The 2016 Best Projects competition in the Mountain States featured nearly 100 entries. Projects were judged on design and construction quality, contribution to the community and the industry, and how they overcame unusual challenges through teamwork and innovation.

Projects had to be located in any of the five states in the Mountain States region: Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado as well as the extended reach of the Plains states: Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The judges allowed ties if aggregate scores were very close. Projects with a construction-related fatality on the jobsite were not allowed to enter.

This year’s judges included David Beckner, project manager, KEPHART community :: planning :: architecture; Will Buchanan, president, Treadwell; Becky Hawkins, principal, Method Studio; Patti Mason, executive director, U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter; Jessica Acosta, principal and CEO, Environmental Consulting Services; Monika Garrett, senior VDC specialist, Haselden Construction; Todd Kelsey, vice president and senior project manager, Method Studio; Lisa Larance, preconstruction manager, Swinerton Builders; John Legatt, project manager 1, TIC The Industrial Co. Wyoming Inc.; Patrick Roberts, project engineer, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers; Carrie Wallis, project director, Atkins; and Eric Young, retired engineer. All of the 2016 judges for safety awards were returnees from last year’s panel. They were: John Hymel, principal, Sentinel Safety Consultants; Matt Ogle, safety director, JE Dunn Construction; Tim Batz, risk control team leader, IMA Inc.; and Rick Zellen, senior risk engineer, Zurich North America.

In addition to the category winners, judges chose by consensus one project from the Colorado side and one in the Intermountain area to stand as Projects of the Year. Those honors went to theDIA Hotel and Transit Center在科罗拉多州和普罗沃市中心寺庙在犹他州。其他被特别法官认可的决赛入围者包括在科罗拉多斯普林斯的南方交付系统计划；劳伦斯堪萨斯大学的国会大厦联邦大厅；雪鸟滑雪和夏季度假村的山顶，犹他州的雪鸟；Traeger Wood在盐湖城开火了烧烤厂的公司办公室。