Excellence in Construction

Past Winners
Winners of the 36^th Annual National Excellence in Construction Awards

FAQs
Need help? Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.

For Applicants
Examples: Contracted Scopes from winning projects: Sample Contracted Scope 1 Sample Contracted Scope 2 Sample Contracted Scope 3 Hints & Tips: Creating a Successful Entry Photo Tips WATCH: How to Craft a Winning Submission Productivity Articles - The Pursuit of Operational Perfection: Part 1: Improving Workforce Productivity Through Crew-Centered Construction Part 2: Deploying A Project Production Management System Third-Party Photographer: If any photos being submitted were taken by a third-party photographer, the photographer’s written authorization to use the photos is required. During the application process, you will be prompted to upload the agreement signed by the photographer. Download the required photographer agreement .

For Applicants

Examples:

Contracted Scopes from winning projects:

Hints & Tips:

Productivity Articles - The Pursuit of Operational Perfection:

Third-Party Photographer:

If any photos being submitted were taken by a third-party photographer, the photographer’s written authorization to use the photos is required. During the application process, you will be prompted to upload the agreement signed by the photographer.

Download the required photographer agreement .

Questions?
For questions regarding the application, competition or awards gala [email protected].

Sponsorship
For information regarding sponsorship opportunities, contact: Charlie Asmar Director; Strategic Partnerships, Business Partnerships and Sponsorships 301-653-8168 [email protected] Email [email protected] with any other questions related to EIC.

Excellence In Construction Awards Gala

The Excellence in Construction^® Awards celebration honors the nation's most innovative and high-quality construction projects and industry-leading health and safety programs. The best merit shop projects of 2026 will be honored on Wednesday, March 10, in Denver, at the 37th Annual EIC Awards Gala. You can see more information about the winners on our EIC Winners page.

Submit Your Project(s) Today!

Join us in March 2027 to celebrate our award winners!

2026 Program Dates and Deadlines

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026–Date by which construction of the submitted project must be completed
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026–Phase I: Deadline to register your project and submit payment (intent to compete)
Friday, Nov. 13, 2026–Phase II: Deadline to submit the final application. Applicants will have until 11:59 p.m. ET to finalize all applications.
Week of Dec. 14, 2026–All applicants will receive an email detailing the results.
Wednesday, March 10, 2027–Winners will be celebrated at the 37th Annual National Excellence in Construction® Awards Gala in Denver.

Eligibility & Criteria

ABC Membership Required:
Only ABC contractor members involved in the construction activities of prospective projects are eligible to enter. Projects completed through a joint venture must include a document outlining the percentage of ownership and responsibilities of each partner. Include the document with the Project Information section. If the majority partner is an ABC member but not all partners are ABC members, only the majority contractor is eligible to enter. If your project was completed by a joint venture and not all parties are ABC members, email [email protected] For eligibility requirements.

Safety Policy:
A company that experiences a safety-related fatality of a direct employee in the United States within the current program year (Oct. 16, 2026-Oct. 15, 2027) is not eligible for an excellence in construction award. If a subsidiary is a direct ABC member versus part of a larger holding company member, then the subsidiary with a safety-related fatality is not eligible, but another subsidiary of the same holding company may be.

No project that involves prime, multi-prime or sub-trade contractors with a safety-related fatality is eligible to be considered for an award.

Furthermore, all EIC award winners have a continuing duty to inform ABC of any safety-related fatality on the award-winning project and/or within the company that occurred after the end of the current program year until the time of the awards program. Such a fatality will nullify the EIC award. After the judging process and prior to the awards program, ABC will request that an award winner confirm that a safety-related fatality did not occur. Failure to respond to the request will also nullify the EIC award.

ABC Chapter Award Winner:
If the company’s local ABC chapter has an awards program, the project must have won the equivalent of first or second place at the chapter’s most recent competition. An exception to this requirement may be granted if the applicant submits a letter from the ABC chapter president explaining the reason the project qualifies to be entered at the national award level; For example, the chapter does not have an award category for the applicant’s project or the chapter does not hold a competition.

If there is a question regarding eligibility, the applicant may request clarification from the national EIC committee by emailing [email protected] prior to submission of the project.

how to apply

All applications are submitted electronically following the below steps:
*Google Chrome is recommended to ensure program compatibility.

Click the Enter Application Platform button at the top of the page.
Then click Apply Now!
For first-time applicants, create a username and password to access the registration and application pages. If you have submitted previously, your username and password remain the same from year to year.
Complete phase I—your intent-to-compete registration—and submit payment. Credit card payment is required; checks are not accepted.
A confirmation email will be sent to you containing the link to continue to phase II—the application. You may save your information as you go and revisit the application as needed.
When ready, click Save and Finalize to submit the application. Once the application is finalized, you will no longer be able to make edits. Confirmation will be emailed to you.

Watch this six-minute tutorial to learn more about the application process and check out these training videos:

Important note: the $595 application fee is non-refundable. Be sure to review the application criteria and eligibility prior to entering your submission.

judging and winner notifications

The final judging rounds will take place during the first week of December and applicants will be notified of the results via email during the week of Dec. 14, 2026.

Categories

Awards are offered in the following categories:

General
Specialty

Projects with members performing as general contractors or construction managers:

Mega-Projects	includes all projects more than $250 million, regardless of type, whether General Contractor or Construction Management.
Commercial	includes office buildings, banks, retail facilities, hotels or mixed use buildings.
Community/Public Service	includes philanthropic projects, regardless of type, that enhanced the community, using substantial resources donated by the contractor. Entries should include information detailing the donated resources.
Federal Government/Military	includes all projects owned by the Federal Government, with the exception of transportation infrastructure and utilities.
Health Care	hospitals, assisted living, nursing homes and other licensed medical facilities.
Historical Restoration/Renovation	restoration of buildings that are registered as historical, or are eligible to be registered as historical, on a state or the national registry of historic places.
Industrial	category covers manufacturing plants and facilities, refineries and similar types of construction.
Infrastructure-Heavy	covers streets or highways, dams, bridges and parks.
Institutional	covers buildings built for colleges, elementary or secondary schools, churches, local government structures; with the exception of health care facilities.
Pre-Engineered Building	encompasses commercial, industrial and institutional building projects where the primary structure is a pre-engineered metal building. Previous winners include an indoor skating complex, a boat manufacturing plant and an office/warehouse facility. Entries should include information regarding the extent of the project this is pre-engineered (i.e., are there conventional components or portions of the building?) The contractor's role on the project (i.e. supply and erect steel, general contractor or design/builder) and why a pre-engineered building was utilized.
Public Works/Environment	covers water treatment plants and sewage treatment plants.
Renovation	includes the renovation or restoration of non-historical, existing buildings with more than 50 percent of square footage that has been renovated or restored.
Residential	covers single-family homes and multi-family projects and condominiums, including independent living retirement communities.
Special Projects	includes construction not specifically referred to in the above, such as theme parks, skate parks, water parks, zoos, and other unique types of projects.

Projects with members performing as specialty contractors:

Community/Public Service	includes philanthropic projects, regardless of type, that enhanced the community, using substantial resources donated by the contractor. Entries should include information detailing the donated resources.
Electrical	covers any electrical contract more than $10 million.
Electrical - Commercial	contracts less than $10 million for electrical systems in a facility built for the benefit of people comfort and occupancy such as: office buildings, hospitals, schools, shopping centers, call centers, multi-family residential, hotels, convention centers, fountain features in a commercial facility, sports arena and stadium, fire or security alarms, parking lots, medical laboratories or renovation in an existing facility.
Electrical - Industrial	contracts less than $10 million including electrical systems built for the purpose of facilitating processes or manufacturing. Examples are manufacturing plants, processing plants, clean rooms, data centers, printing and processing centers, airports, animal facilities or electrical renovation in an existing industrial facility.
Exterior	includes masonry, precast, stone and all other exterior finishes.
Interior	Areas to include but not limited to are as follows: metal stud and gypsum, ceiling finishes, painting and wall coverings, other wall finishes and flooring. It is our intent to award based on degree of complexity and high-end finishes showcasing the abilities.
Mechanical	covers any mechanical contract more than $10 million.
Mechanical - Commercial	contracts less than $10 million for mechanical systems in a facility built for the benefit of people comfort and occupancy such as office buildings, hospitals, schools, shopping centers, call centers, multi-family residential, hotels, convention centers, fountain features in a commercial facility, sports arenas and stadiums, medical laboratories or mechanical renovation in an existing commercial facility.
Mechanical - Industrial	contracts less than $10 million for mechanical systems built for the purpose of facilitating processes or manufacturing. Examples are manufacturing plants, processing plants, clean rooms, data centers, printing and processing centers, animal facilities or mechanical renovation in an existing industrial facility.
Sitework/Landscape/Hardscape	covers interior or exterior landscaping and parking lots.
Specialty Construction	covers construction not specifically referred to in the above specialty categories, such as roofing, fountain features or artistic scaffolding.