Get Ready for the 2023 Yearbook of Engineering Achievement Award Competition

sponsored by Bull Moose Tube

By Liisa Andreassen

YAY – or should we say YEA – the time is here; don’t miss your chance to enter this year’s dynamic Yearbook of Engineering Achievement (YEA) competition which opens up on September 13. The competition, in its third year, is hosted by Civil+Structural Engineer Media and will highlight the most outstanding architecture, engineering, and construction projects of 2023. The deadline to enter a project(s) is October 18th.  

What is YEA?

YEA showcases AEC projects that have clearly moved the industry forward through community and environmental impact, innovative technical processes, or groundbreaking vision and execution.  Firms from all fields of the AEC industry are invited to submit any project completed, or scheduled to be completed, within the 2023 calendar year that are from any of these five categories: 

1. Housing/Residential
2. Transportation/Infrastructure
3. Water/Stormwater/Wastewater
4. Environmental/Sustainability
5. Small Firm (fewer than 50 employees)

Project submission(s) must also: 

• have a positive impact on the communities in which they are built;
• use a key technology or strategy to achieve larger goals; and 
• achieve other outstanding designations pertinent to the AEC industry.

There’s no fee to submit a project and firms are encouraged to enter more than one, though only one project per category is permitted. And, the project needs to be completed or scheduled to be completed before the end of 2023.   

Once a firm has decided what project (s) it would like to enter, the rest is easy. There’s a short information form which asks a few questions about the project and also requests photos/videos.

The winning projects from the 2023 YEA competition will be featured in the December issue of Civil+Structural Engineer Magazine and the project that earns the most overall votes will be awarded the 2023 Summit Project. Each of the winning projects will have their own page on the website and the Summit Project will be featured on the cover of  Civil+Structural Engineer Magazine’s December issue.

How does it work? 

As a leading source of business news, thought leadership, and project information for the AEC industry, Civil+Structural Engineer Media is proud to serve the world’s designers. That’s why it leaves the fate of the winners in the hands of a jury of AEC peers and colleagues. After all, these are the boots on the ground people – the experts, professionals, and leaders who work to elevate the AEC industry every day. 

Last year’s Summit Award winner was from the transportation and infrastructure category – The Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement  – submitted by HNTB. The project was the largest and most complex bridge building project in the history of Los Angeles and set a new threshold for seismic safety and expanding the utility of urban bridges. Its submission received over 2,000 votes which was testament to the project’s groundbreaking vision and execution.  

The submission that garnered the most votes from the water/stormwater/wastewater category was the Vertex Companies project in the City of Houston. This one involved a major public transit line for America’s fourth most populous city and the project was completed with minimal impact to the city’s population. 

The social, environmental, and economic impacts of these projects are largely localized and benefit the communities in which they are built. So, no matter the impact – whether improved flood control or transit times – these projects have on the built and natural environment, they have been done in a way that improves the lives of the people who live in that community. 

And, when you share your projects with others through a competition like 2023 YEA, you become part of something greater than just your firm or community. You’re promoting industry-wide thought leadership and fostering an innovative path into the future by demonstrating just what’s possible when you combine capabilities and ingenuity. The bottom line? You’re helping to elevate the AEC industry. 

So, are your wheels turning? Do you have some potential contenders in mind? We’d love to see them and invite all of our readers to join us in celebrating the projects that have elevated the AEC industry and set the bar for future endeavors. Entries will be hosted on the C+S website through the contest voting period (October 27-November 10) and website visitors will be encouraged to vote once per day for the project they feel most represents the best of the best in the AEC industry. 

For more information about the contest and to submit your entry, visit:   https://csengineermag.com/yea/. And, if you have any questions about the submission process, please contact Luke Carothers  at: lcarothers@zweiggroup.com.