Prize Bridge Awards Seek Best American Steel Bridges (Deadline Oct. 31)

Image: The Grand Forks County Prefabricated Bridge over the Goose River near Northwood, N.D., fabricated by SSSBA member TrueNorth Steel, was a 2024 Prize Bridge Award winner in the short span category (spans under 140 feet).

All entries are due October 31, 2025 (the deadline was extended).

The 2026 Prize Bridge Awards will honor outstanding bridges of all sizes and scopes, along with the most innovative owner in the country. Winning projects get a national spotlight in a variety of media, including Modern Steel Construction magazine, over the course of the following two years.

A panel of industry-expert judges will consider entries in several categories defined by bridge size and function, evaluating each project’s innovation, economics, aesthetics, design, and engineering solutions. They will identify three contenders for the Bridge of the Year, with the winner ultimately selected by popular vote at the 2026 World Steel Bridge Symposium (April 22 to 24, 2026, in Atlanta).

2026 marks the second time NSBA has offered the Owner of the Year award, which is specifically for the DOTs, counties, cities, tollways, and other owners around the country whose innovative steel project(s) move the industry forward.

If you have recently worked on a bridge that embodies the pioneering spirit of modern bridge-building, we want to hear about it!

How It Works

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 considers innovation, economics, aesthetics, design, and engineering solutions. The competition has six categories:

• Short span – No single span greater than 140 ft.
• Medium span – Longest span equal to or greater than 140 ft. but less than 300 ft.
• Major span – One or more spans greater than or equal to 300 ft.
• Movable span
• Rehabilitation – Projects that work on an existing structure without replacing primary members. New structures built on an existing alignment should be entered by span length.
• Special purpose – Bridge that does not fit any of the above categories. Examples include bridges for pedestrians, pipelines, and airplanes.

Each bridge may compete in only one category. All entries in all competition categories will be considered for Bridge of the Year and Owner of the Year.

The judges 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. The judges consider each bridge in terms of innovation, economics, aesthetics, design, and engineering solutions.

At their discretion, judges may also present a Presidential Award for truly exceptional projects.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be built of structural steel produced and fabricated in the United States
• Must be located in the U.S., defined as the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories
• Must be completed and opened to traffic between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2025.

Any member of a project’s team can submit it for a Prize Bridge Award. However, a fabricator, erector, detailer, or other firm eligible for AISC Full or Associate membership submitting a project themselves must be an AISC member in good standing at the time of entry.

What You’ll Need to Enter

Be sure to have the following on hand to fill out the entry form:

• Information and a contact person for all of the companies that made a substantive contribution to the design’s innovation. This should include the owner, structural engineer, general contractor, steel fabricator, steel detailer, bender/roller (if applicable), steel erector, and any key consultants.
• What makes your bridge an example of innovative design and construction excellence?  You’ll find more details about what this should include in the “How to enter” section of the full rules further down on this page.
• A minimum of six print-quality images that show off the project and its most exciting features. AISC recommends a selection of photos that show the completed bridge and the bridge during construction/fabrication. You may also submit technical drawings and renderings in PDF form. All images must include photo credit information.

There is no fee to enter the competition.

Start your submission