ITA Launches 3rd Edition of Tunneling Awards

By TBM News February 23, 2017

The International Tunneling Association (ITA) has announced that its 3rd annual Tunneling Awards presentation will be held Nov. 15, 2017 in Paris. The presentation will be held during the French Association of Tunneling and Underground Space (AFTES) congress, which takes place from Nov. 13-15.

After two successful editions in Switzerland and Singapore, the ITA Tunneling Awards is becoming an international standard for the tunneling world. The two first editions of the ITA Tunneling Awards received more than 200 entries and 64 nominations, rewarded 21 projects and personalities and gathered more than 450 attendees.

The application process for the 2017 awards is now open and candidacies can be registered until May 30th through the ITA Tunneling Awards website.

This year, entries can be submitted in 9 categories, 6 permanent and 3 new categories. Nominations for the following categories must contain projects for which the major civil engineering work was completed between Jan. 1, 2015 and April 1, 2017. The Young Tunneler of the Year rewards an individual born on/after the July 1, 1982, and who has brought an outstanding contribution to tunneling.

The categories are:

• Major Project of the Year – over 500€ million
• Project of the Year – between €50 million and €500 million
• Project of the Year – (up to €50 million)
• Technical Project Innovation of the Year
• Technical Product or Equipment innovation of the Year
• Sustainability initiative of the Year
• Safety Initiative of the Year
• Innovative Use of Underground Space
• Young Tunneller of the Year
• Life Time Achievement Award (application not required)

The three new categories are:

• The Technical Project Innovation of the Year: Candidates can register their entries if the project both advances the current best practices or new product or equipment specifications, and also improves and increases the application of equipment and materials.

• The Technical Product or Equipment Innovation of the Year: This category includes technical product/equipment innovations which both advance the current “state of the art” or new product/equipment, and also improve and increase the application of equipment and materials.

• The Sustainability Initiative: The entries for this last new category will illustrate the use of unique and novel approaches to underground works that provide sustainable solutions.