2025 Projects

The 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition is opening Wednesday, February 5 and running through Friday, April 4.  

This program, now in its 18th year, seeks to highlight the great work state DOTs are doing every day to improve quality of life, spur economic development, utilize innovative new technologies/programs/processes, and make communities safer.

Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, projects first compete on a regional level, with winners announced throughout the summer. States can nominate up to four projects in the categories of quality of life/community development, operations excellence, best use of technology and innovation and safety. After the regional competitions, the three highest scoring projects from each region are named to America’s Top 12 and go on to compete for the two top prizes–the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award.

Eligibility

  • Nomination process is open from February 5, 2025 to April 4, 2025
  • Projects must have been completed or substantially completed between January 1 – December 31, 2024
  • Previously nominated projects are not eligible to compete
  • Only state DOTs may enter the competition

Entry Process

Each state DOT may submit a total of four entries (bonus points are allotted to states that submit three different projects–one per category). The same project cannot be entered in more than one category.

Entry Format

Each entry must include the following:

  1. A completed entry form (which includes several direct questions to answer via text boxes)
  2. At least two testimonials from non-Department of Transportation individuals or organizations to support the story of the project and its benefits
  3. At least three high quality JPG (.jpg) images of the project, complete with photo captions [NOTE: please include people in photos, whether in construction or customers utilizing your projects. Empty roadways, bike paths, bridges, or other infrastructure don’t adequately highlight your projects.]

And, optionally:

  1. A project video (either an as attachment or a Word document with a YouTube link to the video) not to exceed five minutes in duration
  2. Appendices presenting additional information to support the entry such as newspaper, trade publication or magazine articles

NOTE: Photographs or diagrams must be submitted separately (not embedded into a presentation) with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. It is important that these images be high quality to be used online and in marketing materials. We also also ask you provide descriptive photo captions for each photo. Your submission should not include creative elements (such as, photos, graphs, charts, graphics) that violate or infringe upon another person’s or company’s rights, including but not limited to copyright.  If you do not own copyright to any creative element, please remove it from your submission.

Direct any questions to Allie Freedman, afreedman@aashto.org.