Medal Categories

Our expert judges will be looking for submissions that tell a powerful story, especially those that demonstrate the core values of the Highways Champions Awards: exceptional skill, brilliance, selflessness, bravery and ingenuity.

To allow workers from different parts of the UK road sector to be judged against similar colleagues, we will judge all entries within the following four categories (when nominating please select the most appropriate option):

• The frontline highways workforce and supply chain
• Office and management highways workforce (in both public and private sectors)
• The blue/orange light services and control rooms/customer contact centres
• Mental health advocates, physical health workers and safety specialists

The Rising Star Medals will be judged against how your nominee demonstrates the core values of the Highways Champions Awards: exceptional skill, brilliance, selflessness, bravery and ingenuity.

The main criterion is that your nominee has spent 30 years or more in the UK roads sector. These 30 years could be just within your organisation or across a number of different businesses. The judges will be looking for some evidence of them leaving a positive legacy from their long tenure. This could be a personal legacy due to their behaviours and approaches to working with colleagues, or one left through their technical skills.

The Innovation Award is named after Percy Shaw, the inventor of the Catseye in the 1930s, and honours technical brilliance and creativity. It celebrates individuals who have been responsible for industry-significant innovation. The entry process asks for more detail and supporting evidence than for the Highways Champions Medals and the judges will evaluate all nominees using this broader submission.

We need to see:

• Clear description of the innovation and its originality.
• Evidence of measurable benefits (cost/time savings, improved safety).
• Potential for scalability across the industry.

We expect to shortlist a number of potential winners for the Innovation category and award one trophy. Please note that all those shortlisted should attend the Awards Ceremony and they will all receive a Highways Champions Medal.

The Process Change Award is named after John McAdam, a pioneer of modern roadbuilding and arguably the most significant road builder since the Romans. This award will honour an individual whose work has changed the approach to road building. The entry process asks for more detail and supporting evidence than for the Highways Champions Medals and the judges will evaluate all nominees using this broader submission.

We need to see:

• Description of the change and its scope.
• Leadership and collaboration in overcoming challenges.

We expect to shortlist a number of potential winners for the Process Change category and award one trophy. Please note that all those shortlisted should attend the Awards Ceremony and they will all receive a Highways Champions Medal.

The Safety Award is named after Barbara Castle, the politician who introduced the breathalyser, made permanent the national speed limit and mandated the fitting of seat belts in all cars. This award will honour an individual whose work has saved lives or significantly reduced risk. It celebrates innovation and dedication to safety. The entry process asks for more detail and supporting evidence than for the Highways Champions Medals and the judges will evaluate all nominees using this broader submission.

We need to see:

• Sustainability of safety measures.
• Broader influence on industry practices.

We expect to shortlist a number of potential winners for the Safety category and award one trophy. Please note that all those shortlisted should attend the Awards Ceremony and they will all receive a Highways Champions Medal.

The Fellowship Award recognises truly exceptional contribution, whether through a single extraordinary act, the culmination of a major industry-changing project, or a lifetime of dedication. The entry process asks for significantly more detail and supporting evidence than for the Highways Champions Medals and the judges will evaluate the nominees using this broader submission.

We need to see:

• Evidence of exceptional contribution or achievement.
• Impact on the sector and its future.
• Endorsements or testimonials from peers.

The winner of the Highways Fellowship Award will be informed before the ceremony so they and their organisation can organise suitable team members to be with them on the day.