The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI), a national organization comprised of structural engineers and other design professionals, is accepting nominations for the 2027 CFSEI Awards Program. Nominations for Design Excellence, Creative Detail, and Distinguished Service are being accepted.

Nominations are due by January 29, 2027. Winners will be recognized at the 2027 CFSEI Expo and will be published on the CFSEI and BuildSteel websites. Winning entries will also be made available to professional journals through press releases.

 

The CFSEI Awards Program is designed to publicly acknowledge outstanding achievement in creative design, technical innovation and best practices in the use of cold-formed steel and to publicly acknowledge individuals who have volunteered their time and talent to the cold-formed steel industry.

Applications must meet the following criteria:

• Any project, interior or exterior, utilizing cold-formed steel framing is eligible. 
• The project's construction must have been completed in 2026 or earlier.  Project completion is defined as project area occupancy.
• Entrants may submit more than one project.
• Projects previously submitted are eligible for resubmission; however, prior winners are not eligible.
• The Distinguished Service award nominee must be a CFSEI member in good standing. CFSEI and SFIA paid staff, and current members of the CFSEI Executive Committee are not eligible for nomination.  Paid consultants are eligible for consideration. Nominations must be made by an individual other than the nominee.
• The entrant is solely responsible for any matters regarding confidentiality agreements related to the project.
• All entry materials will become the sole property of CFSEI, which reserves the right to publish some or all entry material. The entrant warrants that he/she may legally transfer all publishing rights of any photos, renderings, or drawings submitted to CFSEI. By entering the Awards Program, the entrant grants a royalty and compensation-free license to CFSEI to disseminate or publish any copyrighted material submitted; the entrant also grants CFSEI the right to publish the names of the award recipients. 

 

AWARD CATEGORIES

CFSEI offers three award categories:

DESIGN EXCELLENCE: Projects that exemplify excellence in the structural design of new or renovated structures utilizing CFS products.  The applicant will choose between three judging categories:

1.    Design Excellence – Exterior Non-Load Bearing Framing
2.    Design Excellence – Load Bearing Framing
3.    Design Excellence – Interior Non-Load Bearing Framing/Specialty Elements

CREATIVE DETAIL: Any CFS framing detail that exemplifies creativity or ingenuity to solve a design challenge.  Participants must submit a single engineered detail along with a summary outlining how the detail was used to resolve the design challenge.  Submission of additional support documentation (such as calculations or design criteria) is encouraged but not required.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: Named the John P. Matsen Award, the purpose is to acknowledge the contributions of an individual who has volunteered their time, talent and resources to the CFS industry.  A testimonial provided of the nominee is to describe the contribution of the individual advancing cold-formed steel in the marketplace.

AWARD DETAILS

•  Awards will be presented to the CFS specialty engineer responsible for the design of the project.
• Up to three awards will be given in each Design Excellence and Creative Detail category.
  • First Place: Winner will receive a trophy, trade and social media promotion, a 5–10-minute Expo presentation, a one-year CFSEI membership, and Expo registration.
  • Second Place: Winner will receive a trophy, trade and social media promotion and a one-year CFSEI membership
  • Third Place: Winner will receive a trophy and trade and social media promotion
• All winning entries are eligible to be professionally interviewed with video footage posted on CFSEI website and social media accounts.
• A maximum one Distinguished Service Award will be given in any year. 

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

DESIGN EXCELLENCE
Entries will be judged on demonstrated excellence and achievement in the use of cold-formed steel based on the following criteria:

• Design creativity.
• Technical innovation.
• Overall project excellence in cold-formed steel utilization.
• Presentation – Concisely explain why your project is unique and award worthy. 
• Photography – Providing both during construction and finish photos greatly helps with judging.

CREATIVE DETAIL
Entries will be judged on demonstrated excellence and achievement in the use of cold-formed steel based on the following criteria:

• Problem solving creativity.
• Presentation – Concisely explain why your project is unique and award worthy. 
• Photography – Providing both during construction and finish photos greatly helps with judging. 

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
The John P. Matsen Award will be given at the discretion of the current CFSEI Executive Committee.  CFSEI/SFIA employees are not eligible.  The award will only be given when it has been determined that a nominee exhibits exceptional qualifications, maintaining the standards that past recipients have set.

Click here for view previous winners