CHICAGO, IL (August 1, 2013) - The National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) is now accepting entries for its 2014 Prize Bridge Competition, which honors significant and innovative steel bridges constructed in the U.S. The winners will be announced at the 2014 World Steel Bridge Symposium, which will be co-located with NASCC: The Steel Conference in Toronto, March 26-29, 2014, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Entries are due by December 31, 2013 and must be submitted online at www.steelbridges.org/PrizeBridgeAwards.

NSBA's Prize Bridge Competition began in 1928. The winning bridges will be featured in Modern Steel Construction magazine and the project team members will be presented with distinguished awards at the 2014 World Steel Bridge Symposium in Toronto.

To qualify for the competition, all bridges must be constructed of structural steel and located in the U.S. (defined as the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories). Eligible bridges must have been completed and open to traffic between May 1, 2011 and September 30, 2013.

An independent panel of industry experts will judge entries on the following criteria: innovation, aesthetics, economics, and design and engineering solutions. Entries may be judged in more than one category, but each entry can only receive one award.

Award categories include:
•    Major Span: One or more spans greater than or equal to 400 ft
•    Long Span: Longest span equal to or greater than 250 ft but less than 400 ft
•    Medium Span: Longest span equal to or greater than 140 ft but less than 250 ft
•    Short Span: No single span greater than 140 ft
•    Movable Span
•    Reconstructed: Having undergone major reconstruction, rehabilitation, or widening
•    Special Purpose: Bridge not identifiable in one of the above categories including pedestrian, pipeline, and airplane

In addition, NSBA will offer special recognition to one project that best exemplifies Accelerated Bridge Construction and one project that best exemplifies a full range of sustainable attributes.
For more information about the competition and to submit your steel bridge project for consideration, visit www.steelbridges.org/PrizeBridgeAwards.

The National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA), a division of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), is dedicated to advancing the state-of-the-art of steel bridge design and construction. This national, non-profit organization is a unified voice representing the entire steel bridge community. The NSBA seeks to facilitate/coordinate the industry efforts to enhance the deployment of steel bridge design and construction in the U.S. through technology confidence building, infrastructure strengthening, and market awareness. The NSBA maintains a committed focus on assisting its membership with their bridge design needs and technical information associated with steel bridge construction.