The Construction Innovation Forum invites NOVA Award Nominations to be submitted postmarked by March 1 each year for that year's NOVA Awards. We are now calling for NOVA Award Nominations to be sent by March 1, 2008 for the 2008 NOVA Awards, which will be presented at the 2008 NOVA Awards Banquet in November.
   The CIF itself identifies individual construction innovations it feels are worthy of nomination for the NOVA Award and directly solicits their Nomination. It has developed Guidelines for Identifying and Soliciting NOVA Award Nominations and other materials for use by itself and others. The CIF encourages those in the construction industry to themselves identify innovations and either prepare and submit their Nomination or solicit those responsible for the innovations to do so.
   A copy of the Nomination Form can be obtained from the CIF office or downloaded from this CIF web site (www.cif.org). For examples of complete nominations, see the this year's NOVA Award Nominations.
   Innovations from all parts of the construction industry and all over the world are equally eligible for the NOVA Award. The NOVA Award Nomination process is purposely simple so it is easy for anyone to make a nomination. The best way for anyone to recognize and reward an innovation is to nominate it for the NOVA Award.
   The CIF has received 560 Nominations from more than 20 countries and has presented 78 NOVA Awards to innovations involving 12 countries: Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Great Britain, Holland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and United States. All Nominations are highlighted on the CIF world wide web site for all the world to see, learn, and use.

Nova Award Process

The NOVA Award was created to recognize the innovative techniques and methods, proven on actual projects, that improve the quality and reduce the cost of construction. First awarded in 1990, the NOVA Award has become the most prestigious award in the construction industry, because it bridges all segments of construction, and its winners have been proven by CIF's own investigation.

The Construction Innovation Forum (CIF) invites NOVA Award nominations from all sectors of the industry. A person, an organization, or a combination of people and organizations can be recognized for their innovation. You are encouraged to nominate successful innovations by your colleagues, clients, consultants, contractors, suppliers, trades persons, and by yourself. Self nominations are encouraged, since many subjects are best understood and presented by their creator.

Each year, following the nomination and jury process described below, the CIF presents NOVA Awards at the annual Innovation Celebration. This event, attended by hundreds of owners and construction industry leaders, has become an international showcase for construction innovation.

How to submit a nomination
The nomination process for the NOVA Awards is purposely simple, and unlike that of a "competition". The NOVA Award is not a competition. It is recognition of a benefit to the entire industry. The responsibility for determining the value of a nomination rests largely on the jury. You are asked to supply a minimum of information, and no more. This simplifies your nomination, and prevents recognition being awarded on the basis of how well the information is "packaged". For examples of complete nominations, see this year's NOVA Award Nominations.

• Nominations must follow the three-page format described on the Nomination Form.
  
• Nominations that do not meet this format or that contain incorrect information may be considered non-responsive.
  
• Information submitted in addition to the three-page format will not be reviewed by the Jury.
  
• The Jury will review the nominations and select finalists for investigation by the CIF.
  
• CIF Investigators contact persons listed on the Nomination Form and other sources to research and document each finalist in a confidential report to the Jury.
  
• The Jury will review the research reports and select NOVA Award winners.
  
• The CIF will contact the winners and prepare program material to describe the NOVA Award-winning innovations at the Construction Innovation Celebration.

Selection criteria

1. Each nominated innovation is judged by its effect on the construction process and on facility service. It can be an innovation in the construction process itself or in materials, design, equipment, detailing, contract administration, labor relations, management, training, procurement, maintenance, use, etc. that improves the construction process and/or facility service. A project can be nominated for its innovative concepts or methods.
   
2. The innovation must be a proven success. It must have had a positive, important effect on construction or service, to improve quality or reduce cost. Innovation is the implementation of new methods and new technologies. It is not merely an idea that has merit and may be successful in the future. It must promote good, acceptable construction practices.
   
3. The innovation must be a significant advance, not just a natural evolution of existing methods, common sense, or good practice.
   
4. The innovation must be documentable and presentable. Innovators and their employers must disclose sufficient information about the innovation to allow documentation for the Jury and an informative presentation at the Construction Innovation Celebration.

Nova Award Nominations

Nominations for the Nova Awards are available to be viewed, downloaded, and freely distributed. Download individual nominations or their summaries from the LIST OF NOMINATIONS. We encourage everyone to read the nominations and use these latest innovations to improve construction practice.

James H.J. Hughes, III, PE
Executive Vice President
Conesco Industries, Ltd.
Little Ferry, NJ

Lawrence T. Gilbert, P.E.
Construction Manager
NTH Consultants
Detroit, MI

Dennis King, F AIA
CEO, HarleyEllis
Southfield, MI

David L. Hamilton,
President & CEO
George W. Auch Company
Pontiac, MI

David W. Pittman, PhD, PE
Director, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory
US Army Research and Development Center
Vicksburg, MS

RADM David J. Nash, PE
President
BE&K Government Group
Birmingham, AL

NOVA Award Manager Emeritus

Robert B. Harris, PE
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

NOVA Award Investigator Emeritus

Egons Tons, PhD, PE
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Jurors Emeritus
 
Frank T. Callahan, PE (1994)
Donald J. Duck, PE (1994)
Robert W. Duemling (1995)
Daniel C. Halpin, PhD, PE (1994)
Theodore C. Kennedy (1998)
Louis R. Shaffer, PhD, PE (1994)
Richard N. Wright, PhD, PE (2000)
Howard Stussman (2001)
Robert A. Valentine, AIA (2002)
Milton C. Gore, Jr., PE (2002)
Thomas P. Muller (2002)
Phillip V. Frederickson (2003)
Charles Jones (2004)
Michael J. O’Connor, PhD (2005)
T. Michael Goodrich (2006)

This page last updated 03/17/04 by RICarr