Highlight any additional positive impacts the nominee has made in other areas, such as community involvement, environmental sustainability, or industry advocacy (20)
• Reasons for Shortlisting: Explain why you believe the nominee should be shortlisted for their achievements in the highways and transportation sector. Focus on their standout accomplishments, the significance of their contributions, and the overall impact of their work. (20)

Women's Network Allies Award - NEW -

CIHT West Midlands Women’s Network is proud to promote this Award category which will celebrate all those allies and unsung heroes who have gone above and beyond to encourage and support women in highways and transportation.  

This Awards recognises all the allies who are carrying out outstanding work in the field of highways and transportation not just on projects but overall, shaping the lives around us.

Women's Network Allies Award Guidelines

Judging Criteria for the award

• Biography/Overview of Achievements: Provide a short biography of the nominee, focusing on their key achievements. Highlight their mentoring support and any significant contributions to the industry. (25)
• Commitment to Mentoring/Supporting Women: Detail how the nominee's commitment to mentoring and supporting women has made a difference. Explain why this commitment is important and the impact it has had. (25)
• Reason for Shortlisting: Explain why the nominee should be shortlisted for their achievements in the highways and transportation sector for this category. Focus on their standout accomplishments and the significance of their contributions. (25)
• Statement of Recommendation: Include a statement of recommendation from women who have been supported or mentored by the nominee. Highlight specific examples of how the nominee's support has made a positive impact. (25)