Industry Innovator of the Year Award

2025 Texas Innovation Invitational

Nominations for the 2025 award are open!

Tell us how the entry satisfies key criteria to help our panel of judges evaluate the nomination.

The Industry Innovator of the Year Award is an annual competition that recognizes outstanding achievement in transportation-related project delivery and rewards third parties working in transportation who have used creativity and innovation to stand out in their ability to positively impact local and state governments.

How to nominate

Nominations are open until May 2, 2025.

Any member of the transportation community can submita nomination using the award nomination form. Enter all requested information and email the completed form to Innovative Transportation in Texas. A few questions about how the entry satisfies the four criteria will help our judging panel evaluate the nomination.

Eligibility

All non-TxDOT personnel working in the transportation industry, including consultants and contractors, are eligible for nomination. For 2025, partner projects described in the nomination should have occurred between January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024.

Evaluation criteria

The purpose of the Industry Innovator of the Year Award is to recognize an individual who has performed outstanding transportation-related work alongside a state agency or local government to deploy or implement an innovative initiative.

All nominations will be judged on the four Innovator of the Year Award criteria: Impact, Innovation, Performance Measures, and Originality.

Describe the individual's initiative in developing or advancing an innovation project or initiative.

Describe the individual's creativity and “outside of the box” thinking and methodology used to move the innovation project or initiative forward.

Explain how this innovation helps the partnering state agency or local government achieve its goals and/or enhance employee engagement.

Describe the originality associated with the project or initiative and how it differs from other processes, programs, technologies, or assets used within the partnering state agency or local government.

Frequently asked questions

Any member of the transportation community (e.g., TxDOT, state agencies, local governments) can nominate third-party organizations they’ve worked with in the transportation industry.

All 2025 nominations should be submitted by emailing a completed nomination form to Innovative Transportation in Texas by May 2, 2025.

If you have any issues with the nomination form, please email Innovative Transportation in Texas.

No, there is no nomination fee.

The judging panel may vary from year to year. The 2025 judging panel consists of five members including representatives from TxDOT, a selected Texas state agency, and a selected local government.

The winner of the 2025 award will be announced during the Texas Innovation Invitational event in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 16-18, 2025.