NASC Awards 2023

PLEASE NOTE THE NASC AWARDS ARE NOW CLOSED

Entries are being welcomed across 7 categories. Sub-categories have been created in Project of the Year to ensure that NASC Contractor members compete against companies of similar size.

Once the deadline for entry has passed on Friday 30 June, all submissions will be sent to a judging panel, made up of independent leading construction industry professionals.

A shortlist will be announced in July/August and the winners will be revealed at the 2023 NASC Ball & Awards, taking place at the Westminster Bridge Park Plaza Hotel, London on Friday 17 November.

AWARD CATEGORIES

The categories for this year’s awards are below.

NASC Apprentice of the Year

NASC Scaffold Project of the Year

NASC Scaffold Design of the Year (NEW)

NASC President’s Award

NASC Scaffolding Ancillary Services of the Year (NEW)

NASC Health & Safety

NASC Innovation of the Year

Thank you to our sponsors

FAQs

Why should I enter the NASC Awards?
It’s completely free and won’t take you hours on end to complete the forms. All entrants will be featured in the NASC 2024 Yearbook, the NASC’s flagship publication. Hard copies of this 100+ page title are sent to 31,000+ CIOB members, while the digital edition is read by many thousands more.

If you are a frequent attendee of the Ball then why not enter the Awards too so you have a vested interest in this part of the evening.

Is it difficult to enter?
We don’t believe so. In fact we’ve gone to great lengths to streamline the entry process, and revising the questions and criteria so that everybody is judged fairly and knows exactly what the judges are looking for.

Once you have completed the simple entry form and answered all questions, and received the testimonial form (this is not mandatory but highly recommended) either save all files on a USB flashdrive and send it in the post, or drop it in to NASC head office. Or, you can save all the files and send via wetransfer.

NB Shared folders or other data sharing options will not be accepted.

Who judges the awards?
We are very proud of the high calibre of industry professionals who give up their time to help judge the awards making sure they are judged fairly and independently. Previous judges have ranged from HSE to CITB and we make sure they have expertise in the areas they are judging. No NASC members judge other NASC members. However, the new Scaffolding Ancillary Services award – an award for CISRS Training Centre members and SAP members only – will be voted for by NASC Contractor members.

Is there anything particular the judges will be looking for?
The judges will be asked to score your entry on the quality of your application i.e. the answers to the questions you supplied in the entry form so you should be looking to submit concise written information.

Photographs, videos, case studies are also reviewed so these should also be good quality. The judges are looking to see all of your information presented well and see that you are proud of your work.

Will I be able to submit a testimonial in support of my entry?
Yes. Testimonials in support of your award entry are extremely important and we have created a new testimonial template document for most awards which you can share with your customer/client to back up your own claims. This is a very important part of the judging Criteria as it really helps the judging panel to hear for example the scaffold instructor who is training your apprentices, or from your client/customer you are working for on Project of the Year to support your entry.  The NASC will make contact with the attestant for each award applicable.

Do I need a professional to take photographs?
Absolutely not. You can of course and it will help the presentation but most mobile phones will take decent images if you take the time to compose them. When taking photographs of individuals or structures, ensure there is full compliance with H&S working practices, that the subject in the photograph is clear with a tidy background, and is of a decent dpi (you should be looking to include minimum 300dpi which most modern phones can produce).

Will the judges look up my company online such as my website, LinkedIn, or external publications?
No. The judges will only review the information submitted at time of award entry. You should assume the judges have never met you and have any knowledge about your organisation, individual, or product.

Can I resubmit my 2022 entry into the 2023 awards?
Yes you can, providing the entry wasn’t placed as a winner or runner-up in the 2022 awards.

Can I enter more than one award?
Yes. Members can enter more than one award providing they are eligible for that award i.e. a contracting member could not enter Scaffold Design of the Year for example.

Can I enter multiple times for one award?
Yes. You can enter multiple times for all categories, except the Scaffolding Ancillary Services award as this award looks at the member company as a whole, rather than particular project/service/campaign.

Why are there more awards?
Even though we have created more award categories for our scaffolding industry-wide suppliers, there is actually only one more award than there was in 2022. This is because the Health & Safety award has changed from two sub-categories to one and the entry Criteria also revised. The NASC has received many Design member, CISRS Training centre member, and Services & Ancillary Product (SAP) member applications over the past 18 months and we wanted to give them an opportunity and recognise the services they provide, because they are key to our industry.

Won’t this mean the evening event taking longer?
No. We have decided to only have the winning companies be called up to stage this year so the number of stage walks will reduce from 16 to 9. It allows more time for our amazing comics to entertain guests, more dancing, and just get that balance right between the Ball and the Awards.

Why has the awards deadline changed?
The previous deadline was end of August and the eligible period for entries was November 2021 – August 2022. The judging was then carried out between September/October which was a bit too tight on time for us to process the submissions and for the judges to review prior to the November event. Also, feedback we received from members was that the closing date coincided with the summer holidays, which prevented a number of entries being received.

By bringing the entry date forward this year to 30 June, and also extending the eligible period for this year’s awards for a full 12 months (1 June 2022 – 30 June 2023), it will allow the NASC, and the judges, more time to carefully review all submissions and to have a judges feedback session. For some awards, such as Apprentice of the Year, those shortlisted will also be given an opportunity to send a video stating why they believe they should be crowned the winner of their category.

“It’s always the big companies who win these awards.”
We know that isn’t a question but it’s something we are aware our members believe. Please remember the majority of NASC contracting members are classed as small – medium sized companies, so there is no reason for members to think they can’t compete with large member companies. The judges will also be made aware of this and the reason why we have small – medium – large sub categories (based on turnover figures used for membership subscriptions) for the highly coveted Project of the Year for example.

If you have any questions or are looking for some help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch