Awards

IDEAS² Competition Open

Chicago – The American Institute of Steel Construction’s flagship competition for buildings is now accepting entries for the 2023 IDEAS² Awards. Entries are due by Sept. 30, 2022. AISC will announce the winners in early 2023.

AISC’s Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS2) Awards recognize outstanding projects that illustrate the possibilities of structural steel.

The winners will get a spotlight at NASCC: The Steel Conference in Charlotte, N.C. next April, and the May 2023 issue of Modern Steel Construction magazine. Winning teams have the opportunity to present their projects to the AEC community during special webinars or live events throughout the year. If possible, AISC will conduct an on-site award presentation during 2023.

The IDEAS² Awards showcase the innovative use of structural steel in:

  • the accomplishment of the structure’s program
  • the expression of architectural intent
  • the application of innovative design approaches to the structural system
  • leveraging productivity-enhancing construction method

Eligibility requirements

  • New buildings, expansions, and renovation projects (major retrofits and rehabilitations) are eligible. There is also a category for sculptures, art installations, and non-building structures. Building projects in the 2023 competition must be located in the U.S. and must be completed between Jan. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2022.
  • A significant portion of the framing system of a building must be wide-flange or hollow structural steel sections (HSS).
  • The majority of the steel used in the project must be domestically produced.
  • The project must have been fabricated by a company eligible for AISC full membership. Projects with a unique or distinctive feature fabricated by a company eligible for AISC full membership will also be considered.
  • Pedestrian bridges entered in the competition must be an intrinsic part of a building and not stand-alone structures. We encourage members of project teams for standalone bridges to enter the 2024 National Steel Bridge Alliance’s Prize Bridge Awards.