ITS Michigan 2025 ITS Project of the Year Award Nomination

The ITS Michigan Board is seeking nominations for candidate programs for the ITS Michigan Project of the Year. We are requesting the following:  

Project Title Name of the Agency Brief Description – including links to additional project materials where applicable  Contact information for a person who has knowledge of the project details. (May or may not be the nominator)

The ITS Michigan Nominating Committee may get in touch with the contact person and conduct a telephone interview so we can put a project description together. This will make it easier for the nominator and will produce a consistent project description format for the Newsletter and Award Ceremony.  

The Rules  

You may nominate a project provided:  

• You are an ITS Michigan member. 

      It is okay for a member to nominate his or her own organization/project. 

• The project must have a significant ITS scope. 

           For example, the project can include ITS related research, construction, deployment or integration work. 

• The project cannot be about a commercial product.  

New products can be used in the project, but the primary scope must be about the process, not the products. For example, a new detector may have been used, but the project was about Smart Work Zones. 

• A number of related projects can be rolled up into one nomination. 

      An agency may be changing their ITS infrastructure in a mass deployment. For example, a  new scheme for integrating existing or new field devices may occur over multiple construction contracts. This could be one “project” for nominating purposes. 

• The Project took place in Michigan. 

             The geographic limits of a nominated project must have been primarily within Michigan.

• The Project owners can be any community in Michigan.

      The agency owning the project can be any community in Michigan regardless of size and scale. For example, any city, county, village, tribe, or the State of Michigan can be considered.

• The Project is completed or has produced significant results during the time between the last and current Annual Conference. 

     To be eligible for nomination for "Project of the Year 2025", the project should have reached completion 
or have produced significant results by July 2025 with much of the work in 204/2025. 

Awards will be determined based upon project merit and significance and could result in multiple awards if many quality nominations are received. Nominations must be submitted to the ITS Michigan Recognition  Committee no later than September 6, 2025. Nominations may be submitted to Deniada Nikollari, Nominations and  Awards Committee Chair at deniada.nikollari@wsp.com. The winner will be presented with an award at the 2025 ITS Michigan Annual Conference.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

To ensure the highest standards and recognize truly outstanding initiatives, proposals will be evaluated based on the following three focus areas:

• Innovation: Projects should demonstrate creative approaches, novel technologies, or unique solutions that advance the field of intelligent transportation systems. Consideration will be given to originality, adaptability, and the ability to address emerging challenges in transportation.
• Benefits: Proposals must clearly articulate the practical advantages delivered by the project. This includes improvements in efficiency, safety, accessibility, or cost-effectiveness, as well as measurable enhancements for users, agencies, or communities.
• Impacts: The project’s wider influence—such as its effect on policy, community, environment, or industry standards—will be assessed. Emphasis will be placed on demonstrable, lasting positive change and the project’s potential to serve as a model for future endeavors.

Proposal Requirements: Addressing the Three Focus Areas Above

• Provide a brief but comprehensive summary of the nominated project. Clearly articulate the primary objectives, challenges addressed, and the context within which the project was conceived. Describe the significance of the project to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in Michigan and explain how it advances the field, highlighting any innovative approaches, research, integration, deployment, or construction aspects.
• Summarize the measurable outcomes, impacts, and significant results of the project. This may include improvements in safety, mobility, efficiency, or user experience, as well as any economic or environmental benefits. Projects must demonstrate completion or significant results achieved within the eligibility timeframe.

Formatting Guidelines:

• Submission must not exceed 5 pages (12-point font, single-spaced, standard margins).
• Include headings corresponding to each focus area, Innovation, Benefits, Impacts, for clarity.
• Use charts, tables, and images only if they enhance understanding and remain within the page limit.

Click here for the nomination form.