FAQs

The Structural Awards recognise and celebrate the immense skill structural engineers demonstrate across a vast range of structures and disciplines.

Winning a Structural Award means: 

• Recognition of your achievements by our expert judging panel

• Extensive media coverage and publicity of your work

• A celebration of the technical expertise and hard work of your team 

• A spotlight on your organisation’s commitment to sustainable practices across design and construction

• A showcase of projects that have tangible benefits for end-users and make a positive impact on communities

• Joining a remarkable group of Structural Award-winners that enhance the reputation of the profession and inspire others

• Boosting your business by establishing new relationships and reaching new clients 

The deadline for entries is Friday 28 April 2023.

The Structural Awards have a two-stage judging process:

1. The judging panel independently review all entries and award points based on the judging criteria and relevance to category descriptions to decide the shortlist.

2. The panel meet to decide the winning projects
   
   NB:Judges will not participate in discussions around projects where they may have a vested interest.

The judging criteria is designed to ensure that the Structural Awards recognise and celebrate the immense skill structural engineers demonstrate across a vast range of structures.

All entries will be judged in response to four key attributes that exemplify structural engineering achievement:

• Planet

  Your entry may consider efficiency of design, sustainability, resilience, response to local conditions, regeneration, circular economy principles, alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
  
  All entries must submit quantification of the embodied carbon footprint of the structure (not the whole project) using the IStructE carbon calculator tool.

• People

  Your entry may consider collaborative design and procurement, adding value for the client and stakeholders and/or impact on communities through local upskilling or creative problem-solving. How does this project benefit its end users and society more widely?

• Process

  Your entry may consider technical achievement and innovation, influencing briefs to achieve desired outcomes, and/or the appreciation of craft and artistry in the final product. You could give examples of originality and the application of new and improved technologies and processes in the structural design, particularly where these have led to greater efficiency and economy in the solution.

• Profession

  Your entry answer may consider how the project/project team has inspired others, raised standards of design and execution, and/or enhanced the reputation of the profession. If you’ve used novel materials or technologies, then how will the wider profession benefit from this? Have you disseminated your design to others, shared knowledge outside the immediate project team or used this design educationally within or outside of your organisation?

It is recognised that some projects will demonstrate strength in response to one of the key attributes rather than relevance to all four. In order for the judging process to consider entries fairly, the scoring will be weighted towards the response to one of the four required attributes and the project submission's overall narrative.

All entries must submit quantification of the embodied carbon footprint of the structure (not the whole project).  A link to the Structural Awards carbon calculator tool will be sent to you after you submit your part 1 entry form.
 
The tool is intended to help you quickly calculate the embodied carbon in your project. We strongly request that you double check all data provided in the quantification is accurate before submission. Please ensure that substructure and superstructure are both included.
 
The data submitted is primarily to help inform the judging process – though we recognise that embodied carbon calculations are a rapidly developing topic and so will treat the data as such. However, as part of the Institution’s ongoing work in climate action it is our intention to share an anonymised summary of the data for shortlisted projects to help inform the wider industry. 
 
We may also ask for permission to share the data you provide with other initiatives such as the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (NZCBS) to help set future standards.

Last year the decision was taken to remove the previous categories. This is because the judging panel welcome any and all submissions that demonstrate structural engineering achievement.

The only requirement is that your project celebrates the incredible skill of structural engineers in relation to at least one of the four key attributes of Planet, People, Process and Profession. The panel will score all entries in relation to these criteria and the highest scoring projects will form the shortlist.

The shortlist will be announced at an online event on 6 September 2023. The 10 best projects will receive a Structural Award at the ceremony on 10 November 2023, culminating in the announcement of this year’s Supreme award for structural engineering achievement; recognising to the very best of the best.

The Structural Awards are open to projects of all sizes from around the world. All projects must represent the design and construction of a built structure that was completed or is due to be completed between 27 April 2022 – 28 April 2023.
 

Anyone can enter into the Structural Awards. Entries typically come from the structural engineering practice involved on the project, although this is not a requirement. 

NB: It is important to note that all companies involved in a project must agree to enter the Awards before any application is submitted. Joint ventures or group projects are also welcome to enter but this should be identified in Step 1 on the entry form. 

There are no restrictions on the number of projects that can be entered.

No. Your entry must be submitted using the online form on the Awards website. If you require assistance to complete the only entry process, you can contact the Events Team by emailing [email protected] or calling +44 (0)20 7201 9824.

The entry fee is £275 + VAT

If the entry fee is prohibitive to your participation in the Awards, discounts are available. Please contact [email protected] for further information.

We accept the following types of payment:

• Online payment via credit or debit card

• Bank transfer (BACS) via an invoice

Yes. Multiple entries can either be paid for individually or added together onto one online payment.

To enter your project(s) in the Structural Awards 2023, your entry must adhere to the following terms and conditions:

1. Your complete entry (part 1: online entry form, part 2: written submission and part 3: payment) must be received by the deadline of 17 April 2023.

2. Entries may be submitted by any company involved in the project, but all members of the project team, including the client, must have given consent for the project to be entered in the competition.

3. All project accreditation between project team members must be agreed prior to making the entry. Please note that if a discrepancy arises between project team members, the project will be ineligible for consideration until the issue is resolved.

4. The project must be completed, or be due for completion, between 27 April 2022 and 28 April 2023.

5. Entry will only be accepted via our website. All documents and information must be submitted as instructed.

6. The judges’ decision on all shortlisted entries and winners is final. It is not possible to provide individual feedback for entries that are not shortlisted.

7. Information submitted, and photographic copyright of any project images, will remain with the authors. Image files and illustrated reports must be clearly identified in the file name in order for authors to be credited. However, by submitting an entry you consent to the IStructE using all information and media in any of its communications. This may include, but is not limited to, print and digital marketing, PR and exhibition purposes. The Institution may allow third parties (e.g. journalists) to use such works for the purposes of promoting the Structural Awards. 

For any queries please contact the Events Team on [email protected]

The shortlist for the Structural Awards 2023 will be announced on Wednesday 6 September 2023 at a free online event.

The winners are announced at our annual black tie gala dinner on 10 November 2023.

Tickets for the 2023 Structural Awards aren't currently available. More information will be shared in due course.

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