The Ground Engineering Awards is your chance to come together as a community, celebrate your achievements and network with the best in the business.

This category is open to businesses that provide services or supply materials to geotechnical contractors or consultants that can demonstrate achievement of clear business milestones between January 2026 and January 2027. The award will celebrate specialist geotechnical suppliers that have continually delivered innovation, quality and value within this period, while improving the business and making it more profitable.

Entrants must demonstrate how they have improved their services and use evidence from projects to show how the business's technical abilities have gone beyond the expected level of service for clients and also benefitted the supply chain.

Key criteria

• Development of strong relationship with clients, project partners and supply chain that have benefitted the business and its ability to deliver work above the expected standard
• Demonstration of business improvement and profitability
• Demonstration of geotechnical innovation that has brought new solutions to the market to benefit projects delivered

This award is open to any multi-company collaborative project team involved in the UK geotechnical industry either on a specific project or as part of a framework on multiple projects.

The success of the project team should be demonstrated in terms of how the team culture led to improved project delivery, how the entire project team was focused on mutual goals and joint activities that highlight outstanding performance.

Entries should demonstrate how the project team stands out against its competitors and how its performance or initiatives between January 2026 and January 2027 have either boosted its rate of delivery or produced outstanding results.

The entry can come from a client, contractor or lead designer, but must be supported by the client and other parties involved in the team.

Key criteria

• Demonstrate how collaboration contributed to quality of delivery
• Show how innovative solutions were developed through teamwork
• Explain how team culture drove value management and cost effectiveness
• Collaboration to deliver performance that exceeded expectation

This category will recognise the specialist geotechnical consultancy, or geotechnical division within a major consultant, that can demonstrate achievement of clear business milestones between January 2026 and January 2027.

The award will celebrate firms that have continually delivered innovation, quality and value during this period, while improving the business and making it more profitable.

Entrants should demonstrate how they have improved the wellbeing of their staff. Companies must also use evidence from projects to show how the business's technical abilities have gone beyond the expected level of service for clients and the supply chain.

Key criteria

• Successful project delivery that demonstrates continued technical excellence
• Demonstration of business improvement and profitability
• Development of strong relationships with clients, project partners and supply chain that have benefitted the business and its ability to deliver work above the expected standard
• Creating or running initiatives to improve staff retention and wellbeing

Ground investigation contractors that can demonstrate achievement of clear business milestones will be rewarded in this category. Firms must be able to provide evidence of continued dedication to delivering innovation, quality and value between January 2026 and January 2027.

Entrants must be able to use ground investigation projects undertaken to show their technical capabilities in delivering projects beyond the expectations of their clients, within budget and on time.

Judges will also consider the ground investigation contractor's approach to coping with challenges on site and interacting with the supply chain and look for evidence of commercial as well as technical success across the time period.

Key criteria

• Successful project delivery that demonstrates technical excellence
• Demonstration of partnering capabilities and collaborative working
• Development of strong relationships with clients, project partners and supply chain that have benefitted the business and its ability to deliver work above the expected standard
• Demonstration of business improvement and profitability

This category celebrates the achievements of geotechnical contractors or specialist geotechnical divisions within general contracting firms that can demonstrate achievement of clear business milestones over the last year. The award will celebrate firms that have continually delivered innovation, quality and value between January 2026 and January 2027, while improving the business and making it more profitable.

Entrants must be able to use projects undertaken to show their technical capabilities in delivering projects beyond the expectations of their clients, within budget and on time.

Judges will also consider the contractor's approach to coping with challenges on site, interacting with the supply chain and improving the wellbeing of its staff.

Key criteria

• Successful project delivery that demonstrates technical excellence
• Demonstration of business improvement and profitability
• Development of strong relationship with clients, project partners and supply chain that have benefitted the business and its ability to deliver work above the expected standard
• Creating or running initiatives to improve staff retention and wellbeing

This category is open to any company that can show excellence through new product or technology development for the ground engineering industry between January 2026 and January 2027.

Entrants must demonstrate how the innovative new product or technology has delivered benefits in health and safety, in-use performance, sustainability or cost during on site delivery of a geotechnical project. Evidence to show how the product or technology can improve the performance or quality of service that the purchasing company offers to its clients is essential.

Key criteria:

• Collaboration with customers to develop this innovation
• Results of this innovation
• Potential for the innovation to benefit the wider ground engineering industry
• Evidence of improved project delivery as result of innovation

This category is open to any geotechnical company that can show excellence in the way it has used digital technology to improve systems, performance, processes or project delivery within its own business between January 2026 and January 2027. Entries in this category should focus on business-wide innovations and, where applicable, be used on multiple projects. Project-specific innovations should be entered in the Technical Excellence category.

Entries could focus on a particular digital innovation - such as an initiative to improve safety, employment practices, collaboration or delivery - or present how digital innovation is fostered and encouraged across the business and the benefits this is driving.

The innovation could be site or office based, and entrants should present clear evidence of how the innovation has delivered performance, cost, health and safety or reliability improvements for the business and how this benefits both clients and society.

Key criteria:

• Commitment to digital innovation
• Outcomes of digital innovation
• Application of research and development findings
• Evidence of improved company function or delivery on the project portfolio as result of digital innovation
• Plans to further build on this innovation to offer continual improvement

This award recognises a hi-tech advancement or concept that has helped a company improve its performance or delivery of a specific challenging element of a project, between January 2026 and January 2027. This category is not aimed at projects that have achieved overall excellence – such projects should be entered into one of the project categories.

The entrant may have achieved technical excellence through producing a new approach to analysis or design, advanced techniques or procedures during design or delivery and/or working with its customers to improve delivery of a specific part of a project through technical refinement.

An entry should be for a single technical advance or development applied to a specific part of a project. Developments applied to a number of projects may be better placed in the Digital Innovation or Equipment Innovation categories.

The geotechnical work on the project presented must be completed at the time of the submission.

Key criteria

• Delivery of real innovation to reduce costs, increase efficiency or improve safety
• Demonstrate how the initiative is a step change in current practice and goes beyond current good practice
• Collaboration with client and other project partners to develop solution
• Potential to benefit future project/application delivery
• Enabling previously challenging project/concept to be delivered at lower risk

This category is open to any company that can demonstrate excellence in geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring for work carried out between January 2026 and January 2027.

Entries could focus on the design, installation, delivery or interpretation of monitoring systems used to manage geotechnical risk, verify design assumptions or provide early warning of ground movement, and should demonstrate how the approach improved safety, performance, cost or reliability outcomes on a project or across a business.

This category sits distinct from, but adjacent to, Digital Innovation (which recognises business-wide digital initiatives) and Equipment Innovation (which recognises new products or technology); an instrumentation and monitoring entry with a strong digital or hardware innovation element should still be entered here if the primary achievement is in monitoring practice.

Key criteria

• Demonstrate how I&M technologies have been effectively applied to address geotechnical challenges
• Evidence of how monitoring data informed decision-making or reduced geotechnical risk
• Collaboration with clients and the wider project team to interpret and act on monitoring outputs
• Demonstration of value delivered — in safety, cost, programme or confidence in design
• Potential for the approach to be applied more widely across the industry

Note: this is a new category for 2027 — recommend a final sense-check of the criteria above with the judging panel before publication, given there is no prior year of entries to benchmark against.

This award aims to recognise an inspirational leader and influential geotechnical/geo-environmental engineer or engineering geologist who has made a significant strategic contribution to the field of geotechnics and has left an impact on the profession over a distinguished career.

We welcome entries from candidates themselves or nominations from those who wish to highlight an individual who they believe merits this level of recognition. We encourage entries from under-represented groups within engineering.

This distinguished award will be judged by the GE advisory board. Please note that a shortlist will not be published for this award. The winner will be informed in advance of the award ceremony and will be invited to give a short acceptance speech at the event.

Key criteria

• Breadth of impact on the profession
• Career achievements and key industry contributions
• Leadership that has inspired change or development

Please note that a shortlist will not be published for this award. The winner will be informed in advance of the award ceremony and will be invited to give a short acceptance speech at the event.

This category recognises organisations, teams or individuals that have gone the extra mile to inspire people to consider a career in geotechnical contracting or consultancy. Outstanding outreach not only helps grow the future talent pipeline, but also plays an important role in improving the diversity of the industry by encouraging people from a wider range of backgrounds to explore careers in the geotechnical sector.

Whether through promoting science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) in schools and colleges, mentoring interns, apprentices and new joiners, working with youth organisations, engaging with underrepresented communities, or developing initiatives that remove barriers to entering the profession, these organisations, teams or individuals are making a lasting contribution to the future of the industry.

Entries may relate to a specific project, programme or initiative, or to an organisation-wide approach. They may also recognise the outstanding contribution of an individual who has demonstrated leadership and commitment to inspiring others and widening participation across the sector.

Judges will be looking for:

• The ethos, objectives and drivers behind the outreach initiative
• A clear description of the activities delivered and the audiences engaged
• Evidence of impact, including feedback from participants, measurable outcomes and the effectiveness of the initiative
• Where relevant, evidence that the initiative has broadened participation by engaging people from a wider range of backgrounds, reducing barriers to entering the profession, or creating more accessible routes into geotechnical careers

This category is open to all types of companies working in the geotechnical industry that can demonstrate excellence in training and development between January 2026 and January 2027, including graduate and apprenticeship programmes, in-house learning and development initiatives, or a combination of both.

Entrants should highlight why their approach to training and development has been successful, and evidence initiatives that have improved the learning experience with demonstrable outcomes for the business.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• How the initiative aligns with business goals and wider HR strategy
• Success against goals set over the 12 months prior to January 2027
• Profile of the work being carried out by graduates, apprentices and/or the wider workforce as a result of the programme
• Innovation in the design and/or delivery of training and development
• If applicable, strong levels of academic and professional support provided to graduates and apprentices
• Any other stand-out performance that particularly merits this award

This is for UK-based geotechnical/geo-environmental engineers and engineering geologists with up to five years of industry experience – or up to three years, if the entrant has completed a PhD degree – who have shown innovative thinking, astute business acumen, made a significant contribution to a project, or demonstrated technical ability through research. Entrants must be able to clearly define their critical input to work in one or more of these areas.

They will be judged on all-round ability - not only academic and work-related achievements - but also their enthusiasm for geotechnical or geo-environmental engineering.

Entries should be submitted by either the engineer or their employer and should include a commendation from either a company training officer or a relevant senior engineer and an up-to-date CV. Please also include information of any career breaks, as these can be excluded from the 3-5 years of industry experience. There is no age limit for entry, and we encourage entries from under-represented groups within engineering.

Key criteria

• Demonstration of geotechnical knowledge, skills and problem solving abilities
• Passion for geotechnical/geo-environmental engineering or engineering geology
• Career achievements (contribution to projects, further study, papers published, chartership or promotions)

Candidates for this award must demonstrate an initiative, operations process, innovation or piece of equipment that has clearly contributed to improving health and safety, between January 2026 and January 2027. The award can be for a company-wide policy that benefits geotechnical operations, or an initiative or technique applied to a specific ground engineering project. Entries must demonstrate how safety risks associated with the geotechnical element of the work or for the geotechnical workforce were reduced.

Key criteria

• Quantifiable safety improvement that delivers a real step-change in ground engineering rather than bringing company procedures up to general industry standards
• Techniques used to deliver initiative and communicate the new approach
• Demonstration of employee acceptance and involvement in delivery
• Involvement of others in the supply chain and stakeholders

Entrants for this category must be able to demonstrate an innovative, unusual or cutting edge approach to environmental, economic or social sustainability on a geotechnical project, between January 2026 and January 2027.

This could be in the form of reuse of materials or existing structures/foundations, innovation in redeveloping brownfield sites, use of technology/design to reduce carbon emissions, lasting benefits created in the local community or by the legacy of the project, or any other initiative that drives sustainability across the wider project.

Key criteria

• Entries should demonstrate benefits within at least one of the three pillars of sustainability – environmental, social or economic
• Analysis should show a quantifiable sustainable benefit
• Demonstrate how the approach was applied/could be applied across the supply chain or throughout the project/community to ensure maximum benefits
• Potential for approach to be rolled out to other schemes/projects

This award recognises projects that have delivered geotechnical excellence and stand out on the international stage between January 2026 and January 2027.

Entrants must demonstrate their projects' credentials in sustainability, health and safety and value engineering. In reaching their decisions the judges will take particular note of client satisfaction, geotechnical innovation, value for money, performance against prediction, the quality of design and construction, safety and application of innovation.

The geotechnical element of the work must be completed at the time of entry submission.

Key criteria

• Innovative design to overcome a significant geotechnical challenge
• Demonstration of delivery of value and quality for the client
• Use of innovative techniques and exceptional measures to deliver technical excellence
• Strong focus on sustainability and health and safety elements
• Efficient and collaborative delivery through close relationships with the client and supply chain

This is for a ground engineering scheme (as a standalone project or part of a larger development) with a contract value of between £3M and £10M that stands out in terms of its credentials in innovation, sustainability, health and safety and value engineering.

The entrant must explain and provide evidence to demonstrate what exceptional measures were taken or innovative techniques used to result in the project being delivered above the expected standard. A key element in deciding the winner will be the contribution of the entrant to the overall delivery of a project.

The geotechnical element of the work must be completed at the time of entry submission and is for work completed between January 2026 and January 2027.

Key criteria

• Innovative design to overcome a significant geotechnical challenge
• Demonstration of delivery of value and quality for the client
• Use of innovative techniques and exceptional measures to deliver technical excellence
• Strong focus on sustainability and health and safety elements
• Efficient and collaborative delivery through close relationships with the client and supply chain

This is for a ground engineering scheme (as a standalone project or part of a larger development) with a contract value of less than £500K that stands out in terms of its credentials in innovation, quality, sustainability, health and safety and value engineering.

The entrant must explain and provide evidence to demonstrate what exceptional measures were taken or innovative techniques used to result in the project being delivered above the expected standard. A key element in deciding the winner will be the contribution of the entrant to the overall delivery of a project.

The geotechnical element of the work must be completed at the time of entry submission and is for work completed between January 2026 and January 2027.

Key criteria

• Innovative design to overcome a significant geotechnical challenge
• Demonstration of delivery of value and quality for the client
• Use of innovative techniques and exceptional measures to deliver technical excellence
• Strong focus on sustainability and health and safety elements
• Efficient and collaborative delivery through close relationships with the client and supply chain

This is for a ground engineering scheme (as a standalone project or part of a larger development) with a contract value of over £10M that stands out in terms of its credentials in innovation, sustainability, health and safety and value engineering.

The entrant must explain and provide evidence to demonstrate what exceptional measures were taken or innovative techniques used to result in the project being delivered above the expected standard. A key element in deciding the winner will be the contribution of the entrant to the overall delivery of a project.

The geotechnical element of the work must be completed at the time of entry submission and is for work completed between January 2026 and January 2027.

Key criteria

• Innovative design to overcome a significant geotechnical challenge
• Demonstration of delivery of value and quality for the client
• Use of innovative techniques and exceptional measures to deliver technical excellence
• Strong focus on sustainability and health and safety elements
• Efficient and collaborative delivery through close relationships with the client and supply chain

This category is for a ground investigation project that stands out in terms of its credentials in innovation, quality, sustainability, health and safety and value engineering between January 2026 and January 2027. Projects entered into this category should have elements within the design and delivery that were focused on minimising risk from unexpected ground conditions during the construction phase and should be able to demonstrate the steps taken to achieve this.

The entrant must explain and provide evidence to demonstrate what exceptional measures were taken or innovative techniques used to result in the project being delivered above the expected standard.

The ground investigation must be completed at the time of entry submission, but it is not essential for the project for which the ground investigation was undertaken to have started or have been completed.

Key criteria

• Innovation in planning and delivery of a ground investigation to generate quality geotechnical or geoenvironmental parameters for the design and delivery stage of the work
• Demonstration of delivery of value and quality for the client
• Use of innovative techniques and exceptional measures to deliver technical excellence
• Strong focus on sustainability and health and safety elements
• Efficient and collaborative delivery through close relationships with the client and supply chain

This is for a ground engineering scheme (as a standalone project or part of a larger development) with a contract value of between £1M and £3M that stands out in terms of its credentials in innovation, sustainability, health and safety and value engineering.

The entrant must explain and provide evidence to demonstrate what exceptional measures were taken or innovative techniques used to result in the project being delivered above the expected standard. A key element in deciding the winner will be the contribution of the entrant to the overall delivery of a project.

The geotechnical element of the work must be completed at the time of entry submission and is for work completed between January 2026 and January 2027.

Key criteria

• Innovative design to overcome a significant geotechnical challenge
• Demonstration of delivery of value and quality for the client
• Use of innovative techniques and exceptional measures to deliver technical excellence
• Strong focus on sustainability and health and safety elements
• Efficient and collaborative delivery through close relationships with the client and supply chain

This is for a ground engineering scheme (as a standalone project or part of a larger development) with a contract value of between £500K and £1M that stands out in terms of its credentials in innovation, sustainability, health and safety and value engineering.

The entrant must explain and provide evidence to demonstrate what exceptional measures were taken or innovative techniques used to result in the project being delivered above the expected standard. A key element in deciding the winner will be the contribution of the entrant to the overall delivery of a project.

The geotechnical element of the work must be completed at the time of entry submission and is for work completed between January 2026 and January 2027.

Key criteria

• Innovative design to overcome a significant geotechnical challenge
• Demonstration of delivery of value and quality for the client
• Use of innovative techniques and exceptional measures to deliver technical excellence
• Strong focus on sustainability and health and safety elements
• Efficient and collaborative delivery through close relationships with the client and supply chain