TxDOT Innovator of the Year Award
2025 Texas Innovation Invitational
Nominations for TxDOT's 2025 Innovator of the Year Award are closed.
The TxDOT Innovator of the Year Award promotes TxDOT’s culture of innovation by providing TxDOT staff with a way to recognize fellow employees who have turned their ideas into solutions and implemented innovative projects that help TxDOT address high-level challenges.
Nominations are now closed for the 2025 award. The winner will be announced during the Texas Innovation Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 16-18, 2025.
How to nominate an Innovator of the Year
Nominations are now closed.
Any TxDOT staff member can submit a nomination.
Eligibility
All TxDOT staff are eligible for nomination. For 2025, the projects, ideas, or programs described in the nomination should have occurred between January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024.
Evaluation Criteria
All nominations will be judged on the four Innovator of the Year Award criteria: Impact, Innovation, Performance Measures, and Originality.
Detail the individual’s initiative in developing or advancing an innovation project/idea/program.
Describe the individual’s creativity and “outside of the box” thinking and methodology used to move the innovation project/idea/program forward.
Explain how this innovation helps TxDOT achieve its goals and/or enhance employee engagement.
Describe the originality associated with the project/idea/program and how it differs from other processes, programs, technologies, or assets used within TxDOT.
Past winners
2023 TxDOT Innovators of the Year - Edgar Cuellar and Taya Retterer
Mr. Cuellar and Ms. Retterer of the Bridge Division at Short Course 2023 in College Station accepting the Innovator of the Year award for outstanding initiative and creative implementation of 3D bridge models. Their innovation accelerates project delivery and improves the bridge design process at TxDOT.
Frequently asked questions
All TxDOT staff are eligible to submit a nomination for this award.
All 2025 nominations should have been submitted by completing a nomination form and emailing it to Innovative Transportation in Texas by May 2, 2025. Nominations are currently closed.
If you have any issues with submittal of the form, please email Innovative Transportation in Texas.
The 2025 judging panel consists of five members of TxDOT’s Leadership, representing the areas of Program Delivery, District Operations, and Planning and Administration.
The winner of the 2025 award will be announced during the Texas Innovation Invitational event in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 16-18, 2025.