Enter the Highways Awards 

Celebrate the work of your company, colleagues and partners. Simply nominate from the categories below. Expand the categories for further information and to view the category sponsor.

Active Travel Scheme of the Year

The Active Travel Scheme of the Year is awarded to an organisation, highway authority or joint submission that has implemented a scheme with novel innovation and design, benefiting both the community’s safety and local environment’s health. Your entry will be judges on both the qualitative and quantitative impact and it will be important that you cover the design, use and safety of the scheme.

  • Describe how your scheme has used innovative or best in class design standards to boost mobility, improve the look and feel of a place or highway route and promote a safer, healthier environment for active travel.
  • Please detail the project’s impact using any statistics available from the lifecycle of the scheme (min. of 6 months). Please give particular focus to any increases in the number of cyclists and pedestrians in the area, any decrease in road congestion, any improvements in road safety and any economic benefits felt by the surrounding area.
  • Please demonstrate how the scheme succeeded in achieving its business case and helped further net zero, road safety, and general place-based policies in the area. This could include enabling modal shift, a wider network of active travel, greater access to specific facilities by active travel, a wider change in road layout for a place and/or a change in network management for the area.

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Apprentice of the Year

The award for Apprentice of the Year is awarded to an individual working in the highways industry for the first time who has made a considerable contribution in the workplace. The winning individual will demonstrate exemplary commitment to achieving any personal challenges and will be proactive in progressing their career development. Candidates can be from a formal apprenticeship, a side step into a new are of work or new to the industry at any level.

  • Describe how the apprentice’s notable contribution has been made?
  • What learning was required and explain their attitude and behaviour throughout the learning process?
  • Please detail any obstacles they’ve faced and overcame?
  • How has their training benefitted the team, the employer and the industry overall?

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Best Use of New Technology Award

This award is given to an organisation or local authority that demonstrated that they have implemented a new technology to make significant improvements to the highways industry. This could be a new software, innovative equipment or an ITS solution, and the technology should have been deployed or have been on test for at least 12 months prior to entry, with clear evidence of its benefits by deployment on one or multiple schemes.

  • Outline the objectives of the ITS, software or innovative equipment solution.
  • Provide details of the challenges overcome while implementing the new technology.
  • Explain the benefits of the new technology to the road user and the community as a whole.
  • What has been the main impact of the new technology over the past 12 months and what are the future benefits to the highways industry?

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The Digital Transformation Award

The Digital Transformation Award recognises organisations that have made a positive impact on working practices or service outcomes, in or outside their own operation, using digital technology and data analysis. This could be one specific innovation that has delivered demonstrable improvements in specific services or systems or a wide-ranging impact through the multiple applications or general use of data to improve overall productivity, collaboration and levels of service.

It also celebrates individual innovation by recognising new digital products or services that have added value to the highways market both uniquely or through application to existing systems or working practices.

  • How has the organisation transformed a service, system or working practice using digital technology or data analysis? Describe the innovation and evidence of the transformation it delivered in working practices or service outcomes.
  • How has the new digital service, technology or data analysis benefitted the public, improved the highway asset and its upkeep, and/or added value to the network?
  • Give examples of how the digital service or product has overcome previous challenges either structural or critical and immediate to deliver new and unique outcomes.
  • Provide quantitative or qualitative evidence of any cost or time savings, productivity gains, or physical asset improvements resulting from the digital transformation your organisation provided.

Environmental Sustainability Award

This award is given to an organisation or partnership that can demonstrate benefits to the environment and wider consideration of environmental issues within a project and/or general working practices. The organisations should be able to demonstrate how it is improving sustainability in the highways sector through efforts such as cutting carbon, boosting biodiversity, providing local environmental benefits and sustainable use of materials.

The award will also recognise wider community liaison and consultation to raise awareness of environmental issues and leave an environmental legacy from its highways work.

  • What is the approach to sustainability within the organisation or partnership and how has it delivered demonstrable environmental benefits? Give evidence with reference to a project or wider policies and the beneficial outcomes they delivered.
  • Provide evidence of carbon emissions reductions, biodiversity and green estate benefits and/or wider sustainability gains through a specific project or wider working practices.
  • Give evidence of the carbon and/or environmental benchmarking tools and monitoring systems that were used and how they took account of whole life/whole project impacts.
  • Give examples of the environmental legacy delivered by a project or wider working practices, including local community benefits, long-term carbon reductions and improvements to the highways industry best practice.

Highway Partnership Award

The award is given to an organisation or highway authority that has driven or can demonstrate a collaborative approach designed to increase the benefits for society or its local community. This should be demonstrated by key performance indicators which test the robustness of the partnership and the positive outcomes.

  • Outline clearly the hierarchy of the partnership.
  • Outline the objectives of the partnership and how they have been measured to demonstrate delivery.
  • What are the benefits to the partnership in terms of improvements, in performance and in financial terms, both tangible and intangible?
  • Give details of any obstacles and methods used to identify achievements required and the deliverable timescale.
  • Explain how the partnership may be developed further and what the long term benefits of the partnership are.

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Lifetime Achievement Award

This award is for someone who has dedicated their life to the Highways Sector and whose passion, leadership, innovation and team work has made, and continues to make, a major positive impact to the Highways sector.

  • What has been their biggest achievement and how has this benefitted the sector?
  • Describe the work this person has done as part of a team or any collaboration with other organisations within the sector.
  • Describe why this person should be seen as a role model for others in the sector.

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Major Project Award

This award is presented to the team responsible for the successful delivery of a major project that has had proven innovation, quantifiable impact and environmental consideration. The project value must be above £5 million, should have started at least two years prior to entering the awards and can be any large scale project – such as a bridge construction, highway widening, by-pass or junction improvements, establishment of a control centre or similar. Key consideration should include time, costs, environmental impact, stakeholder involvement, feedback and user satisfaction.

  • What innovative measures were taken to achieve a particular goal or aim?
  • Describe the range of challenges identified and techniques used to overcome them.
  • What is the quality and impact of the project on stakeholders, and contribution to the wider community and travelling public?
  • Explain the overall environmental impact of the project.

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Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion Award

The Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion Award recognises organisations that have demonstrated their commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of their staff and/or the wider community. This could be through volunteer work, targeted campaigns, company policies or a range of programmes. The programmes could be designed to meet the specific or general needs of staff and/or communities or raise awareness and engagement regarding an issue that could impact staff and/or communities.

It also celebrates organisations that have embraced principles of inclusion to offer new opportunities and train the next generation of sector leaders from as wide a field of talent as possible. Special consideration will be given to organisations that have demonstrated bespoke programmes of training and/or rehabilitation and support for vulnerable or disadvantaged members of society such as addicts, the disabled, the underprivileged or former inmates.

  • How has the organisation embedded health and wellbeing in the culture and policies? Provide evidence of this and how positive lifestyle choices have been actively encouraged.
  • How has the organisation applied principles of inclusion to its hiring or training opportunities? Give examples of outreach or internal programmes and the impact/opportunities delivered.
  • In what way, giving evidence, has the organisation communicated its health and wellbeing culture across their employee base and with the wider community?
  • Describe, with quantitative and qualitative evidence, the impact and value that the organisation’s health, wellbeing and inclusion policies/initiatives have had on the performance of the business and wider community.

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Michael Conway MBE Community Leaders Award

In honour of Michael Conway and his extraordinary commitment to local communities through civil and highway engineering, this award is given in recognition of those highway workers who have shown outstanding dedication to community values and social leadership.

  • How has the individual shown leadership within a project or task related to community value? Provide evidence of this and how it helped deliver a project or inspire others
  • How has the individual passed on skills, training or education to the sector and/or the community?
  • In what way has the candidate’s work benefitted both the highways sector and society at large?
  • Describe the impact the candidate has had on the performance of schemes or projects that have benefitted the wider community.
  • Please provide a short statement on why you think the candidate on a personal level embodies the Michael Conway commitment to great people and great work

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Product of the Year

This is awarded to the organisation which has brought a product or service to the market that has initiated a “change of thought” approach or technique. This should have made a positive impact on the industry, through sustainability, efficiency and cost savings. The winning product must have been developed and made available for use in the highways industry within the last three years.

  • What are the safety benefits of the product and the contribution it makes towards the industry and its stake holders?
  • Describe the depth of innovation included in the development of the product, including the challenges met and the obstacles/difficulties overcome.
  • What are the environmental benefits of the product and the contribution it makes towards the industry, its stakeholders and society?

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Road Safety Scheme of the Year

The Road Safety Scheme of the Year award is given to an organisation which has delivered a project that has resulted in demonstrable reductions in casualties and/or road risk, whether that is through scheme design, technology, conceptual innovation or changing public attitudes.

Particular recognition will be given to schemes that can demonstrate specific casualty reduction numbers or clear evidence of a significant reduction in risk and/or near misses after the project was delivered for any set of road users.

  • What road safety issues required addressing and what challenges were overcome?
  • Outline any contributing factors to the overall success of the scheme.
  • What were the impacts and benefits of the scheme on overall road safety, including casualty reduction figures and/or evidence of a significant reduction in road risk and near misses?
  • Please detail what the value for money was for the first-year rate of return.

Worker and Site Safety Initiative Award

This award is for an organisation, or a group of organisations working collaboratively, that implemented a new initiative or working process or delivered a best practice scheme that contributed significantly to tackling the dangers personnel face while working in the highway environment. 

The contribution could include an innovative policy, protocol or a physical or technical innovation. For instance, the organisation might have deployed new technology to achieve a quantifiable risk reduction, or it could have launched an education and training programme that improved health and safety awareness within a team. 

Entrants must prepare answers for the following areas:
 
  • Outline the actions the organisation or team has taken to boost worker and site safety over the last 12 months and their results. 
  • Outline the areas of risk that the organisation or team planned to tackle with its efforts and why these were a priority.
  • Detail the steps taken to engage all stakeholders – including site staff, contractors and road users - in these initiatives/projects.
  • Provide details of the legacy of the work, including how it could be used to improve safety across the sector.

Steve Berry Highways Authority Innovation Award

This award is named in honour and memory of the late Steve Berry. It will be given to the authority that best demonstrated how their approach and innovation has allowed them to develop a project or scheme that delivers measurable and sustainable benefits to the community and the authority. The qualities that made Mr Berry so admired across this industry.

  • Details the approach to the innovative element of the scheme and highlight the areas of best practice.
  • Explain the challenges met and objectives overcome.
  • What was the impact of the activity on the community locally or at large?
  • Explain the approach taken to demonstrate the degree of collaborative working and stakeholder engagement.

Team of the Year

This award goes to a team of employees who have undertaken exceptional work within the public or private sector to improve/sustain the outputs or efforts of their organisation, over and above their general working activities. The award will recognise innovative and professional achievement that has had considerable impact on the organisation such as cost savings, team building, efficiency or safety.

  • What were the aims and objectives of the team and how were they approached?
  • Give details on the performance of the team and end results of their work.
  • Detail the innovative, proactive and exceptional work carried out by the team over and above the expectations.
  • What is the impact and lasting effect the work carries out has had on the organisation and the sector as a whole?

The Line Marking and Street Design Award

The line marking and street design award recognises professional excellence in place and road design and its impact on community social value, safety and civic transformation.   
It celebrates the capacity for schemes to improve local spaces and the way we experience them, leading to positive quantifiable outcomes and qualitative benefits in terms of civic pride, enjoyment and mobility. Submissions should also provide examples of how they worked in a way that upholds the highest professional standards, setting examples for the sector together with legacy benefits for the community. 

Entrants must prepare answers to the following questions;

  • How has the scheme improved the safety of a space or route? Please give examples, facts and figures where possible about casualty and risk reduction, as well as a description of the safety elements of the design.
  • How have the markings and design supported the desired modal share outcome and flow? State what impact you desired from the scheme in terms of congestion and modal share, what the results were and how you achieved them.
  • Please give examples if possible with testimonials on the community outcomes achieved. This could include quantitative elements like more footfall in a commercial area or qualitative aspects like more peace and enjoyment of the space.
  • Give examples of how the working practices of those involved upheld the highest standards of professional excellence, including health and safety aspects, sustainability initiatives and any innovations, collaboration or social value outcomes you achieved.

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Please note that submitting nominations is free of charge, however your attendance is required at the awards should you be selected as a finalist.

The deadline for receiving entries is 5pm on Friday 24th May 2024.

Nominations can come from anyone in the industry, should you wish to nominate your own company or indeed a client.*

*Please note we accept nominations from international organisations, however, the projects need to be UK based.