Tech Expo 2026

Awards Criteria

STA Construction Technology Awards

These awards recognize individuals and firms who are advancing the use of technology in the construction industry. Judges will evaluate nominations against each criterion using the assigned weights. Nominees are encouraged to provide specific data, examples, and honest reflection including what did not work in their responses

JUDGING PANEL

Taylor Galano

Trimble

Mike Rascona

E-J Electric

Ajay Narula

Curtis Partition

Aaron Hilger

Association of Wall-Ceiling & Carpentry Industries

Michael Donohue

Skanska

Christian Peña

AECOM

LEADERSHIP AWARD

Outstanding Technology Leadership

Trade Contractor

Recognizes a trade contractor that has demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing technology adoption through strategic vision, measurable outcomes, and a culture that empowers workers at every level.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Criterion	Description	Weight
Strategic Vision	Demonstrates a clear, documented technology roadmap aligned with business objectives.	25%
Implementation Impact	Measurable improvements in safety, quality, productivity, or cost from technology initiatives.	25%
Team Enablement	Investment in training, change management, and building internal tech competency.	20%
Industry Influence	Leadership extends beyond their own firm to mentorship, peer sharing, industry participation.	15%
Scalability	Technology solutions are replicable across projects and crews	15%

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

Comments

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Name(Required)

First Last

Company(Required)

Describe your organization's technology strategy over the past two years. What were the primary goals, and how were they communicated to leadership and field teams?(Required)

Provide two to three examples of technology initiatives you led or championed. What was the business problem, the solution deployed, and the measurable outcome?(Required)

How has your organization invested in workforce training and upskilling around technology?(Required)

What metrics does your organization use to evaluate the success of technology investments? Share specific data from at least one initiative.(Required)

How have you influenced peers, subcontractors, or trade partners to adopt technology practices? Describe any mentorship or knowledge-sharing activities.(Required)

What is the most significant obstacle your organization has overcome in technology adoption, and how was it resolved?(Required)

Name

Company

Describe your organization's technology strategy over the past two years. What were the primary goals, and how were they communicated to leadership and field teams?

Provide two to three examples of technology initiatives you led or championed. What was the business problem, the solution deployed, and the measurable outcome?

How has your organization invested in workforce training and upskilling around technology?

What metrics does your organization use to evaluate the success of technology investments? Share specific data from at least one initiative.

How have you influenced peers, subcontractors, or trade partners to adopt technology practices? Describe any mentorship or knowledge-sharing activities.

What is the most significant obstacle your organization has overcome in technology adoption, and how was it resolved?

LEADERSHIP AWARD

Outstanding Technology Leadership

General Contractor

Recognizes a general contractor organization that has demonstrated enterprise-wide technology leadership integrating technology across preconstruction, field operations, and owner delivery with measurable impact.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Criterion	Description	Weight
Enterprise Strategy	Firmwide technology governance, roadmap, and executive sponsorship with clear accountability.	25%
Cross-Team Integration	Technology connects preconstruction, field operations, and owner delivery in a unified workflow.	20%
Supply Chain Enablement	Actively helps trade partners and suppliers adopt and integrate aligned technologies.	20%
Measured Outcomes	Quantified improvements in schedule, cost, safety, or client satisfaction tied to technology.	20%
Culture & Change Leadership	Organizational culture that embraces experimentation, learning from failure, and continuous improvement.	15%

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

X/Twitter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Name(Required)

First Last

Company(Required)

Describe your firmwide technology governance structure. Who owns the technology strategy, and how are decisions prioritized and funded?(Required)

How does your technology ecosystem connect preconstruction, field execution, and owner-facing reporting? Describe the data flows and integration points.(Required)

In what ways has your organization supported trade contractors or suppliers in adopting compatible technologies? Provide specific examples.(Required)

Identify two or more projects where technology directly contributed to a measurable improvement. (schedule, cost, safety, quality).(Required)

Describe how your organization cultivates a culture of innovation. How are new ideas surfaced, piloted, and scaled?(Required)

What technology investment has delivered the highest return, and how did you determine and communicate that ROI?(Required)

How does your leadership team stay current with emerging construction technology, and how does that translate into decisions(Required)

Name

Company

Describe your firmwide technology governance structure. Who owns the technology strategy, and how are decisions prioritized and funded?

How does your technology ecosystem connect preconstruction, field execution, and owner-facing reporting? Describe the data flows and integration points.

In what ways has your organization supported trade contractors or suppliers in adopting compatible technologies? Provide specific examples.

Identify two or more projects where technology directly contributed to a measurable improvement. (schedule, cost, safety, quality).

Describe how your organization cultivates a culture of innovation. How are new ideas surfaced, piloted, and scaled?

What technology investment has delivered the highest return, and how did you determine and communicate that ROI?

How does your leadership team stay current with emerging construction technology, and how does that translate into decisions

INNOVATION AWARD

Innovation in AI Application

Trade Contractor

Recognizes a trade contractor that has deployed artificial intelligence in a meaningful, field-relevant way with demonstrated outcomes and a responsible approach to AI use among their workforce.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Criterion	Description	Weight
Genuine AI Application	The solution uses AI capabilities meaningfully not just automation or digital tools labeled as AI.	25%
Field Relevance	The AI application addresses a real challenge specific to the trade’s work e.g. safety, quality, scheduling, labor.	25%
Adoption & Usability	Frontline workers and foremen can use it without requiring data science expertise.	20%
Validated Results	Outcomes are measurable and attributable to the AI application, not coincidental.	20%
Responsible Use	Consideration of data privacy, worker trust, bias, and responsible deployment in the field.	10%

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Name(Required)

First Last

Company(Required)

Describe the AI application you implemented. What specifically does it do, and how does it differ from conventional digital tools?(Required)

What field-level problem was this AI application designed to solve? How significant was that problem before the solution was deployed?(Required)

How are frontline workers or foremen interacting with the AI tool in day-to-day operations? Describe the actual workflow.(Required)

What outcomes can you directly attribute to this AI application? Provide quantitative data where available (safety incidents, rework rates, productivity, etc.).(Required)

How did you address concerns from workers about the use of AI on site, such as privacy, job displacement, or data use?(Required)

What lessons did you learn during deployment, and what would you do differently?(Required)

Name

Company

Describe the AI application you implemented. What specifically does it do, and how does it differ from conventional digital tools?

What field-level problem was this AI application designed to solve? How significant was that problem before the solution was deployed?

How are frontline workers or foremen interacting with the AI tool in day-to-day operations? Describe the actual workflow.

What outcomes can you directly attribute to this AI application? Provide quantitative data where available (safety incidents, rework rates, productivity, etc.).

How did you address concerns from workers about the use of AI on site, such as privacy, job displacement, or data use?

What lessons did you learn during deployment, and what would you do differently?

AI INNOVATION AWARD

Innovation in AI Application

General Contractor

Recognizes a general contractor that has deployed AI in a significant, operationally integrated way building lasting internal capability while achieving measurable business outcomes.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Criterion	Description	Weight
Scope & Ambition	The AI initiative is significant in scale, complexity, or novelty relative to industry norms.	20%
Workflow Integration	AI is woven into operational processes not a standalone tool but part of how the business runs.	25%
Measurable Business Impact	Quantifiable improvements in cost, schedule, safety, quality, or decision-making speed.	25%
Team Capability Building	The organization is building lasting AI literacy and internal capability — not just buying software.	15%
Responsible Governance	Policies and practices for ethical, transparent, and accountable AI use across the organization.	15%

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Name(Required)

First Last

Company(Required)

What AI initiative or application are you nominating? Describe what it does, the scale of deployment, and which business functions it affects.(Required)

How is the AI tool integrated into your existing workflows and systems? What would break if it were removed tomorrow?(Required)

What quantifiable outcomes have you achieved through this AI application? Be specific about the metrics, baseline, and timeframe.(Required)

What has your organization done to build internal AI understanding and capability not just adoption of a vendor product?(Required)

How do you govern AI use within your organization who is accountable, how are risks assessed, and how is output validated?(Required)

What is the most unexpected result, positive or negative, from your AI deployment?(Required)

Name

Company

What AI initiative or application are you nominating? Describe what it does, the scale of deployment, and which business functions it affects.

How is the AI tool integrated into your existing workflows and systems? What would break if it were removed tomorrow?

What quantifiable outcomes have you achieved through this AI application? Be specific about the metrics, baseline, and timeframe.

What has your organization done to build internal AI understanding and capability not just adoption of a vendor product?

How do you govern AI use within your organization who is accountable, how are risks assessed, and how is output validated?

What is the most unexpected result, positive or negative, from your AI deployment?

PROJECT AWARD

Outstanding Use of Technology to Improve Jobsite Safety

This award recognizes a company, product, or team that has used technology in an innovative or impactful way to improve safety on the jobsite, in the field, or across an industry.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Criterion	Description	Weight
Innovation	Originality and creativity of the technology’s application to a safety problem.	25%
Measurable Impact	Quantifiable improvement in safety outcomes.	25%
Real-World Adoption	Evidence of actual, sustained use in the field.	25%
Scalability & Replicability	Potential for other companies or sites to adopt the solution.	25%

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

X/Twitter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Name(Required)

First Last

Company(Required)

Provide a brief project description: type, size, delivery method, duration, and key stakeholders.(Required)

What technologies were deployed on this project? Describe how they were integrated with each other and with the project workflow.(Required)

What specific challenges on this project drove the technology choices? Why was a standard approach insufficient?(Required)

What are the measurable outcomes attributable to the technology used? Include safety, schedule, cost, and quality data where available.(Required)

How did technology improve collaboration between the owner, designer, GC, and trade contractors on this project?(Required)

What challenges or failures did you encounter in deploying technology on this project, and how were they addressed?(Required)

What practices or tools from this project are now being applied to future projects in your organization?(Required)

Name

Company

Provide a brief project description: type, size, delivery method, duration, and key stakeholders.

What technologies were deployed on this project? Describe how they were integrated with each other and with the project workflow.

What specific challenges on this project drove the technology choices? Why was a standard approach insufficient?

What are the measurable outcomes attributable to the technology used? Include safety, schedule, cost, and quality data where available.

How did technology improve collaboration between the owner, designer, GC, and trade contractors on this project?

What challenges or failures did you encounter in deploying technology on this project, and how were they addressed?

What practices or tools from this project are now being applied to future projects in your organization?

INDIVIDUAL AWARD

Technology Advocate of the Year

Individual

Recognizes an individual whose passion, credibility, and persistent effort has meaningfully advanced technology adoption in the construction industry within their own organization and beyond.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Criterion	Description	Weight
Industry Influence	The individual has shaped how others in the industry think about and adopt technology — beyond their own firm.	30%
Internal Champion	Demonstrated persistent effort to drive technology adoption within their own organization.	20%
Education & Outreach	Active in speaking, writing, mentoring, or teaching related to construction technology.	20%
Authenticity & Credibility	Advocacy is grounded in real implementation experience, not theory or vendor affiliation.	20%
Inclusivity of Advocacy	Efforts to bring smaller firms, trade contractors, or underrepresented groups into the technology conversation.	10%

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

URL

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Name(Required)

First Last

Company(Required)

Describe this individual's role and how long they have been active in construction technology advocacy.(Required)

What specific actions has this person taken to advance technology adoption within their own organization? Provide examples with outcomes.(Required)

How has this individual influenced the broader industry, through speaking, writing, associations, mentorship, or other channels? List specific contributions from the past 24 months.(Required)

What makes this person's advocacy credible? Describe the implementation experience that grounds their perspective.(Required)

Has this individual made efforts to extend technology conversations to smaller firms, trade contractors, or those typically left behind in tech adoption? Describe.(Required)

Name

Company

Describe this individual's role and how long they have been active in construction technology advocacy.

What specific actions has this person taken to advance technology adoption within their own organization? Provide examples with outcomes.

How has this individual influenced the broader industry, through speaking, writing, associations, mentorship, or other channels? List specific contributions from the past 24 months.

What makes this person's advocacy credible? Describe the implementation experience that grounds their perspective.

Has this individual made efforts to extend technology conversations to smaller firms, trade contractors, or those typically left behind in tech adoption? Describe.