2 September 2025 | The Royal Lancaster London
2 September 2025 | The Royal Lancaster London
By entering the CN Specialists Awards, you will be part of the only national awards recognising specialists and subcontractors, celebrating the amazing work they do across the industry.
Eligibility for entry into all categories will cover the period from January 2024 to April 2025.
Make sure you are part of the 2025 event by entering today and ensuring you have a chance of being crowned the best in the business.
Showcasing your achievements and innovations to the wider industry and potentially the largest main contractors in the UK
Getting your entries in front our esteemed panel of judges, including major Tier 1 contractors and clients for independent recognition
Gaining extensive coverage across the magazine and social media before, during and after the even
Celebrate success across your business and project teams, and reward outstanding work
Leveraging a competitive edge when it comes to winning work and becoming the specialist
contractor of choice
Entries close 4 April 2025 so make a start today!
Hopefully you'll find an answer to your question below. If not, please contact Elijah Blunt on 020 3953 2197 or email Elijah.Blunt@emap.com .
To view the criteria, create your account, or login with your email and password used to create your account if you have already done so. Select ‘Enter Now’ against the category you wish to view where the criteria will be displayed. If you wish to start your entry at this point any information you add will be autosaved and you can login to complete the rest of the entry at any time.
Enter the email address and password that you used when you first started your entry on the log in page, you will then be taken through to your dashboard and will be able to continue your entry.
You can enter another category by selecting the category you wish to enter from the ‘Categories’ section.
Please contact
Elijah Blunt
on 020 3953 2197 or email
Elijah.Blunt@emap.com
and they will be able to help you with your entry.
This award celebrates a specialist contractor, from any discipline, that has gone above and beyond expectations to provide an outstanding contribution to the industry or to society at large.
Entrants must have delivered results or improvements between January 2024 and April 2025.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
We are seeking entries that demonstrate an outstanding intervention, innovation or initiative. The winning entrant may have substantially improved safety, raised employee wellbeing, given back to society, achieved positive business change, transformed their approach to diversity and inclusion, achieved breakthroughs in efficiency, or exceeded client expectations by an overwhelming margin. We are especially looking for entrants that have delivered an outcome with a lasting or widespread impact.
This category is open to UK-based apprentices who have demonstrated outstanding promise in their chosen field.
Entrants will be judged on their achievements between January 2024 and April 2025 and must have been working in construction for no more than three years at the start of that period (i.e. their apprenticeship must have begun no earlier than January 2022). During the period they must have been working either for a specialist contractor or for a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Entries can be submitted by the apprentice or by their employer, but in either case the entry must include an endorsement from a manager or director within their organisation.
This category is open to specialist contractors, with annual turnover up to £25m, that have achieved outstanding outcomes between January 2024 and April 2025.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House. It is open only to firms that have filed annual accounts between 1 January 2024 and 30 April 2025 showing annual revenues of £25m or less. Entries must state turnover and profit figures for a financial year reported during the entry period above, and must also make a statement about their health and safety record during the period.
This category is open to specialist contractors, with annual turnover above £25m, that have achieved outstanding outcomes between January 2024 and April 2025.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House. It is open only to firms that have filed annual accounts between 1 January 2024 and 30 April 2025 showing annual revenues in excess of £25m. Entries must state turnover and profit figures for a financial year reported during the entry period above, and must also make a statement about their health and safety record during the period.
This award recognises specialist contractors that have put training and employee advancement at the heart of their business.
This might include exceptional employee results or achievements, new courses, new training facilities, or new accreditations, evidence of improved staff retention, or expanding your firm’s remit through acquiring new skills.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor, a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House, or a supplier of materials or equipment to specialist contractors.
Entrants will be judged on their record in training and developing staff, and business performance, between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates specialist contractors that have delivered outstanding social value through their work and through cultivating meaningful relationships with local communities.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor, a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House, or a supplier of materials or equipment to specialist contractors.
Entrants will be judged on their record of delivering social value to communities between January 2024 and April 2025.
Entrants will be judged on the quality of benefits delivered to local communities and on the potential long-term legacy of their activities. The winner will have gone above and beyond what might normally be expected of an organisation in its position.
This is for rising stars who have been in the specialist construction industry for 10 years or less but have shown innovative thinking, astute business acumen, made a significant contribution to a project, or otherwise demonstrated their ability to rise to the top. Entrants should be able to demonstrate how, specifically, they have made a difference to their projects or business.
They will be judged on all round ability - not only academic and work-related achievements - but also their enthusiasm for construction as an industry and their ambition.
Entries should be submitted by either the nominee or their employer and should include a commendation from a senior leader within their organisation.
This award is to celebrate outstanding outcomes in health, safety and wellbeing, including both physical and mental health, in the short and long term.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Entrants will be judged on their health, safety and wellbeing policies, activities, initiatives and achievements during the period between January 2024 and April 2025.
The award recognises contractors that have developed an outstanding new product, new service, new process, or other relevant breakthrough. As well as entrants displaying technical ingenuity, the judges will also consider exceptional inventiveness in terms of productivity, business systems, or the quality of service offered to clients.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Entrants will be judged on the impact of innovations developed, piloted or rolled out between January 2024 and April 2025.
The focus of the award is on innovation developed within the UK. A UK-based contractor that has introduced an innovation originally developed abroad is eligible to enter, but will need to clearly demonstrate the value of their own contribution.
This award recognises non-contractor organisations that have developed an innovative, non-technological product to improve construction processes.
Entries should focus on at least one example of specific innovation the product delivers. The product could be site or office based, and entrants should be clear whether the innovation lies in performance, cost, health & safety, reliability, or other factors, and provide supporting evidence.
Please note: Technological or digital innovations should be entered into the Technology Innovation of the Year (Non-Contractor) category
To be eligible, the entrant must NOT be a main contractor, specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor. Eligible organisations include but are not limited to material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, consultants, training providers and trade bodies.
Entrants will be judged on the impact of innovations developed, piloted or rolled out between January 2024 and April 2025.
The focus of the award is on innovation developed within the UK. A UK-based provider that has introduced an innovation originally developed abroad is eligible to enter, but will need to clearly demonstrate the value of their own contribution.
This award recognises exceptional achievement in the application of digital technology to improve processes, delivery or outcomes in specialist construction.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House. This category is NOT open to suppliers that provide digital technology as their primary business activity, though a supplier may be named alongside a specialist contractor when a contractor files its entry.
Entrants will be judged on their achievements with digital technology between January 2024 and April 2025.
This award recognises non-contractor organisations that have developed an innovative technology or digital solution to improve construction processes.
Entries should focus on at least one example of specific innovation the technology delivers. The product could be site or office based, and entrants should be clear whether the innovation lies in performance, cost, health & safety, reliability, or other factors, and provide supporting evidence.
Please note: Any non-technological or digital innovations should be entered into Product Innovation of the Year (Non-Contractor)
To be eligible, the entrant must NOT be a main contractor, specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor. Eligible organisations include but are not limited to material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, consultants, training providers and trade bodies.
Entrants will be judged on the impact of innovations developed, piloted or rolled out between January 2024 and April 2025.
The focus of the award is on innovation developed within the UK. A UK-based provider that has introduced an innovation originally developed abroad is eligible to enter, but will need to clearly demonstrate the value of their own contribution.
This award recognises outstanding achievement and leadership in decarbonisation, reducing emissions across the organisation’s own activities as well as working to reduce carbon throughout the project lifecycle or in partnership with suppliers to tackle embodied carbon.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House. Clients, partners, suppliers, consultants and other stakeholders are not eligible but may be named alongside a specialist contractor when a contractor files its entry.
Entrants will be judged on their achievements between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates outstanding achievement by a specialist subcontractor on a specific project, where the total value of the specialist’s contribution to the project adds up to £2m or less.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Work done by the specialist must have reached practical completion between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates outstanding achievement by a specialist subcontractor on a specific project, where the total value of the specialist’s contribution to the project adds up to between £2m and £5m.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Work done by the specialist must have reached practical completion between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates outstanding achievement by a specialist subcontractor on a specific project, where the total value of the specialist’s contribution to the project adds up to more than £5m.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Work done by the specialist must have reached practical completion between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates leadership in the field of access and scaffolding provision within the UK.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Entrants will be judged on their achievements between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates the achievements of steel specialist firms within the UK that can demonstrate achievement of clear business milestones over the last year. The award will celebrate firms involved in structural and steel fabrication that have continually delivered innovation, quality and value between January 2024 and April 2025, while improving the business and making it more profitable.
Entrants must be able to use projects undertaken to show their technical capabilities in delivering projects beyond the expectations of their clients, within budget and on time.
Judges will also consider the contractor's approach to coping with challenges on site, interacting with the supply chain and improving the wellbeing of its staff.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
This category celebrates leadership in the field of mechanical, electrical and plumbing provision within the UK.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Entrants will be judged on their achievements between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates leadership in the field of demolition and enabling works within the UK.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Entrants will be judged on their achievements between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates the achievements of concrete specialist firms within the UK that can demonstrate achievement of clear business milestones over the last year. The award will celebrate firms that have continually delivered innovation, quality and value between January 2024 and April 2025, while improving the business and making it more profitable.
Entrants must be able to use projects undertaken to show their technical capabilities in delivering projects beyond the expectations of their clients, within budget and on time.
Judges will also consider the contractor's approach to coping with challenges on site, interacting with the supply chain and improving the wellbeing of its staff.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.
This category celebrates excellence from a specialist in offsite or modern methods of construction (MMC) within the UK.
To be eligible, the entrant must be an independent specialist with a significant focus on MMC, design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA), the use of offsite methods, or an offsite-focused subsidiary of a larger organisation that files separate accounts at Companies House.
Entrants will be judged on their achievements between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates outstanding achievement by any organisation that manufacturers, hires, sells or supplies equipment to specialist contractors in the UK.
To be eligible, the entrant must be an independent firm or subsidiary of a larger group that files separate accounts at Companies House, which earns the majority of its revenues through the provision of construction equipment.
Entrants will be judged on their achievements between January 2024 and April 2025.
This category celebrates the achievements of fit out specialist firms within the UK that can demonstrate achievement of clear business milestones over the last year. The award will celebrate firms that have continually delivered innovation, quality and value between January 2024 and April 2025, while improving the business and making it more profitable.
Entrants must be able to use projects undertaken to show their technical capabilities in delivering projects beyond the expectations of their clients, within budget and on time.
Judges will also consider the contractor's approach to coping with challenges on site, interacting with the supply chain and improving the wellbeing of its staff.
To be eligible, the entrant must be a specialist contractor or a specialist subsidiary of a main contractor that files separate accounts at Companies House.