General Criteria Entry Rules - The Footbridge Awards 2025

A full of the criteria and rules for entering The Footbridge Awards 2025.

Eligibility

Projects must meet BOTH of the following criteria:

  • They must be for use ONLY for pedestrians and/or cyclists and/or equestrians (except for the New Life award, see below).
  • They must have been opened to the public, or the renovation programme completed, between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2024.
Categories
  • Movable Bridges: For all types of new movable pedestrian or cycle bridges.
  • Short Span: For new single or multi-span footbridges with a longest clear span of 30m or less.
  • Medium Span: For new single or multi-span footbridges with a longest clear span between 30.1m and 60m.
  • Long Span: For new single or multi-span footbridges with a longest clear span greater than 60m.
  • New Life: Renovation, refurbishment, reuse or retrofit bridge project for the primary benefit of pedestrians, cyclists and/or equestrians. Please note that this category is open to crossings other than footbridges, eg road viaducts, but only where these have been altered with the main purpose of benefitting pedestrians/cyclists/equestrians, for example repurposing a rail viaduct as a pedestrian/cycling space. A highway bridge refurbishment project that includes the pedestrian walkway would not apply.
  • The Jonathan Speirs Lighting Award: For a lighting scheme on a new or existing footbridge of any size. Created in memory of Jonathan Speirs of Speirs & Major.
  • The Bridges Sustainability Award: Recognising innovation in the reduction of carbon emissions in footbridge design and construction.

The judging panel will be chaired by José María Sánchez de Muniáin, editor of Bridge design & engineering magazine, and will include international, independent experts. The judges will be given complete freedom in reaching their final decisions, but will take particular note of the following criteria:

  • fitness for purpose
  •  value for money
  • quality of design and construction
  •  innovation
  • appearance, harmony with the environment
  •  efficient use of materials
  • safety and security
  •  application of research and development results
  • benefit to the community
  • energy-saving measures
  • life-cycle costs
Jonathan Speirs Lighting 2017 Winner: George C King Bridge, Calgary, Canada

Jonathan Speirs Lighting 2017 Winner: George C King Bridge, Calgary, Canada

Checklist

Your entry should include the nomination statement: this should be in PDF format, on no more than FOUR A4 pages, including pictures. Payment by credit card will be required to finalise the process. See ‘How to enter’ for more details about content.