(Please note payment to submit must be done before submitting your projects online.  Once you pay the link to submit will be in your receipt.) 

The annual Structural Engineering Excellence (SEE) Awards Program celebrates the significant structural engineering achievements of SEAOCC and SEAOC members. 

California-based design teams are encouraged to submit eligible projects to the Annual SEE Awards Program for consideration.  Entrants will submit their projects to SEAONC, SEAOSC, SEAOCC or SEAOSD, as appropriate per their regional MO affiliation.  MO Awards will be recognized during the annual MO Awards ceremony. Projects receiving an Award of Excellence at their MO ceremony will automatically be entered in the SEAOC SEE awards program and recognized at a ceremony at the annual SEAOC Convention.

Applicants shall submit:

1)      Entry forms, including project abstract, completed survey questions, and engineer-of-record approval

2)      A digital image of a 30” x 40” presentation board (Details under ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS)

3)      5-12 high resolution images of the project

4)      An entry fee

ENTRY SCHEDULE

Entries due to SEAOCC                                               April 10, 2026 April 17, 2026

SEAOCC Jury Review                                                 May, 2026

SEAOCC Award Presentation                                     June 9, 2026

Regional winners advanced to SEAOC                       No later than June 30, 2026

SEAOC Jury Review                                                    No later than July 15, 2026

SEAOC Award Ceremony                                           August. 27, 2026

AWARD CATEGORIES

At SEAOCC, SEAONC, SEAOSC, and SEAOSD, entries are submitted in one (and only one) of the categories below.  At the discretion of the Jury, AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE and AWARDS OF MERIT may be awarded in each category.  Awards may or may not be given in each category.

1.               Study/Research/Guidelines: Outstanding achievement in the development of structural engineering practice, standards, research documents or design guidelines.  This category is intended to encompass projects or efforts that may not result in a constructed project.

2.               Special-Use Structures: Excellence in the structural engineering analysis, design and/or construction of a special-use project. Examples include non-building structures such as a temporary movie set, an artificial rock-climbing wall or a sculptural work of art.

3.               Infrastructure: Excellence in the structural engineering analysis, design and/or construction of an infrastructure project, including but not limited to, bridges, tunnels, transportation facilities and dams.

4.               Historic Preservation: Excellence in the application of structural engineering in the rehabilitation and preservation of a significant historic structure. Entrants in this category are encouraged to convey their approach to structural engineering within the context of preservation standards such as the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

5.               Retrofit/Alteration: Excellence in the structural engineering analysis, design and/or construction of an evaluation and/or design of a seismic retrofit project or alteration of an existing structure. This category includes seismic analysis, seismic strengthening, additions, tenant improvements and other structural building alterations.

6.               New Construction: Excellence in the structural engineering analysis, design and/or construction of a new construction project.

At the SEAOC level, AWARD OF EXCELLENCE winning entries from the regional MOs are reorganized into the categories below. The Jury will recognize the winners of each category with AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE or AWARDS OF MERIT.  The judges may also bestow a single PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD.

1. New Structures: Projects within the new structures category are judged on how well the project team used structural engineering with conventional or innovative systems in the design of unique solutions, or to overcome challenges, necessitating the development of interesting design processes or construction methods. Projects judged in this category may include the regional winners of: New Construction, Special-Use Structures, and Infrastructure.
2. Existing Structures: Projects within the existing structures category are judged on how well the project team used structural engineering to evaluate or design the structure in creative, innovative, or precedent-setting ways to solve complex problems and overcome construction challenges. Projects judged in this category may include the regional winners of:  Retrofit/Alteration, Historic Preservation, existing Special-Use Structures, and existing Infrastructure.
3. Research, Product or Technology Innovation, Standards: Projects within the research, product or technology innovation, and standards category are judged on how well the project team applied engineering principles, enhanced the state-of-the-practice of structural engineering, or developed new engineering concepts through the analysis, evaluation, testing and research in the preparation of a study, updating or creating industry guidelines or reference standards, improving community awareness and action regarding structures, development of new products, or applications of existing products and technologies in new and innovative ways. Projects judged in this category may include the regional winners from this above category: Study/Research/Guidelines.

A project entry will typically be judged in the category in which it was entered. However, the Jury may elect to move a project into a different category. The juries are encouraged to focus on the structural engineering aspects of the project submissions and avoid awarding projects just because "they look good." The jury may consider multiple awards in each category, including for Small or Large projects or other designations.

Entries shall be submitted by a representative of the Firm responsible for the project, and/or the Engineer of Record, the Engineer in Responsible Charge, or Principal Investigator. Where the role of other engineers was significant to the project’s success, such as a Bridging Document Engineer or the specialty engineer for a specific component, entrants are strongly encouraged to recognize these individuals and/or submit the entry in conjunction with these engineers. For projects that utilize an alternative delivery method, such as design-build, the Entrant shall clearly state their project role in the Project Description.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Judging of entries will consider the following:

1. Creativity: Judged on how the project applied conventional or new ideas and systems, in a manner not typically seen in projects of similar type and scale, with a focus on structural engineering and the challenges therein.
2. Technical Innovation: Judged on how relevant innovative structural engineering solutions contributed to project success, weighted by the complexity of the solved structural engineering challenges.
3. Efficiency: Judged on how well the project promotes an economical outcome by balancing the efficiency of the structural system(s) with the costs associated with integrating that system within the overall project framework.
4. Sustainability: Judged on the extent to which structural engineering and the result of unique structural engineering solutions advances or promotes sustainability within the built environment.
5. Constructability: Judged on how well the structural engineering considered and contributed to improved constructability of the overall project.
6. Execution: Judged on the efficacy of the structural engineering and its effect on the project.
7. Public Impact: Judged on the extent to which the structural engineering will evoke reaction from the public and increase awareness of the structural engineering profession.
8. Juror Judgment: Not all judging criteria can be objectively defined, like the application of “engineering judgment” this scoring category recognizes a juror’s discretion to subjectively evaluate a project, with focus on the value of the structural engineering presented, described and executed.

ELIGIBILITY

1.     At least one member of the design team, research team, or a principal of the firm responsible for the entry, shall be a SEAOCC  Member or Member SE in good standing, residing and practicing in California.

2.     Projects may be of any size, type, or location.

3.     The project entry must have been constructed (building) or completed (research) between Dec. 31, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2025.

4.     Entrants may submit more than one project.

5.     Projects may be entered in ONE category only.

6.     Projects previously submitted are eligible for resubmission except for previous SEAOC/MO award winners.

7.     Each entry is required to include approval of the project Engineer-of-Record, Responsible Engineer, or Principal Investigator before entry will be considered by the Awards jury.

8.     To be eligible for the annual statewide SEAOC Awards program, entries must be submitted to the SEAOCC awards program.

9.     AWARD OF EXCELLENCE winners at the Regional MO Award Program will be automatically submitted to the SEAOC State Awards Program.

10.  The entrant is solely responsible for any matters regarding confidentiality agreements related to the project.

ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS

Each entry must include the following:

1.     A completed online Application form.

2.     Payment of Application fee.

3.     Display Board Graphic (*.pdf).  High-resolution image that will allow the printing of a 30” tall x 40” wide (landscape orientation) presentation board.  The board may include photographs, drawings, graphics, and text as appropriate to summarize and illustrate significant aspects of the project.  The Display may be used by the MO and SEAOC juries as part their evaluation.

a.      The display should focus on the unique structural engineering aspects of the project, with text and graphics supporting images and presentation techniques that help the observer recognize the importance of the structural engineering in the project success.

b.     The following shall be displayed somewhere on the Board:

·        Name of Project

·        The names of the Structural Engineer, Responsible Engineer (if applicable), Architect, Contractor, and Owner/Client. Include additional names receiving recognition as appropriate.

·        The wording “SEAOCC/SEAOC 2026 SEE Awards” displayed prominently.

4.     High-resolution Digital Images: Five (5) to twelve (12) high-resolution images (TIFF or JPEG) representing the project must be submitted.  These might include images of the completed project, individual features, construction photos highlighting the structural engineering, and engineering drawings.

All entries shall become the sole property of SEAOCC and SEAOC.  SEAOCC and SEAOC reserve the right to use or publish some or the entire entry material in publications. By entering, the Entrant grants a royalty-free license to SEAOCC and SEAOC to use any copyrighted material submitted. Such right includes publication of photographs and names of award recipients without compensation to Entrants.

SUBMISSION PROCESS AND DEADLINES

Please fill out the online Application Form by April 10, 2026 April 17, 2026.

The Application need not be completed in one sitting.  After saving a partially completed application, you will receive instructions on how to re-access it. 

The fee for applying to the SEAOCC and SEAOC awards program is $300.  Payment instructions will be provided via confirmation of receiving your completed Application. 

Entries with all supporting materials, forms and fees must be received by 8:00 PM on April 10, 2026.

Upon receipt of a complete entry submission, a confirming email will be sent to the entrant. Award recipients will be individually notified by May 22, 2026, in advance of the awards ceremony. The SEAOCC 2026 Awards will be recognized as a part of the June 9, 2026 SEAOCC monthly meeting. SEAOCC will print the physical boards for the event.

If you have any questions, please contact the SEAOCC/SEAOC office by email at [email protected].