Key Dates

Entries Open – Monday 6 January 2025

Deadline for entries – Friday 28 February 2025

Talk to us

If you have an urgent question about the awards or just want to check eligibility or see what category is best for your project? Contact us via e-mail at awards@ciht.org.uk

If your organisation currently works in the highways and transportation sector there is no obstacle to enter

• The awards are free to enter
• No project too big or too small
• Entries can be from any location
• Entries are open to every organisation working in the sector, whether a CIHT partner or not
• Entries can be submitted by anyone whether a CIHT member or not
• Eligible projects can be entered for as many categories as appropriate
• An organisation can also enter as many distinct eligible projects as they wish for a category
• Submissions must be made in English only
• Entries must be submitted no later than 28 February 2025. We encourage early submission. 
• Entries are judged by impartial expert judges with a diversity of experience and opinion

Greater Relevance and Even More Impact

The CIHT Awards have evolved to ensure the issues that the sector faces and the areas where the sector needs to excel are addressed. CIHT have ensured that focus is given to these areas and that they will resonate even more with your audiences.

Categories at a Glance

CIHT Collaboration Award

Collaboration refers to collaboration across multiple organisations.

The Collaboration Award recognises the importance of effective relationships with other organisations and/or sectors to deliver real solutions and recognises those that have shown dedication to working in collaboration.

We expect the collaboration to be across multiple organisations.

Entrants will explain how collaborative working added value to the project outcomes and what role it played in enhancing relationships and engagement. Submissions should focus on the key activities undertaken to stimulate and promote collaboration, the methods and practices adopted, and the outcomes achieved.

Entries can be single projects and schemes or wider programmes of work and strategies to support and improve collaboration.

CIHT Creating Better Places Award

This award recognises how outstanding design and implementation of schemes in towns, cities and rural areas improve the places around them for people and the environment. 

This award recognises those schemes or projects that have created new places or improved existing ones and have demonstrated how the changes have met some of the following objectives:  

• Supported an increase in active travel  
• Create an inclusive environment   
• Creating ease of movement for all users   
• Improved the safety and health of the public   
• Improved the quality of the place where the scheme is situated   
• Has provided both environmental, social and economic benefits

When scoring, judges will be looking at how the entry demonstrates sustainable places, inclusive design, active travel, resilience, green and blue infrastructure, or other relevant areas. Therefore, it is important to highlight any of these components in your entry. 

CIHT Decarbonisation Award

This award recognises projects, schemes, products, and strategies that can demonstrate the delivery of a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint. 

The judging of this award will look for examples of carbon reduction arising from the movement of people and goods or from design, construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning of transport infrastructure.

The entry can also address how the initiative’s implementation has delivered wider financial, economic, and social benefits.

The entry must show that the organisation has provided leadership and vision in taking climate action. 

Examples of entries (but not limited to):

•  Reducing the need to travel or enabling high levels of modal shift to other modes including active travel and public transport 
• Organisations that have created and implemented ambitious decarbonisation strategies and targets above and beyond industry standards 
• Infrastructure projects that have delivered significant carbon reduction, particularly those that have eliminated or significantly reduced the need for construction works.

CIHT Equality Diversity and Inclusion Award

CIHT believes in working towards Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the transportation sector. A sector that truly represents and better serves diverse communities will enables us to deliver the best solutions to the challenges we face now and into the future. 

This award recognises organisations or individuals that have implemented (or been involved in) an EDI  initiative of merit.

The overall judging will consider how the EDI initiative has been implemented, what steps have been taken in its creation and the measures used to monitor meaningful progress, including strong evidence of: 

Stakeholder engagement

• Clarity of aims and objectives
• The accessibility of the EDI initiative
• Lessons learnt during implementation and how they were taken on board
• Tangible outcomes
• The scalability and replicability of the initiative
• Alignment to CIHT’s themes of EDI and professionalism, e.g., how your initiative strengthens diversity and inclusion, enhances skills and expertise

The EDI initiative should have made a positive contribution to the organisation, industry and society.

New Category: CIHT Health and Safety in the Workplace Award 

This award recognises initiatives that improved safety practices and culture at work.

Entrants should demonstrate how a new initiative (for example, but not limited to, a new technology, tool or working process) has significantly contributed to tackling the dangers personnel face while working in the highways and transportation sector.

Judges will be looking for:

• measurable improvements in workplace safety metrics
• high levels of employee engagement and buy-in
• effective design and implementation of the initiative
• a clear commitment to continuous safety improvement across all levels of the organisation.

CIHT Infrastructure Award

This award recognises exceptional engineering solutions that have delivered creative and innovative transport infrastructure. From good asset management and maintenance to the construction of bridges, tunnels and other civil engineering infrastructure, this award recognises  small / large schemes and projects that have showcased civil engineering in the best way possible. 

The judges will be looking for entries that can demonstrate how the infrastructure brings public and environmental benefits, as well as a clear demonstration of how social value is embedded in the scheme.  

Entries can include (but not limited to): 

• Infrastructure and civil engineering projects
• The use of asset management principles and maintenance techniques that have improved an existing or new infrastructure outcomes for organisations and the infrastructure.
• Application of innovative engineering techniques or materials to improve the design, construction, or functionality of the highway infrastructure

New Category: CIHT Product of the Year Award

This award celebrates new products and materials that have made a positive impact to the highways and transportation sector through innovation, sustainability and decarbonisation. Celebrating new market innovation, it recognises solutions that elevate quality, boost resilience, and set new standards in the sector.

Judges are looking for entries that showcase how the product improved: 

• durability, functionality, and overall quality of highway infrastructure
• maintenance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness
• carbon reduction and environmental benefits 

Judges will also look at evidence of sector-wide uptake and impact.

The winning product will embody forward-thinking design and sustainability, inspiring broader adoption and setting a new benchmark for the industry

CIHT Research Award

This award recognises an outstanding piece of research in the highways and transportation sector and looks to improve the industry by addressing a specific problem. The research project should have outlined clear targets, with structured research methods and be a unique piece of work that has been well communicated to the wider sector.

New Category: CIHT Resilience Award 

This award recognises projects, schemes or strategies in the highways and transportation sector that have contributed to making infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather events and climate change.

The judges of this award will be looking at: 

• strategies that enhanced infrastructure resilience through durability, reliability, and adaptability to withstand and/or recover from adverse weather events
• ensuring continuity of essential services and the safety of users and communities
• how the project goes beyond traditional methods to address emerging challenges and uncertainties
• how resilience measures are integrated in long-term planning and collaboration amongst stakeholders is promoted
  

CIHT Road Safety Award

The Road Safety Award, in memory of John Smart, recognises outstanding achievements which improve road users' safety through excellent practice, design and technical application. 
 
The award welcomes technical and educational/training/publicity projects, which can demonstrate the quantifiable effects of the project either through measurement, monitoring or description. Road safety initiatives, schemes or products that contribute to casualty reduction are welcomed for this award, particularly where they provide outputs that can be widely applied.

CIHT Sustainability Award

This award recognises projects, schemes, products, or strategies delivered or developed by the highways and transportation sector that  demonstrate a contribution to sustainable development. The judges of this award will be looking for entries that show a clear commitment to one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal(s) and demonstrate environmental benefits with either a global or local impact. 

Example UN Sustainable Development Goals include (but not limited to): 

• Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation;
• Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable;
• Goal 13 – Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
• Goal 15- Life on land: to protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and stop biodiversity loss.

CIHT Team of the Year Award

Team refers to a team within a single organisation.

This award is aimed at celebrating the achievements of teams who have demonstrated professionalism and have been able to adapt and work effectively under the challenges posed in the highways and transportation sector. Entries are welcome from across the sector. The team should comprise of 5 or more persons. 

We expect the team to be working within a single organisational entity.

Entries must demonstrate excellence in the following areas:

• How team working has delivered improved outcomes
• How teamwork helped to achieve a clear result or outcome
• The integration of CIHT values - Professional, Inclusive, Collaborative and Progressive.

CIHT Technology and Digital Transformation Award

This award recognises technological innovation , such as new technology, products, processes and/or digital services that have impacted an organisation, industry and society positively. The innovation can apply to any aspect of the highways and transportation sector. 

Judging will consider the impact of the entry and how applicable it is across the highways and transportation sector.

The entry could explain how the innovation has contributed to (but not limited to): 

• scalability and integration with other elements of the highways and transportation sector
• employee or customer satisfaction
• better use of resources
• sustainability, decarbonisation and resilience
• services or working methods 

CIHT Transportation Professional of the Year Award 

This award is open to nominated CIHT members throughout highways and transportation. 

This award recognises an individual in the sector that has demonstrated professionalism and leadership in the work that they do. Entrants will demonstrate how they maintain and develop professional ethical expertise and deliver effective service for all. 

This will be awarded to a member of CIHT who has shown awareness of and engagement with the issues facing the sector and through their actions as a role model has delivered positive change for the profession and society. The award is a celebration of a successful role model progressing the profession through professionalism and innovative thinking. 

Bus Centre of Excellence Awards

The National Bus Strategy created the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE), funded and co-sponsored by the Department for Transport, enabling the delivery of a long-term programme of activities and support to the bus sector.  In partnership with the DfT, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) and delivers the BCOE, working closely with sector stakeholders to deliver an asset that is run by the industry for the industry..

How to Enter

All entry submissions must be made online via the online entry portal.

Submissions must be made in English only.

Entries Open – Monday 6 January 2025

Deadline for entries – Friday 28 February 2025

What should be included in an entry?

• A high resolution, 300 dpi, version of your company logo. If your project involved more organisations, please provide their logos as well.  
• A hero image of your project to be used for CIHT promotional material if you are shortlisted.  
• Your entry should not exceed the word limit. 
• An executive summary of the activity. The summary will not be scored but will be used as an aid by judges and will appear on the website and promotional material if you are nominated. Tell people why your entry is so good and why it is worth further attention. 
• Supporting material: photographs, videos and/ or other graphic images that illustrate your projects and, where possible, the outcomes is encouraged.  
• At least one photo or image provided should be in high resolution, 300 dpi, for potential reproduction in promotional material.

Entry Rules

1. You are the owner of all intellectual rights in your entry or have all necessary consents from all other owner(s) of intellectual rights in your entry. 
2. Entries must be received no later than the published deadline date. 
3. All submissions must be made online. 
4. All entries must be supplied and conform to the category rules and submission formats. 
5. Work entered into more than one category must be treated as a completely separate entry, we encourage you to address the different criteria for each category you are submitting your entry.
6. The judges’ decision is final.
7. Due to the number of entries received, we cannot give feedback on individual entries.
8. By entering these awards, you give the organisers the right to share, publish and otherwise use the entry in all media and CIHT Policy and Technical publications. 
9. The evidence contained in the submission must be correct and you can provide further details if required.
10. The organisers reserve the right to verify that all entries have been produced for a client or for the public where relevant. 

Sponsorship

To discuss sponsorship opportunities in relation to the awards, please contact Ben Sellers on Ben.sellers@thinkpublishing.co.uk +44 (0)20 3771 7238

Help and support

Awards enquiries: awards@ciht.org.uk

Award ceremony enquiries: conferences@ciht.org.uk

Sponsorship enquiries: ben.sellers@thinkpublishing.co.uk