This award is for the contractor, consultancy, or individual who has been a champion for sustainability between January 2026 to January 2027. Carbon reduction remains a core focus, but entries are equally welcome where the standout achievement lies in biodiversity, circular economy practice, waste reduction, water management, or another aspect of environmental sustainability. You will need to demonstrate commitment to the sustainability agenda, provide evidence of impact on a project or across the organisation, and explore the benefits it will bring now and in the future.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• The outcomes of sustainability initiatives and evidence of success
• Innovation in sustainability techniques and practices, whether carbon-focused or otherwise
• A company culture with clear commitments to improving environmental performance
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This category is right for you if your entry is about embedding digital ways of working across a project, team or business relationship. If your entry centres on a single piece of technology or software itself, Best Use of Technology may be the better fit.

This award recognises outstanding performance in the use of, and commitment to, digital construction between January 2026 to January 2027, such as Building Information Modelling, digital twins, and site-based digital collaboration. Entries are welcome from organisations and project teams. The entry should have one main proposer, but should also include details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client and the principal contractor; entrants with a delivery structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Improved performance and efficiencies made as a result of digital construction
• Project excellence and client satisfaction achieved through digital construction
• Examples of digital construction driving supply chain integration
• Embedding digital techniques and knowledge in company culture
• Innovation in design, software, or collaboration
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Open to entries at company level or project level. Please state clearly in your entry which scope you are submitting against.

This award recognises outstanding health, safety and wellbeing performance between January 2026 to January 2027, at either company or project level. This award was previously run as two separate categories; it has now been combined into one, and welcomes entries on either basis, judged together as a single shortlist. Entrants should choose whichever best reflects their strongest evidence, and may include supporting examples from the other scope where relevant.

This award celebrates depth of commitment and outcomes, not the absence of incidents alone. Entrants are encouraged to provide qualitative evidence of culture and leadership alongside any quantitative safety record, so a strong entry doesn't depend on having a flawless record.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• The outcomes of health, safety and wellbeing initiatives, including action taken on mental health
• Commitment to training and exceeding client expectations on health and safety
• Innovation in health and safety approach and an embedded culture of health and safety
• Commitment to extending health and safety culture through the supply chain, or carrying learnings into future schemes, whichever best fits the scope of your entry
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This award recognises outstanding performance by a supply chain, where all partners have worked together towards common goals and can demonstrate improved performance between January 2026 to January 2027. This can be demonstrated on a specific project, or as part of a partnership, framework or joint venture. The entry should have one main proposer but provide details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client, principal contractor and a specialist contractor; where the collaboration doesn't have a natural single proposer, entrants should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Common goals and culture on health and safety, sustainability and training
• Evidence that collaboration through the supply chain led to better outcomes
• Fair payment terms and practices
• Supply chain risk management
• Early contractor involvement
• Innovation
• Outstanding projects
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This category recognises outstanding performance in building safety and regulatory compliance between January 2026 to January 2027, reflecting the Building Safety Act's Gateway regime and dutyholder accountability now embedded across the industry. It is open to contractors, developers, consultants, engineers, fire safety specialists, building control bodies, and principal designers or principal contractors who can demonstrate excellence in the safe design, delivery or management of buildings, whether higher-risk or otherwise. The entry should have one main proposer but should also include details of other relevant dutyholders involved, as a minimum the client, principal designer and principal contractor, where applicable; entrants with a structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

This category concerns building safety compliance, fire safety and regulatory accountability, and is distinct from Health, Safety and Wellbeing Excellence, which covers occupational health, safety and workforce wellbeing.

Higher-risk buildings (as defined under the Building Safety Act) should evidence Gateway compliance and engagement with the Building Safety Regulator directly. Entrants working on buildings outside this definition should evidence compliance against Building Regulations and, where applicable, PAS 9980, rather than the Gateway regime.

This award reflects the evidence submitted for the qualifying period only, and is not an ongoing guarantee of compliance. Entrants must declare any live enforcement action, regulatory investigation, or Building Liability Order or Remediation Contribution Order proceedings relevant to the entry; entries connected to live proceedings will be reviewed by the organisers before shortlisting.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• A clear golden thread of information maintained through design, construction and handover
• Robust dutyholder accountability and Gateway compliance, including engagement with the Building Safety Regulator where relevant
• Innovation or best practice in fire safety design, materials, or risk management
• Effective collaboration between dutyholders to resolve safety-critical decisions
• A positive compliance culture embedded across the project team or organisation
• Any other stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This category is right for you if your innovation is a physical product, material or piece of equipment. IT and digital innovations should be entered into Best Use of Technology; innovations in business process or company culture should be entered into Company Innovation of the Year.

This category is open to any company that has created an innovative product, material or piece of equipment to improve the construction process between January 2026 to January 2027. Entries should focus on at least one specific example of innovation, whether site or office based, and should be clear whether the benefit lies in performance, cost, health and safety, reliability, or another factor, with supporting evidence.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Company commitment to product innovation
• Outcomes of product innovation
• Application of research and development findings
• Evidence of company or project improvement as a result of product innovation
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This category is right for you if your innovation is in how your business operates internally, such as a process, systems, safety, employment or HR initiative. Innovative products sold to clients should be entered into Best Product Innovation; new technologies should be entered into Best Use of Technology.

This category is open to any company that can show excellence in the way it has used technical, systems, or process innovation within its own business between January 2026 to January 2027, to improve its performance and service to clients. Entries could focus on a particular innovation, such as a new safety, employment, workforce education or HR initiative, or on how innovation is fostered and encouraged across the business more broadly.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Company commitment to innovation
• Outcomes of innovation
• Application of research and development findings
• Evidence of company or project improvement as a result of innovation
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This category is right for you if your entry centres on a digital tool, software or technology platform. Non-technological product or material innovations should be entered into Best Product Innovation instead.

This category highlights the best use of technology by any company involved in construction between January 2026 to January 2027. Entries should focus on how technology has been used for the company's benefit, whether in streamlining business processes, improving construction efficiency, delivering a project more effectively, or otherwise. The technology could be used on site or in the office; entrants should be clear whether the benefit lies in performance, cost, health and safety, reliability, or another factor, with supporting evidence.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Specific outcomes of the technology's use
• Research and development into the business case for the technology
• Innovation in the use of technology
• Improvement in business or project performance
• Benefits of the technology for clients and/or the supply chain
• The potential for wider application across the industry
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Best suited to projects where community engagement, rather than environmental or safety performance, is the primary story. If your strongest evidence is environmental or safety-related, Sustainability Project of the Year or Health, Safety and Wellbeing Excellence may be a better fit.

Entering a project? If there's a client on this scheme, they're eligible for Client of the Year too --- please encourage them to submit an entry.

This project award is for construction teams that deserve recognition for outstanding community engagement and outreach during the delivery of a project. Open to all UK projects that achieved practical completion, or equivalent, between January 2026 to January 2027; the entire project need not be complete, provided the phase of work the entry centres on is. The entry should have one main proposer but should also include details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client, the principal contractor or engineer, and a specialist contractor; entrants with a delivery structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• A clear understanding of the community's needs and how these were met
• Socially responsible construction set as a core value
• A project team that has actively sought and engaged with community concerns to arrive at a solution that best suits all parties
• Effective community liaison, enabling understanding of the industry and project goals
• Support for local community projects, such as community centres or care homes
• Engagement of young people, as well as the wider community, with the construction industry via the project
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Moved from Business Excellence Categories

Entering a project? If there's a client on this scheme, they're eligible for Client of the Year too --- please encourage them to submit an entry.

This category recognises the most outstanding work by a contractor, developer or housebuilder on a regeneration project to enhance communities and provide exceptional buildings, whether new build, retrofit or refurbishment, between January 2026 to January 2027. The entire project does not need to be complete, but the phase of work the entry centres on must be. The entry should have one main proposer, but should also include details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client, principal contractor and a specialist contractor; entrants with a delivery structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Clear strategy and vision
• Client satisfaction
• Project excellence
• Health and safety performance
• Sustainability
• Supply chain best practice
• Innovation
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Entering a project? If there's a client on this scheme, they're eligible for Client of the Year too --- please encourage them to submit an entry.

This category is open to all UK projects that achieved practical completion, or equivalent, between January 2026 to January 2027, with clear evidence of outstanding sustainability performance; the entire project need not be complete, provided the phase of work the entry centres on is. Carbon remains a core measure of sustainability performance, but entries are equally welcome where the standout achievement lies in biodiversity net gain, circular economy practice, waste reduction, water management, or another aspect of environmental sustainability, and the project should demonstrate it has achieved, or made material progress towards, its sustainability goals. Each entry should have one main proposer, but should also include details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client, the principal contractor and a specialist contractor; entrants with a delivery structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Clear explanation of how the project reduced carbon, or achieved other sustainability outcomes, and progressed towards its targets
• Innovation in approaches and technologies employed to improve sustainability performance
• Commitment to wider environmental and sustainability performance throughout the project and supply chain
• Client satisfaction
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Open to all building types, not only housing.

Entering a project? If there's a client on this scheme, they're eligible for Client of the Year too --- please encourage them to submit an entry.

Open to all UK projects using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) that achieved practical completion, or equivalent, between January 2026 to January 2027; the entire project need not be complete, provided the phase of work the entry centres on is. This category is open to any building type, including housing, healthcare, education and commercial projects. Please identify which recognised MMC category or categories the project used (for example, volumetric or modular construction, panellised systems, hybrid approaches, or site-based process innovation). The entry should have one main proposer but should also include details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client, the principal contractor and a specialist contractor; entrants with a delivery structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Quantified evidence of benefit from MMC, such as reduction in build time, on-site labour, waste, or defects, compared with a traditional approach
• How the offsite or factory-based element was integrated with the wider supply chain and site logistics
• Client satisfaction
• Project excellence
• Health and safety performance
• Completion on time and to budget
• Lessons learned and transferability to future MMC schemes
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Entering a project? If there's a client on this scheme, they're eligible for Client of the Year too --- please encourage them to submit an entry.

Open to all UK projects with a budget up to and including £20m that achieved practical completion, or equivalent, between January 2026 to January 2027; the entire project need not be complete, provided the phase of work the entry centres on is. This category celebrates the best of UK construction: high standards of work, client satisfaction, and a healthy and safe working environment. The entry should have one main proposer but should also include details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client, the principal contractor and a specialist contractor; entrants with a delivery structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Client satisfaction
• Project excellence
• Health and safety performance
• Sustainability
• Completion as close to on time and to budget as possible
• Supply chain best practice
• Innovation
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Entering a project? If there's a client on this scheme, they're eligible for Client of the Year too --- please encourage them to submit an entry.

Open to all UK projects with a budget over £20m and up to and including £50m that achieved practical completion, or equivalent, between January 2026 to January 2027; the entire project need not be complete, provided the phase of work the entry centres on is. This category celebrates the best of UK construction: high standards of work, client satisfaction, and a healthy and safe working environment. The entry should have one main proposer but should also include details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client, the principal contractor and a specialist contractor; entrants with a delivery structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Client satisfaction
• Project excellence
• Health and safety performance
• Sustainability
• Completion as close to on time and to budget as possible
• Supply chain best practice
• Innovation
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Entering a project? If there's a client on this scheme, they're eligible for Client of the Year too --- please encourage them to submit an entry.

Open to all UK projects with a budget over £50m that achieved practical completion, or equivalent, between January 2026 to January 2027; the entire project need not be complete, provided the phase of work the entry centres on is. This category celebrates the best of UK construction: high standards of work, client satisfaction, and a healthy and safe working environment. The entry should have one main proposer but should also include details of other relevant companies involved, as a minimum the client, the principal contractor and a specialist contractor; entrants with a delivery structure that doesn't fit this pattern should contact the organisers to discuss how best to enter.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Client satisfaction
• Project excellence
• Health and safety performance
• Sustainability
• Completion as close to on time and to budget as possible
• Supply chain best practice
• Innovation
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

Open to all early-career routes, including apprenticeships, degree entry, and non-graduate entry.

This is for rising stars who have been in the construction industry for ten years or less but have shown innovative thinking, astute business acumen, made a significant contribution to a project, or otherwise demonstrated their ability to rise to the top. This includes apprentices and other early-career professionals at any stage of that ten-year window; entrants need not address every criterion below and judges will weight evidence appropriately to career stage, so someone one or two years into an apprenticeship is assessed on fair terms alongside someone nearer the end of the eligibility window. Entries should be submitted by either the nominee or their employer and should include a commendation from a senior leader within their organisation.

This award recognises achievement during the qualifying period, and that recognition belongs to the nominating employer for having identified and supported it, regardless of what the nominee goes on to do afterwards. If a shortlisted nominee changes employer or leaves the construction industry before final judging, please notify the organisers as soon as you become aware, so we can agree the right way to handle the entry, whether that's proceeding as planned, updating the nominee's current role, or another outcome, in consultation with the nominating company. We will not automatically withdraw an entry on this basis alone.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Career achievements and what the individual did to make them happen
• Academic, apprenticeship, or mentoring success
• Leadership, with illustrative examples
• Initiatives conceived and/or driven by the rising star
• An outline of the project currently being worked on and how the nominee is contributing to it
• Helping others, in career and/or social terms
• Career satisfaction and highlights to date
• Ambitions for the future and the practical steps being taken to achieve them
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This award recognises industry-leading performance by a contractor between January 2026 to January 2027 in making specific efforts to develop a diverse and inclusive culture that permeates the workforce. The entry should demonstrate the business's efforts to foster a more diverse and inclusive workplace, and describe how this is helping to attract and retain talent, whether through internal initiatives, customer-facing CSR programmes, or work to promote a wide range of construction careers. This can be illustrated at both head office and project delivery level, and might also be part of a partnership, framework or joint venture.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Positive leadership that filters down to all levels, and the promotion of positive role models within the business
• Staff engagement, training and a company culture that fosters change
• Creating more open employment opportunities and avoiding exclusion through recruitment processes
• The setting of benchmarks for diversity and inclusion, and progress towards them
• Efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the wider industry
• Outcomes from specific initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This category is open to any leader of a construction company who can demonstrate excellence in leadership and who goes above and beyond for their business and the wider industry. Entrants can put themselves forward or be nominated; nominations must be supported by the nominee. As a rule, the shortlisted nominee should attend the final stage of judging in person; where this is genuinely not possible, please contact the organisers in advance to discuss alternative arrangements.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Strong business performance
• Action to reduce carbon footprint and increase sustainability
• A good workforce culture and focus on diversity and inclusion
• Clear strategy and vision
• Driving innovation and change
• Relationships with supply chain and clients
• A commitment to charitable social impact in the UK
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This category is for organisation-wide people development, recruitment or retention initiatives. If you want to put forward a specific individual's career achievements, Rising Star may be the better fit.

This award is for contractors who can demonstrate a positive and progressive approach to skills, training and workforce development between January 2026 to January 2027. This includes formal training and development, apprenticeship schemes, and initiatives to attract new entrants into the industry and retain existing talent. Entrants will be assessed on the outcomes of their initiatives, the innovation shown in developing new training or recruitment methods, and the time and investment allocated. This award highlights overall business performance in this area, rather than one specific project, although examples should be included to support the entry. This award is not for associations or agencies.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Outcomes and benefits of training and skills initiatives within your company
• Innovation in training or recruitment methods
• Time and investment allocated to training
• Apprenticeship schemes and other early-careers programmes, including recruitment and retention outcomes
• An embedded training culture among staff and inspirational leadership
• Excellence in health and safety as part of a wider training culture
• Any external accreditations
• Long-term commitment to training and upskilling of staff, including work with the supply chain
• A stand-out performance that particularly merits this award