2026 Prize Bridge Awards Seek the Best American Steel Bridges
CHICAGO — The National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA)—a division of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)—is looking for the country’s most innovative steel bridges.
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.
“Since 1928, AISC has been recognizing the innovation, resilience, reliability, and aesthetics of steel bridges with the Prize Bridge Award competition,” said NSBA Senior Director of Bridge Initiatives Jeff Carlson, PE. “We look forward to showcasing the best engineering, fabrication, and construction of the bridges that reliably serve as vital links in our country’s vehicular, rail, transit, and pedestrian transportation networks.”
The submission deadline is September 30, 2025. There is no fee to enter, and any member of a project’s team may submit it for consideration.
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.
“We want to recognize owners for their leading efforts in research, development, and implementation that drive innovation in steel bridge design and construction,” said Brandon Chavel, PhD, PE, AISC vice president of bridges. The Texas Department of Transportation received the inaugural Owner of the Year award in 2024.
The jury will consider innovation, advancement of the industry, economics, design, design/research, engineering solutions, and project delivery methods when evaluating submissions, and they will give higher priority to projects by in-house design and/or research teams.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible bridges must be:
- Built of structural steel produced and fabricated in the United States
- Located in the U.S., defined as the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories
- Completed and opened to traffic between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2025.
Any team member from an eligible bridge project may submit it for award consideration.
History of the Prize Bridge Awards
In 1928, the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded its first Prize Bridge Award to the Sixth Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, which would later be renamed to honor the legendary Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente.
Since then, AISC and the National Steel Bridge Alliance have recognized more than 600 outstanding steel bridges across the country. View these innovative bridges by clicking here.
For more information, contact:
David Ball
Bridge Communications Specialist
312.502.3667
About the American Institute of Steel Construction
The American Institute of Steel Construction, headquartered in Chicago, is a non-partisan, not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry. AISC’s mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural steel-related technical and market-building activities, including specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, market development, and advocacy. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry of providing timely and reliable information.
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CHICAGO — The National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA)—a division of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)—is looking for the country’s most innovative steel bridges. 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…