Welcome to the Bridges Awards that have now taken place for 2023 as part of Bridges 2023- your 31st annual Bridges conference, exhibition, workshops & awards even - at the Coventry Building Society (CBS) Arena, Coventry, UK, on 8&9 March. 

Introduced in 2020 by Bridge design & engineering magazine and the organisers of Bridges conference and exhibition in partnership with the Bridge Owners Forum, the Bridges Awards aim to recognise and honour individual projects and/or organisations for outstanding achievement.

The Bridges Awards celebrate the sheer ingenuity, project management and cooperative skills of the people behind the design, construction and maintenance of pedestrian, highway and rail bridges. The search for the extraordinary has now begun and outstanding achievement in UK bridge projects is now sought under FIVE general categories: bridge design, bridge construction, new life, management, and international participation.

After listening to feedback, there are some exciting changes for 2023 and beyond. In 2022, the three categories for Design, Construction and New Life were split into projects below or above £5million. Going forward, projects above/below £5million will be recognised on alternate years. For 2023, the focus will be on bridge projects below £5 million, with a two-year eligibility window (31 December 2020 and 1 January 2023).

A fifth award, The Bridges International Award, was introduced in 2023 and seeks to recognise an outstanding contribution made by a UK-headquartered team, division or company to a bridge or group of bridges project anywhere in the world.

All entries are reviewed by an independent judging panel who will take into consideration factors including individual/team contribution to a project, environmental impact, quality of design and construction, innovative factors and benefits to the community. The online nomination process for 2024 (the 4th Bridges Awards) will open in September 2023 with the deadline for entries around mid-March.

The Bridges Awards reception for 2023 was kindly sponsored by Arcadis.