CN Awards 2026 shortlist announced

The shortlist for the 30th anniversary CN Awards has been released, with Kier, Balfour Beatty, Willmott Dixon, Costain and GMI Construction Group among firms gaining multiple nominations.

This year’s programme marks three decades of the awards and brings together a wide spread of contractors, consultants, clients, specialists and individuals from across the industry.

The shortlist spans business excellence, innovation, project and workforce excellence categories, with finalists recognised for work ranging from decarbonisation and digital delivery to safety, training and major project performance.

Kier appears in business excellence categories for low-carbon and collaborative work, and is also up for project and workforce awards.

Its shortlisted entries include the West Cornwall Hospital scheme, Deyes High School, Musgrove Park Surgical Centre and new clinical buildings at Luton & Dunstable University Hospital.

Balfour Beatty is shortlisted for rail and digital entries including work by its rail business and the Balfour Beatty Vinci team on HS2, while the wider group also appears in workforce categories.

Willmott Dixon has nominations covering digital construction, interiors, collaboration, project delivery and individual awards.

Costain, GMI Construction Group and Tilbury Douglas appear on multiple lists.

Costain is shortlisted for schemes including the A1 Birtley to Coal House Road improvement scheme, the A40 Westway refurbishment and its Transport for London framework work.

GMI secures nominations spanning culture, safety and project delivery, while Tilbury Douglas appears in engineering, collaboration, heritage and healthcare categories.

The client and developer names on the shortlist underline the breadth of this year’s programme. Organisations including National Highways, Cardiff Council, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Quintain, Bicester Motion and Staffordshire Campus Living LLP all feature in the business excellence section.

Their presence reflects the awards’ continued focus on recognising not just contractors, but the wider teams and commissioning bodies involved in shaping projects and programmes.

The innovation categories cover products, systems and approaches aimed at changing how projects are delivered. Finalists include entries from AtkinsRéalis, Hyperion Robotics, Ibstock, Instagrid, Alice Technologies, MSite, RED Construction Group and WSP.

Digital tools, low-carbon materials, traceable compliance systems and offsite-led ideas all feature among the shortlisted work, showing how closely innovation and delivery are now linked across construction.

Project categories include a broad mix of housing, healthcare, education, highways, regeneration and infrastructure schemes.

Among the shortlisted jobs are the Northumberland Line, Renfrew Bridge, Keel Crossing in Sunderland, Chichester College’s STEM and higher education building, Woolwich Waves Leisure Centre, the Chancery Rosewood and Eastbrook Studios.

The list also includes smaller-scale and specialist schemes, reflecting the awards’ attempt to cover the full range of work taking place across the sector.

The release of the shortlist now shifts attention to the awards ceremony itself.

With the CN Awards reaching its 30th year, the ceremony will be celebration of current achievements and a marker of how the industry has changed over three decades.

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Colin Marrs

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